My first introduction to the voice of Connie Francis came at a time when I was not cognizant of who she was.  My mother had been given some old 45 records by a friend two of which were “I'm Sorry I made You Cry” b/w “Lock Up your Heart” and “Among My Souvenirs” b/w “God Bless America." I was drawn to the voice that sang “I’m sorry I made You Cry” and “Lock Up Your Heart” and played these repeatedly still not cognizant of who the singer was and not really interested. All I knew was that I was crazy about it.

   Connie sings: "I'm Sorry I Made you Cry"   {click to play}

Well, for some time these were the only two 45s that I encountered with that special voice and I never really bothered to inquire about the singer.  Unknowingly, my exposure to the voice was almost omnipresent, as you will see throughout this discourse.

A few years later I began to take a stronger interest in music having received a phonograph as a gift. Initially, I bought a number of diverse and nondescript LPs. One day while listening to the radio, I head the song “For Mama” and for some reason was fond of it.  It was during this time that Louis Armstrong's Hello Dolly was receiving a good deal of airplay.  My grandmother asked me to buy the “For Mama” LP and I headed over to Syl's record shop where it was featured on his wall along with some other Connie Francis LPs.  I bought it, took it home, listened to it, and loved it.  I now had a favorite singer although I had not yet connected the singer to my earlier likings.

I caught the Ed Sullivan Show and saw Connie for the first time, singing “For Mama” and “Goldfinger” (which I recently found on YouTube.com. The wonders of YouTube!)  I was now hooked on Connie and I think it was then that I discovered the connection between the artist and the artist of “I'm sorry I Made You Cry.”

The local radio show would periodically play Connie's hits all of which were new to me and I quickly went out to buy the “Greatest Hits” LP and low and behold “I'm sorry I Made You Cry” was right on there. The "Christmas” LP was a must. It was a popular LP and I recall a classmate brought it in to class during the Holidays at the Catholic school that I attended. 

In the hot summer days when central air conditioning was not common, I heard Connie's “Italian Favorites” being played from house to house through the opened kitchen windows while the women cooked their family dinners.  Connie was all around me and I did not even know it! 

On a vacation in Atlantic City, the host of the house that my family rented was a Connie fanatic and loved her “Folk Song Favorites” LP.  The Italian Village on Million Dollar Pier featured Connie's LP’s and I could still picture the “Never On Sunday” LP staring back at me from the record bin's wall.

At a Supremes show on the Steel Pier, right in front of me was Connie's cousin, or so she stated. She told me that Connie's real name was “Franconi” and by then I knew enough to know that it was “Franconero”. LOL! I guess everyone wants a brush with his favorite star. I was disappointed that I had missed Connie's appearance at the Pier. My Aunt Jackie believed that she looked like Connie and in a way she did. She would have her hair styled as Connie and I think there were some LP sleeves in stores with Connie's head missing from them.

It was the following year that I managed to see her in person for the first time when, due to my grandmother's birthday, the family ventured to the Latin Casino in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, a venue where Connie appeared periodically. Fortunately, my father knew the maitre' de and we got front row seats to the event. 

Connie was so petite, a shock to me, and she looked like a china doll, or should I say a Persian doll decked out in her turquoise A line gown with gold paisley designs and Mandarin collar, shimmering white stockings, and shimmering heels or slippers curled at the toe. My thoughts at the time were that her ankles looked so thin that I was afraid that they would not withstand those heels. LOL!

I do not recall the hits that she sang that night, but there was no medley of greatest hits at that time although you can bet she did sing “Mama” and she did do the Italian numbers which of course brought down the house. Another highlight was an obscure Streisand number called “Free Again”. It was the last time I ever heard Connie sing this, but I came across a pretty bad copy of it on the Internet somewhere a few years ago.

I did not see Connie again until her famous comeback which was highly publicized. The Valley Forge Music Fair was the venue and when we pulled up to the venue; "Welcome Back Connie" signs were found all around. The owners of the theater also owned Westbury I found out. We arrived there during an unusual mid April snow storm but Connie was late and the band kept playing an extra long medley of her hits. She arrived in a black beaded pants suit and, now privy to the machinations of Connie's life; I later found out that her boyfriend at the time, F. Lee Bailey, delayed her much to George's dismay. We also met relatives at the show. Everyone loves Connie! Connie's Greatest Hits medley was long and spectacular.  I think she did all of her 16 million sellers and many of her top 40 hits.

In 1985, Connie, with the help of Merv Griffin, returned to Atlantic City after a two year hiatus when Jack Benny and Henny Youngman canceled at Resorts International due to illness. These concerts were essential for Connie to bring her back into the graces of the City.

The large room was mobbed when we arrived with people back to back and side to side, standing in the aisles and on the stairs. I actually had to crawl under a table to get to my seat. Connie entered in her signature fashion, from the back, and was showing her newly acquired engagement ring as she made her way through the crowd. She looked stunning in her white cape and gown.

The shows were a huge success and many Atlantic City dates followed, two of which I attended, but the highlight of all of her concerts from the 1980s on was a concert at the Valley Forge Music Fair in the early 1990’s when Connie was in top form. It was a magical night and the stars seemed to shine for Connie. This was Connie of the peak years similar to the show I had seen at the Latin Casino when I was very young, when the notes seemed to flow from her so effortlessly.

I almost missed this show, to think of it, as I had to administer an evaluation that Saturday and was locked in the building by a security guard who apparently did not know that I was there. I ran up to the 14th floor only to find that the staircase door was locked and I could not get to my telephone. I set off the burglar alarm several times to no avail. What good are they! The emergency telephone was not in working order. I stood there looking at the people entering the department store across the street, banging on the glass doors like a lunatic, and finally I saw a police officer, wrote a note to him with my father's telephone number who eventually arrived with a locksmith.

I won't forget that concert not only due to this circumstance but also due to the spectacular performance of Miss Francis. I had hoped that she would be good as a friend was accompanying me and I did not want to disappoint her or to judge Connie in a negative way. I saw and heard my friend singing to the medley of hits!

Behind the venue Connie emerged after the show and a crowd surrounded her limousine as Connie was shoved into it. My friend and I looked onto this scene and it was then that my friend understood the "lunacy" of Connie fans.

Through it all, it is difficult to determine what is special about Connie. Is it the diversity, the power of her voice, the intonations, the affective nature, the gestures?

Whatever it is, it is all wrapped up into one special package, a one in a million package.

Sal Presti

Here are some photo's of Sal in front of his home In Philadelphia, Pa.