Page 8 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, JULY 9, 2021 ASKS | FROM PAGE 3 myself that I’m so lucky to be loving you, so lucky to be the one that you run to see you in the evening, when the day is through; I only know what I know, the passing years have shown, you have to keep our love so young and so new. The power behind me was one who sacrificed her life. True love demands a sacrifice, and she was willing to do that for me. Something had to be done, and she did it and she’s still doing it. Q: How did the name Tony Barrie Marching Band come into being? A: I already had the name Tony Barrie from the Totem Pole Ballroom. And the Saugus Vets Band just didn’t sound right, so I printed on the base drum, “Tony Barrie Band” with my telephone number. And it was born. It just evolved. Q: Originally, your band was … A: Jack Lee, Arthur Matrona, Saugus Vets … and Saugus Vets didn’t sound too exciting, so I combined the dance band with the marching band into one element: Tony Barrie Band. Yipee! And we were born and never gave it a thought. Q: How often do you perform now? A: We don’t do any parades. We haven’t done a parade since 2019. Q: So, you had been doing parades up until COVID-19? A: Oh, I loved marching! But the year 2006 was a disaster. I had a sore on my ankle, and gangrene had set in, and I wound up losing my leg. I said to the doctors at the hospital, “You have destroyed me.” That’s when I turned into something else, and I said, “Okay, what do I do now?” So, I had a friend who played the electric piano. He and I comLaw Offices of Terrence W. Kennedy 512 Broadway, Everett • Criminal Defense • Personal Injury • Medical Malpractice Tel: (617) 387-9809 Cell: (617) 308-8178 twkennedylaw@gmail.com bined, so we go to retirement homes, rest homes, assisted living homes – to brighten up the day for them. Q: What has been the secret of your success? A: We weren’t interacting with the spectators. Nobody was having fun. It was just a job. Something was wrong, so I purchased the Jack Lee Band. I paid Jack Lee’s widow $1,000 in 1949. I still have my fatherin-law’s hat – a Navy officer’s hat. I hired a dance band who wanted to have some fun. I wanted to interact with the crowds, so the first time I introduced ‘Happy Birthday to you,’ I played Happy Birthday to everybody. We were having fun. Q: You were doing that up until COVID-19? A: Yes. Q: Now, any plans of returning? A: Well, I’ve been getting calls to start again. Q: Do you plan to? A: Well, my wife says “No.” And I’m just thinking it’s a lot of effort now for me just to go out. I have to go down 10 stairs. I’m not that steady on my foot anymore. I need assistance. I don’t let people pamper me. I’m independent. So I don’t know – I’m between and betwixt, as they say. Anyway, occasionally they invite me to sing at a nursing home, to motivate people to live and get well. I motivate people to participate in life, to make it through their golden years. Q: What’s your favorite instrument? A: Saxophone. Oh, I loved it – alto sax, tenor sax, baritone sax, clarinet, violin – but the alto sax, it was like it was a part of me. I could sing into it, and out would come lovely music. Q: And as you look back on your musical career, what gives you the most satisfaction? A: The fact I’m still going, making people happy with music, but now a different phase of it. I sing to them. I look them in the eye. I call their name out. I make them smile. What the hell is better than that!? Q: What was your most memorable performance? The dance band or the marching band. A: Playing at a gay parade in Cambridge. Wow! I never knew I was so popular – TV cameras – and WBZ radio is interviewing me. Q: About the gay parade? A: Yeah! But I didn’t know it was the gay parade. Q: And you got a lot of interesting questions when you got home? A: Yeah. The priest was calling my house. Q: What are you doing marching in the gay parade? A: They didn’t say that. They would ask my kids, “Well, what was this about your father?” They couldn’t figure it out either, but they had seen me on TV. Q: So, the priest was a little upset? A: Well, he was a little puzzled. I was singing in church. Q: Now, when you think of July 4, that was a big deal in your prime, right? A: Ohhh, four parades in one day! Q: Four in one day? A: Beverly Farms, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Sudbury and Wakefield – they all gave me time to go from one to the other, and it was fun all day. I didn’t think of it as a job; it was enjoyable. And the guys had fun. They all enjoyed playing for me because I made them come alive. Q: What’s your favorite number? A: I guess “Over There” – Da da da–da da da! It’s alive. Q: And you do “When the Saints go marching in.” Is that a favorite? A: Well, yah. It’s one of them. That’s what we kick off with. And then we go into “Over There.” And then the Marines hymn. We had a routine. Q: Now, you played a lot of Memorial Day parades here in town [Saugus]? A: The same way I do two jobs. In one day, at least. I would do three if I could get there. Well, we did them all. Q: And Ann? Talk about your wife Ann’s role in your musical career. A: She was a force behind me, encouraging me all the time, helping me. Q: Did she go to all four parades when you did the July Fourth parades? A: Oh, of course! She used to drive the car. Q: Really? A: Sure! And then she’d find a parking space and wait for me to come back. Q: What were the most members you had in your band? How big were you at one point? A: 20. Q: And how big were you the last time you performed? A: I think I had 15. Q: Looking back over your long career, anything memorable stick out? A: Back in the 50’s, my dance band played at the Copley Plaza. Twin girls married twin boys. It was right there in Life Magazine. I did a thing at Copley Plaza for James Michael Curley (a controversial Boston mayor who served time in prison during his last term). That’s a story in itself. Q: So, what’s it like as you’re approaching 100? You got any secrets you want to share? A: Like I say, the whole thing … I hope people start to realize that there’s more to love than hugs and kisses and all that sort of stuff. There’s more to it. Q: Is there a special message that you want to convey? A: It’s all for you – all the way, like Frank Sinatra used to sing. “When somebody loves you, it’s no good unless they love you all the way.” I know the lyrics. I can sing them. They just flow out. Q: Who is your favorite singer? A: Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra. Q: Between the two, who would you rather sing with? A: Either one. I’m delighted for the opportunity to sing for people. I’m delighted to sing for my wife, to tell her how much I really love her, “every time after time, I tell myself, I’m so lucky to be loving you.” Q: Do you sing to her regularly, like Mother’s Day? Or her birthday? Or your anniversary? A: Yes, every now and then, and I write her notes – a lot of notes. She was the one I was forgetting until I woke up. I said to myself, “Hey, without her, where would you be?” Q: Anything else that you ASKS | SEE PAGE 9
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