***** Johnny Contardo *****
***** Johnny Contardo *****
Now, I may be going out on a limb here… But one of the most underrated singers in Rock N Roll history has to be Johnny Contardo who was the lead singer of Sha Na Na from 1971 to 1983. Now many of you guys may think Jeff Eats has lost it, but as a huge fan of 50s & 60’s Rock N Roll music, Johnny’s singing prowess has to be rated right up there with that of Roy Orbison, Frankie Valli and other greats of that era. If you do some “You Tube” checking, you will find that although Jon “Bowzer” Bauman was known as Sha Na Na’s leader, it was Contardo’s tenor/falsetto leads that made the group a huge television, recording and concert act.
You can check Johnny Contardo’s website www.jonnycontardo.com for audio/video/personal information.
In November 2011, the Woodfield Country Club in Boca Raton invited the semi-retired Los Angeles based Contardo to perform at the Club backed by local party band The Fabulons. Just so you know, I saw that 1-hour performance and suffice it to say Contardo absolutely killed it.
The reason that I am now mentioning this “old” story…I just learned that Huntington Lakes (condo community) in Delray Beach has signed Johnny Contardo to perform there on Saturday, October 20, 2012. I have no other details…
Like I said before, the Woodfield Country Club “brought” Contardo to Florida…apparently, Huntington Lakes is now doing the same thing. From what I can tell, Contardo isn’t on a circuit tour of South Florida.
All I know, is that in this day and age, it is getting harder and harder to “see” the true legends and greats of Rock N Roll.
If this type of thing is your bag, check with Huntington Lakes www.huntingtonlakes.com and see if you can get to see Johnny Contardo in this very rare public appearance.
Johnny Contardo was a great lead singer. Too bad he wasn’t in a group that had original music. No doubt about it he was as good or even better than the guys who really had the hit singles.
My Wife and I went to Bowzers Doo Wop show at Mohegan Sun last Sunday in Conn.What a great Irt was all the old time groups were fantastic.Johnny Cantardo was there as well He sang several songs his voice is still great what a thrill it was to be there Bowzer was great as well After the show Bowzer and Johnny did ameet and great the were extreemly graciousth their time signing autographs talking with us fans and taking photos I wish I had had more time to talk with them. Two better guys you will not find I highlr recomend their concertsIf they are in your area be sure to go itswell worth it,.
Really simple.
Johnny is one of Rock’s great lead singers.
Ive seen Johnny perform 3 times during the past 4 years.
He has a great voice and is very personable.
I have to agree with many here that he was one of the most underrated lead singers in rock n roll history.
Jeff,
Johnny Contardo has a fabulous voice.
As good as any of the best lead singers including Maestro, Beaumont, Smokey and Ruffin.
Wanted to check in and say hello. You guys and gals make an old singer feel real good with your kind words. Will be in North Carolina this weekend at Brock for Performing Arts Theatre. Looking forward to it. Wife will be staying home with the cats. Thanks again and take care, Johnny.
let us know when you’ll be in florida.
we would love to catch your show.
The Tanners
Hey Johnny,
Without you and Bowzer there was no group.
Bowzer for levity and you for killer leads.
I’m sure you know that.
Johnny
Any new 2013 or 2014 Florida dates planned?
Hello there far away,
I’m living in the Netherlands. I really want to know iff at any time the DVD’s are available from the TV shows. In my car you can only listen to Sha-na-na music and the high notes from Johnny,. GREAT!!
I always wonder how many octave he can reach.
Greetings from Holland.
Johnny,
One of the greatest lead singers, EVER!!!
Just left You Tube and I must say that Johnny Contardo as lead singer of Sha Na Na was one of the greatest lead singers of all time. Just that simple.
Johnny Contardo,
One of the greatest lead singers in the history of Rock N Roll.
Just that simple.
Why did Johnny stop his singing career?
Still performing Rochelle. Will be on an oldies cruise April 27 with Bowzer . Royal Carribean. Rocky from Rocky and The Rollers is promoting it. In answer to Sonja, over three octaves, including falsetto. Take care, Johnny Contardo.
