Ron Onesti: Thank God for WWII … sort of

I am 56 years old, born in 1962. As it turns out, being born that year was a pivotal time, musically, to come into this world.

I am the son of a World War II hero. Sgt. Albert J. Onesti, Infantry, United States Army, 45th Division Thunderbirds, No. 36-682-557. There are many veterans who, for the most part, have blocked that time out of their lives. War was horrible.

But for my dad, it was the most important, life-altering and personality-forming time of his life. AND he was a great storyteller. That meant story after story after story, at every dinner table and any other chance he got.

He told of the times in the foxholes, watching his friends get killed right next to him. A bullet just missing his head and putting a hole right through the barrel of his rifle. He "knew" he would never go home. Because of this realization, his acceptance of that reality made him fearless and relentlessly positive.

He also talked about what it was like to be an Italian-American fighting Italians in Anzio and in Sicily. "I am an American, and they were the enemy. I was fighting for OUR flag. I did not see them as Italians, really. I couldn't because it would be like killing my cousins. But when we liberated Italy, it was the best time of my life. They treated us like kings; it was like going home for dinner," he would say, time and time again.

But what he brought home musically gave me an appreciation for Big Band music from a very young age. Anything by Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, Artie Shaw and, of course, young Frank Sinatra was what flowed through his red, white and blue veins.

Among his favorite films was the 1943 classic "Stage Door Canteen," which showed how Hollywood stars came together to not only perform for the troops, but also waited on their tables to feed them dinner. Another favorite? "The Glenn Miller Story" starring Jimmy Stewart, of course.

To this day, the opening measures of the Miller classics "String Of Pearls," "Moonlight Serenade," "Chattanooga Choo Choo" and "Pennsylvania 6-5000" bring a tear to my eye and a warmth to my heart.

That is why we host the Glenn Miller Orchestra every year at The Arcada. Its performance is this Sunday, Oct. 14, and the dance floor will be open. All World War II vets may attend for free, for THEY are the heroes.

Although I was only 7 years old in 1969, I received a HUGE rock 'n' roll lesson from Woodstock psychedelic rock, the Joplin/Hendrix era, the Vietnam "We Gotta Get Out of this Place" by the Animals anti-war political environment, and The Rolling Stones/Beatles British Invasion. I had older cousins, so that music was everywhere when I was growing up. And with my dad being a tailor, I was the only 10-year old with a Nehru jacket, the kind the Beatles wore.

And speaking of my cousins, I was exposed to other styles of music as well. Every Friday night, our front room became a screamfest as Elvis, Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck came on the black-and-white TV. Man they wore those pants tight!

As I hit high school, the music of my formative years became the classic rock of the 1970s. Styx, Chicago, the Beach Boys, Yes, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Rush, UFO, America, Kansas, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Journey were all my favorites.

Another dynamic of the '70s was the resurgence of the music from the 1950s. Films including "American Graffiti" and "Grease" and television shows such as "Sha Na Na," "Happy Days" and "Laverne & Shirley" made "doo wop" seem like it was a new genre of music. "The Twist" by Chubby Checker has ALWAYS been relevant, as has "I Heard It from the Grapevine" and "Twist And Shout," among so many other timeless classics.

My younger sister had nothing but the Osmond Brothers, Bobby Sherman and the DeFranco Family on her pink and white record player, twelve hours a day. So I became a fair-weather fan of those guys.

But knowing of the Osmond Brothers gave me an exposure to the Jackson Five, which led to an awareness of the Temptations and the Motown experience. Gladys Knight, Smokey Robinson, Martha Reeves, Al Green, Barry White, the Four Tops … I love that stuff!

My early 20s had me exposed to '80s "Hair" bands. Van Halen, Whitesnake, Quiet Riot, Poison, Aerosmith, Motley Crue … I had the hair and the Zebra-patterned pants to go along with the music.

David Bowie, Springsteen, Tom Petty and George Thorogood followed. 33⅓s, 45s and AM radio ruled my life.

I have continued to love all kinds of music. I have a sincere appreciation for the power of not only the music itself, but also the ability of musicians and vocalists to continue to captivate live audiences 30, 40, 50, even 60 years into it.

Today, I continue to be full-throttle in the music biz, putting on all kinds of shows - a fan of every one of them. I guess I have a privileged backstage perspective, but what I see their performances do to people, and the joy it spreads, makes the music even sweeter.

My 13-year old has shown me the wonders of "American Idol," "America's Got Talent" and "The Voice." I know of great musical pioneers including Taylor Swift, Katy Perry and Shawn Mendez. I am working my hardest to make sure the music of her youth is more "Stairway To Heaven" and less Bruno Mars' "Uptown Funk."

So being born when I was has really been perfect for me. Aside from the jazz era of the Roaring Twenties and '30s, I have been a part of almost every musical revolution of the 20th century, including Buddy Guy blues, Garth Brooks country and Brian Setzer rockabilly.

And I owe it all to the Greatest Generation in history, that of the World War II era. Without it, my dad would not have met my mom in Florence, Italy. They would not have stayed in touch for nearly 15 years after the war. He would not have sent for her in 1958, they would not have been married in 1960, and I would not have landed on this planet in 1962.

And there would not have been all this fun at The Arcada today. I am not really thanking FDR for his " … Dec. 7, 1941, a date that will live in infamy" speech that declared war on Japan. But in a strange way, I kind of am.

• Ron Onesti is president and CEO of The Onesti Entertainment Corp. and The Historic Arcada Theatre in St. Charles. Celebrity questions and comments? Email ron@oshows.com.