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The Villages
Friday, March 29, 2024

Buckinghams’ lead singer talks about band’s breakup, starting over

Dennis Tufano
Dennis Tufano

Dennis Tufano is 68 but when he sings on stage, it feels like 1968.
Something mystical happens to the former voice of the Buckinghams as he sings “Kind of a Drag.” The past turns into the present. And the singer, like the song, finds new life with an old feeling.
“Everytime I get behind a microphone, I feel like I’m 19 again,” said Tufano, who performs Thursday, July 30 at 5 and 8 p.m. in the Savannah Center. He is part of “Rocky’s Original Lead Singers of Pop and Rock Showcase.”
Also on the bill with Gerry “Rocky” Seader and the Rollers are: Jimmy Charles, who sang “A Million to One;” Eddie Holman, “Hey There Lonely Girl,” and Freddy “Boom Boom” Cannon who had such hits as, “Palisades Park,” and “Tallahassee Lassie.”
Tufano was with the Buckinghams during the late 1960s. The Chicago band was right up there on the charts with the Beatles and the Stones for a couple of glorious years. The hits included, “Kind of a Drag,” “Don’t You Care,” “Susan,” “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy,” and “Hey Baby (They’re Playing Our Song).”
The band blended pop, rock and jazz, using horns and keyboards. To see a clip of Tufano and the Buckinghams singing “Kind of a Drag” go to:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUyyfC7rsQY&list=RDAUyyfC7rsQY#t=0

The Buckinghams album, "Mercy, Mercy Mercy."
The Buckinghams album, “Mercy, Mercy Mercy.”

It was a crazy but wonderful time,” Tufano said. “We felt like we were living the Beatles’ movie, ‘A Hard Day’s Night.’ All I remember is jumping in and out of limousines, running to and from shows and having girls screaming at us. We had a lot of fun and enjoyed the fame. When you’re in the middle of the storm, you just ride the wave”
It couldn’t last. The usual rock-band trappings of greedy managers, clueless record company executives, burnt egos and bad advice caught up with the group.
“It’s an old story,” said Tufano, “it still happens to bands today.”
Before the Buckinghams knew what hit them, the 60s were over and so was the group. They broke up in 1970 and Dennis Tufano had to start all over again.

When the Buckinghams broke up, things slowed down but I didn’t think it was the end of my career, I just had to move on,” Tufano said in a telephone interview. “You can go into deep depression in this business when things slow down and the hits stop coming. You’ve got to keep growing and working to survive.”
In the early ’70s, he recorded with famed producer Lou Adler, singing with ex-Buckingham Carl Giammarese. Then he wrote and worked with Bernie Taupin, best known for writing songs for Elton John. Tufano teamed with Taupin on his1978 album, “He Who Rides The Tiger.”

Dennis Tufano and Olivia Newton-John.
Dennis Tufano and Olivia Newton-John.

By the early ’80s, Tufano had drifted into acting. Then, he landed a singing job with Olivia Newton-John during the height of her fame. He was a regular on her tours. “Olivia was great and she was such a big star back then. We just clicked. She was open to ideas and very creative.
“I saw her a few months ago in Las Vegas. We sat around and talked over old times. We were like two friends talking about the old days.”
To see a clip of Tufano singing “You’re The One That I Want” with Olivia Newton-John go to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO8rQ9WpeCM

But, after the tours, once again, things slowed down.
“But I didn’t let myself get down,” he said. “I tried more acting. I kept writing. I had great support from my friends and family.”
Eventually, Tufano started getting more singing gigs. Then, by accident, he started performing a show as a tribute to one of his idols, Bobby Darin.
“I was always a fan of Bobby’s,” Tufano said. One day, while singing along to a Darin record at his sister’s house, something clicked. “My sister told me I had the same tone as Bobby and why not do a show.”
So, Tufano studied Darin’s records. He enlisted the help of musical director Michael Acosta – who works with Brian Setzer. Eventually it became a stage production with a big band and he recorded a live CD called, “I Remember Darin.”
“I’m not trying to imitate Bobby Darin’s voice, I’m trying to capture what his music and stage show was all about,” Tufano said. He has spent much of the last decade performing the Darin show throughout the country.
Despite all his accomplishments, Tufano still cherishes those ’60s’ memories of the Buckinghams.
“When I was in my 30s, I didn’t think I’d ever be singing those songs later in my life,” he said. “I didn’t want to be up on stage being an old man singing songs I couldn’t relate to.
“But as we got older, I think the music of the ’60s takes on more meaning. I think all of us in that generation have matured together.
“When I sing those songs, I can still relate to them. It’s not about being a kid; it’s about what you feel. I think those songs still hold up.”
The audience shares that view, Tufano believes.
“You sing a three-minute song and you wonder what it all means all these years later. The biggest kick I get is meeting people after a show. They come up to me and tell me stories about what these songs meant at crucial moments of their lives.
“They want to share it with me, not as some rock singer, but as a friend. That makes me feel I did something that has great value.”
He can’t wait to perform here.
“I’ve heard so many good things about The Villages,” Tufano said. “I’m jazzed up for this show. Freddy Cannon rocks and I remember dancing to ‘A Million to One,’ in high school. It’s the kind of song where you danced real close to your girlfriend and your forehead got stuck in her hairspray.”

Newlyweds Dennis Tufano and Anne-Marie Mackay.
Newlyweds Dennis Tufano and Anne-Marie Mackay.

In June, Tufano married his long-time partner Anne-Marie Mackay. They live in L.A. She works as an entertainment industry producer and has been nominated for Emmy and Grammy Awards.
“I never got married and after all these years, it was on my bucket list,” Tufano said. “We’ve been together a long time but we were both so busy, we never had time to get married.
“So, in June, we finally did it. We had a backyard wedding with some close friends and flowers. Our dog, Shadow, was the ring bearer.”
Then, after a too-short honeymoon in Normandy, “I was back on the road again working, and so was Anne-Marie.” Tufano said. “That’s how it goes in this business.”
Sounds like kind of a drag.

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