Johnny, I want to buy some of your CD’s, so I sent my check to the address on your website and it was returned to me marked “Attempted – not known. Unable to forward.” Can you please tell me how I can purchase your CD’s? Thank you very much!
Johnny, I have been a fan of yours from the very beginning and would watch Sha Na Na every week just to see and hear you. Last night my husband and I watched most of your performances from YouTube on Roku. The full concert from 1973 brought back many fond memories of you and the gang. Any more oldies cruises coming up for you? You are definitely one of the greatest singers ever!! Thanks for the memories.
Johnny Contardo made Sha Na Na.
He has a fabulous voice.
Johnny is the best… So talented .. Gorgeous and a really sweet guy..unreservedly my favourite singer ever😊
When will Johnny be performing in South Florida or NY? Would love to see him sing live.
I have seen Johnny Contardo perform twice with Sha Na Na. He is a true singer by all means. I still go too You Tube and listen to him. Thanks for a great job Johnny, which includes the rest of Sha Na Na!
Can we still buy your records. Rochelle (above) had her check returned and I see no response to her question. I love your signing so much and listen to You Are My Destiny every night. Please let me hear from you.
Susie
Johnny Contardo one of the most underrated lead singers in the history of Rock N Roll. Gorgeous voice.
I think Sha Na Na was a great group in its heyday! I would love to see one of “their” shows!
3/12/2015
I, too, have just received my check returned for a CD, envelope was marked, Attempted, Not Known-Return to Sender. I took address from the updated website recommended by “foofsmom” on You Tube. Could you please provide a legitimate address so that I can resend this check for your CD, Ballads For Lovers, Volume 1
Thank you, Donna
Sorry for the returned checks. You can purchase cd from my new address. Make it out to Vocal Power, P.O.Box 80046, Rancho Santa Margarita, California, 92688. Please go to my new site vocalpower.biz and subscribe for free and you will receive a newsletter every few months.
I saw Sha Na Na perform four times in the 1960’s. Johnny Contardo is the greatest tenor I ever heard. I’d rate him over Johnny Mathis. What is sad is when they released a song from “Grease” with John Travolta and Olivia Newton John that was sub-par. The best song from “Grease” was “Those Magic Changes” sung by Contardo Vocally Travolta and O.N. John were not in the same league as Contardo.
Hi there. My name is Gloria. I agree with your comment. Actually Johnny should have had the lead in that movie and should have been in many more. He is one of a kind and should always be remembered. His voice gave me goosebumps. I used to go to his tapings on Sunset Blvd. He asked to sing Special Angel to my daughter but unfortunately I didn’t bring her that day. So regretful that I still cannot forget it. Miss him very much. Hopefully he will do other shows in Los Angeles.
Sorry I stated I saw them perform four times in the 1960’s, I meant the 1970’s. Also I remember they tried for a top 40 hit in the mid-70’s. Mr. Contardo was the lead singer in “Just Like Romeo and Juliet”. Everyone I knew liked the song, But there is politics in the entertainment world.
From: Cheryl Bunyan
Subject: Johnny Contardo
Message Body:
Hi Jeff! My name is Cheryl, and I just wanted to thank you for the truly lovely article you wrote about Sha Na Na’s Johnny Contardo. As you said, if there’s ever been a singer who should have become a huge star, it’s certainly Johnny. What COULDN’T he have done? Records, tours, TV, Broadway? If Jersey Boys had come out back in his heyday, can you imagine a more perfect Frankie Valli, especially with that perfect, angelic falsetto? Or as Danny in a revival of Grease? He absolutely had the voice, the looks, the dance skills, the stage presence (a big ham…in the best sense of the word!), to do just about anything. If his solo LP Changeover had come out a couple of years later, when music videos had just started to come out, and they’d done a video to go with the music… how could he miss?
