‘A lasting symbol of strength for women’: Old friend shares memories of Connie Francis
Ron Onesti grew up listening to Connie Francis.
Mutual connections introduced him to the late Italian American singer about 30 years ago and the pair grew close, eventually becoming old friends.
“I’m an old soul, and her music not only represented the era, but also represented the strength of a woman in a man’s world at that time,” Onesti said of the 1950s and '60s pop singer who died Wednesday at 87 years old.
“She really lived a very difficult life and, in spite of that, she became arguably the most popular female singer in pop culture history.”
Despite not touring much at the time, Francis agreed in 2009 to perform at Onesti’s Arcada Theatre in St. Charles. Francis opened the show with “It’s Raining Men,” before transitioning to classics like “Where the Boys Are” and “Mama.”
“When she did the show, her voice was as great as ever,” Onesti said Thursday. “She tore the house down. It was completely packed, completely sold out. And people to this day say it was one of the best concerts they’ve ever been to in their entire lives.”
That same year, Francis returned to play Onesti’s Taylor Street Festival in Chicago’s Little Italy. She was presented with a lifetime achievement award — a statuette from her hometown in Italy.
A tearful Francis gave Onesti a big hug and said, “I just love Chicago. It’s always been so kind to me.”
“The whole street was packed,” Onesti recalled Thursday. “It was like Woodstock, heads everywhere down the block, three blocks down. People were just enthralled that she was here in Chicago.”
To highlight Francis’ music that day, Onesti had nine celebrities — including Deana Martin and the cast of “Jersey Boys” — sing her songs to her.
Francis didn’t plan to perform, but after receiving her award she pulled out a CD of her background tracks to “Where the Boys Are” and “Mama.”
“She gave it to my sound guy and said if he could play this, ‘I’ll do the two songs to the background tracks as a gift to the beautiful people of Chicago,’” Onesti said. “There were thousands and thousands of tears just flying all over the place. It was amazing.”
Generations of audiences have enjoyed Francis’ music. More than 60 years after its release, her “Pretty Little Baby” has gone viral due to a TikTok trend, gaining attention from a younger generation.
Onesti would sometimes hear one of Francis’ songs on the radio and give her a call. He asked her what it’s like to continually be on the radio. She told him it’s like hearing her songs for the first time with each new generation.
“She really was able to witness the timelessness of her music,” he added.
Onesti is planning a tribute show, which will be previewed Aug. 17, at this year’s Taylor Street Festival.
“She is a lasting symbol of strength for women,” he said. “If you ask the question: What voice defines the Italian American experience? Male, it would be split up in threes by Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Dean Martin. If you ask the same question about female, 99% will say Connie Francis.”