For nearly two decades, local singer Ricki Derek has made a decent living with music from the '40s and '50s. After brief stints in a couple of rock bands in the early '90s, Derek turned in his drum set for a tuxedo. What started as one guy doing Frank Sinatra karaoke quickly turned into some fairly lucrative corporate gigging. Around 2005, Derek started expanding his Sinatra repertoire to create a Christmas show based on those classic Bing Crosby variety shows of the 1950s. With the closing of the Lakewood Theater, Derek is taking this year's Christmas show to the Granada Theater for the first time on Dec. 12. Recently, Derek was kind enough to talk about how he morphs into Ol' Blue Eyes and what makes his Christmas extravaganza a must-see holiday event.
By Darryl Smyers, Special Contributor
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When did you decide to do the Sinatra-tribute gigs?
I sort of stumbled upon the whole Sinatra thing. I decided that I wanted to put together a lounge act just for giggles. I really liked Sinatra's music, and it went over really well. I knew it was something that I should look into. I knew that it felt good. I have a good sense of humor, but I wanted to take the cheesy element out of it. I wanted to accentuate the cool element. I got involved with some really talented musicians that helped me forward the cause.
Were you always into Sinatra?
Yes, that kind of music was always hanging out in the back part of my brain. My mom was heavy into Bobby Darin. She actually saw Sinatra. I always dug that style of music.
When was the first gig as Sinatra?
My first Sinatra gig as Ricki Derek was the day he died. That was just a coincidence. That was 1998. I was already practicing to do my first gig that was going to be at the Red Room. My mom called and asked me if I had heard the news. She told me Sinatra died. I had a gig that night. At the show, two or three of the local television stations showed up to do a live feed because they wanted anything that had to do with Sinatra. The place was packed and it was my first gig. My living has been singing this style of music for the past 10 years.
How did the Christmas gigs come into being?
This is the first time the Christmas gig will be at the Granada. I've always loved the Granada, but I had a relationship with the Lakewood Theater. For over 10 years, I was doing some sort of gig there, Valentine's Day, New Year's, Christmas, a cabaret show. They closed and there wasn't any place to do my Christmas show. By that time, the Christmas show had garnered a big following. I needed a place to do both my Valentine's Day show and my Christmas show, so I hit up the Granada. We did Valentine's Day there this year and sold it out. The people at the Granada treated me very well, so we immediately booked a Christmas show.
How long is the Christmas show? How many songs?
It tends to be two 50-minute sets. That's almost 20 tunes. It is kind of like an old Bing Crosby/Frank Sinatra TV show. I have guests that come through the door. I have a fireplace. It's trying to make an old TV show out of the live show. The songs are presented very big, like in Hollywood. The band has horns and strings. It is the full deal. I don't think people expect such a high-end, top-notch band. Depending on the night, we might have an 18-piece band.
How do you choose which Christmas songs to play?
Most of the songs are pre-1960. It's all the old stuff. Some songs you have to do, like "The Christmas Song." I remember hearing Mel Tormé sing, "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire." Now that we have kind of made the show a tradition, we can get away with more and play whatever we want. In the beginning, it was finding songs that we could arrange in a cool way. There are some songs you have to do, songs like "White Christmas." One song that I didn't like at first but love doing now is "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas." I like the feel of that song because we do a very cool arrangement of it. We do a swinging version of "Holly Jolly Christmas" from Burl Ives. "Silent Night" is such a huge tune that you have to play it.
Do people come up after the show and make song suggestions or ask why you didn't play a particular song?
Not really, because we run the gamut. We do a wide variety of stuff. Right or wrong, I don't get super religious. I want it more fun and in the spirit of the holidays. I think people need more of an escape, more of a chance to sit back and tap their feet. People really seem to go nuts for this show.
What makes a good Christmas song? There are some rather bad ones out there.
I just can't latch on to many newer Christmas songs. People feel those old classics in a different way. The newer stuff just hasn't sunk into me like the older stuff. All of it has its place. I did a bit once as Elvis and did "Blue Christmas." It was totally hammy. But there are some bad Christmas songs out there. "Wonderful Christmastime" by McCartney is pretty dumb, but people want to write a timeless tune and that tune can make a ton of money.