Back in the early 2000s, unable to find much online about him, I created a Johnny fan site, The Johnny Zone ( http://www.wtv-zone.com/divamagenta/johnnyzone.html ). I started receiving sweet, kind e-mails on a nearly daily basis from many other wonderful fans who, like me, had such fond memories of Johnny but couldn’t find any info on him. One day, I received an e-mail from a fan whose family had been acquaintances of his back in the day, and it inspired her to track him down and say hi and let him know about the site and all the fan interest in his career. Ultimately, after seeing how much his fans still remembered and loved him, he started performing at festivals, meet-and-greets, etc. I had the privilege of finally meeting him at one of those events, where the two big highlights for me were him singing Happy Birthday to me (!), and when he found they didn’t have the background music for Those Magic Changes, he led the whole room of fans in singing his famous song a capella together with him – what an incredible moment!
Thanks again for your wonderful article! Cheryl
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This mail is sent via contact form on Jeff Eats http://jeffeats.com
One of the greatest singers in pop music’s history.
You guys are so kind. Thank you so much for all your wonderful words. Take care, Johnny.
I totally agree with all of the comments above. Johnny, you are a truly fantastic singer and performer, and I told you that the only one who I can compare you with is Frank Sinatra…timeless…Hoping to meet you one day soon, been a fan for years, you are ” The Voice”..Sinatra would be proud! Love and best wishes always……….Viv
I was a huge Sha Na Na fan when I was in high school mostly because of Johnny Contardo. I agree with all of the comments I’ve read so far, he has one of the best singing voices of all time. I saw a recent clip from a performance in 2013. He sounds exactly the same. His voice is truly timeless.
Jeff,
No ifs, ands, or buts Johnny Contardo was one of the greatest lead singers in Rock n Roll history. Stuck fronting a novelty act resulted in true stardom passing him by.
He absolutely still has it!
His voice is phenomenal.. His incredible talent is only surpassed by his incredible kindness..
An amazing man
I grew up listening to Rockabilly and 50’s music. Loved Sha Na Na from the beginning and was amazed at the power and sweet sound of Johnny’s voice. He was and still is incredible. There are a lot of good, decent singers in the world of entertainment but Johnny has always been on a level above. His voice is golden. I’m thankful I can still hear him sing on YouTube. Seeing that he has CD’s available, I am going to treat myself to a few.
I think you are the best singer I have ever heard, enjoy every song you made, would like to know where I can get a cd of yours your songs . I love to hear your beautiful sexton voice
I have been following you and SA NA NA from the very start. I have always loved the oldies. I know you hear it all the time but you have fantastic voice I have ever heard God bless you and keep on singing
My husband and I recently saw Johnny with Bowzer at Hershey Park. Johnny was terrific as was Michael Damore the new lead singer of The Capris.
When he was younger he had a great voice. Nowadays he’s good but nothing like his Sha days.
Johnny: saw you this year in concert w/Bowzer in Atlanta and you can still sing those notes. You have a magnificent voice. I swear you can sing the ingredients off of a cereal box and it would still sound beautiful.
I remember Sha Na Na from my childhood, and I thought Johnny was drop dead gorgeous! Bowzer was a clown, but I still enjoyed his antics, and that the two of them are still singing together!
Johnny Contardo sang the pants off the ladies!
I watched Sha Na Na every week and recorded Johnny on my cassette player. VERY thankful for the YouTube videos now. I drove 6 hrs from the University of Ark to Memphis, TN to see Sha Na Na no Feb 9, 1981 just to see Johnny in person, then drove back to school afterwards as it was on a Monday night. I listen and watch him at work and at home all the time. I have always liked Frankie Valli, but to me there is no comparison between the 2; especially singing Grease. Plus, Johnny is the cutest EVer! I wish I could see him in person again and would love even more to meet him. He seems like such a gracious and nice guy.
Terri, he is! He’s now in his 70s and he’s STILL got it even after all these years! My late father took me to see one of the Sha Na Na concerts when I was a teenager, and I loved it!
Johnny was phenomenal as Sha’s lead singer.
GREAT VOICE!
Recently saw him with Bowzer and Johnny still got it. For sure the range is a little lower, but he still has a tremendous voice.