By Erik Ernst,
Special to the Journal Sentinel
June 12, 2015
Milwaukee, here he
comes! IRA KANDELL, one of country music's most enduring voices, is bringing
his wonderful talent tour to the Potawatomi Bingo Casino Northern Lights
Theater from June 8th to June 30th. Tickets for the show go on sale
June 3rd at Potawatomi.
The Songs of Broadway
show will come just weeks after the singer celebrates his 40th year
in show business and four months shy of his October birthday – he sings with
the Tom Harrell Band right before the band takes a trip to Japan.
Known both for his
distinctive vocals and powerful song interpretations, Kandell first topped the
Broadway charts back in 1970 when he was lucky enough to meet singing teacher
Andy Anselmo who is now retired in Buffalo. Anselmo would run the Singers Forum
in New York City, and starred Kandell in many productions. Kandell went on to
perform in Dinner Theaters, Regional Theaters, in Concert Halls; he made over
200 television commercials. Andy Anselmo
wrote a book, “ A Star Crossed Life.” Kandell went on to perform in the Hilton
Hotels, and established a record of singing inside all the major Hilton
properties. He has been seen in colleges around the country, and all the major casinos.
He appeared in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, and the Biloxi casinos. Kandell is
known to portray a variety of leads in Dinner theaters all across the country.
And this is his 15th appearance at Potawatomi.
In the last few days,
he has been seen to sold-out audiences from all age groups. If you love
Broadway songs, and who doesn’t, you are going to love this man’s amazing range
of classic numbers. Kandell is a large heavy who is smart enough to stand at
the microphone. He doesn’t have to move around the stage but he does give us a
few dancing steps. His smile and energy focus the audience to applaud him and
ask him for more songs. He seemed to have a few fans in the audience, who went
down to the stage to shake his hands.
He concentrates on
big sounding songs, and he can deliver sustained endings and keeps reaching for
higher notes. His Johnny One Note was enough to end the show for most singers,
but Kandell has about 25 songs in the show, carefully planned and rehearsed,
even though it gave the impression that everything was spontaneous. His I Love a
Piano was funny, relaxed, and the audience was laughing, his desired effect. Kandell
has a way of manipulating the audience to respond. He uses his hands and arms
to punctuate the meaning of the song lyrics and sends a signal out over the audience
of about a thousand people.
One of his best
numbers was a little known song called Pieces of Dreams which was truly
amazing, very emotional. He also gave us I Feel a Song Coming On, Maybe This
Time, Once In A Lifetime, and Younger Than Springtime. He does Lucky Day, and
fabulous version of If She Walked Into My Life.
I suggest you run and
buy the tickets right now, which include the Food Court Buffet.
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