Local crooner is taking it to the streets!

[By JoAnn R. Walter]

Owego, N.Y. resident Gregory Roman is on a personal mission to bring back the magic of “The Great American Songbook” to small-town America, doing it one street corner at a time.

Recently, Roman launched a nationwide street tour. In late May, he performed a pop-up street performance at the gazebo in Owego’s Courthouse Square, and then serenaded shoppers on June 27 at the TCAS Farmers Market, located in Building 3 at the Tioga County Fairgrounds.

Roman said he will pursue more opportunities to sing within Tioga County and the Greater Binghamton area, while sharing his passion for the legendary music of Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, and Dean Martin, to name a few.

All of his shows are free of charge. It’s Roman’s goal to secure a sponsor and travel across the United States to sing in America’s small towns.

Roman, a 70-year-old singer and songwriter, remarked, “I grew up listening to Dean Martin, Ella Fitzgerald, and Nat King Cole, and my favorite is Dean Martin.”

Roman describes himself as a crooner, similar to those of the classic crooning era. Dean Martin, for instance, was a distinctive crooner of his day, and was often referred to as the “King of Cool.” 

The Dean Martin swing-song jazz tune from 1960, “Ain’t That a Kick in the Head,” accompanied by the Nelson Riddle Orchestra, is a regular on Roman’s set list. Another Dean Martin classic, “On the Street Where You Live,” a romantic ballad from the film “My Fair Lady,” is one of Roman’s treasured songs.

The “Great American Songbook” is a collection of twentieth-century American popular songs and jazz standards, spanning the 1920s to the 1960s. The songs originate from Broadway musicals, Hollywood films, and Tin Pan Alley.

Roman wants to help the public discover new songs they may not have heard before, commenting, “Small towns are the heartbeat of America, and I want to bring this music to them, and where the community gathers.”

A couple of noteworthy career experiences for Roman included the opportunity to write and perform a skit with legendary jazz trumpeter Doc Severinsen for the “Presidents at Pops,” an annual fundraising gala hosted by the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Roman also sang alongside singer and songwriter Ben Folds. 

Roman explained that he moved to Owego from Boston five years ago after working for an advertising agency there for 20 years. In 2019 he had a liver transplant, and today he focuses his energies on maintaining a positive attitude while singing from the heart.

In a search for new housing before his move to Owego, the cost of living in the Boston and nearby Connecticut areas was no longer affordable for him, so he started looking elsewhere. He toured the Ithaca area but interestingly ran across the 2009 Owego announcement as “America’s Coolest Small Town.” He visited the Owego area, fell in love with the community, and ultimately established new roots here.

Roman believes that a chapter of American music is being forgotten, and he is using his voice to spread nostalgia, joy, and community spirit through the timeless classics of American jazz and pop standards.

To learn more about Gregory Roman, find him on Facebook at “Gregory Roman 79.” For booking details, call him at (617) 306-3824, or email gregoryroman401@gmail.com.