“Frankie, give this envelope to Mr. Passano when
you see him tomorrow,” club manager and ever-vigilant
doorman Jerry D’iorfio said. The envelope was sealed
but I could tell there was a great deal of cash in it.
I’m just the drummer with the band, and now suddenly
I am making some sort of delivery to the syndicate. My
mother would have been proud.
“Don’t
worry,” Jerry laughed. “We trust you. After
all, you’re a paesano, am I right?” He suddenly
grew serious. “Plus, you pull any fast one and,
bing bada bing, you’re history.” Then Jerry
laughed again.
Frankie
Severino wasn’t laughing. When the FBI and IRS
investigated him four years later, they weren’t
laughing either.
Drummer
for the Mob, by Frank Catanzano (Fiction, AuthorHouse),
is an irreverent and often funny look at life working
with members of organized crime who ran many of the
clubs in Pittsburgh. Based on true events, Frank has
taken great pains to disguise the people, places and
things in this tell-all story of how the wise guys ruled
through intimidation and threats.
Frankie’s
narrative is a personal account of the sometimes hilarious
and often dangerous years he and his fellow musicians
in The Nite Lites toiled in these clubs. Drummer for
the Mob is a no holds barred, behind the scenes look
at the sex, drugs and rock and roll during these pre-AIDS
years, told through the lens of social values and the
music genres of the period. Drummer, a work of fiction,
is based on actual events. The names of the crime families,
bosses, clubs and band members have been changed to
protect Frankie “because he can’t swim.”
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