Kelly Fuller and the Mike Greensill Trio perform classics by Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin at the Empress Marquee Club on April 5th (Photo by Bob McClenahan)
The groovy, swingy sounds and songs of the 1960s Las Vegas Sands are coming to Vallejo.
On April 5th, Kelly Fuller and the Mike Greensill Trio go back in time at the Empress Marquee Club to perform songs like “The Lady Is a Tramp” and “Come Fly With Me” will revive famous songs by Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and others.
“Ever since I was little, I loved music that was older than me,” Fuller said. “From the 1920s to her '60s, that's my focus.” Citing names like Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and Nancy Sinatra, Fuller remembers her childhood being spent on her parents' record player. I remember it being filled with vintage sounds.
Singing the very classics that first sparked her love of music is what Fuller is all about. Especially since in Vallejo she'll be able to perform for the first time in the place where she grew up listening to their music.
Fuller was dedicated to his craft from the beginning, teaching himself how to play piano scores using '40s jazz standards.
“We created an entire show using both sides of the Cuttin Papers record,” Fuller laughed. “I sang it and also added dance steps to it.”
Even as an adult, Fuller recalls that his musical tastes remained the same. “Barbara Streisand was my musical idol all the time in high school,” Fuller recalled, and she was drawn to her covers of vintage songs. Other important influences include Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington, and countless others to whom Fuller keeps returning.
Despite her passion for these artists and songs, Fuller didn't pursue singing as a full-time career until 2020, when her grandmother passed away. Fuller describes that time as one of the most difficult times she's ever gone through, and there was a moment when she knew it was time to pursue music full-time. . “She always believed in me,” Fuller said, remembering her grandmother. “She knew I could go far.”
Now, Fuller said his goal is to perform once a week and expand beyond Napa, both of which he already does frequently. Fuller, who performs regularly at the Blue Note in Napa, said she loves having these opportunities in Vallejo. “I've always considered myself to be from Vallejo. That's my roots,” she said.
With shows scheduled for Palm Springs and possibly Los Angeles, Fuller looks forward to seeing where the next year takes her, while staying committed to the music and places that brought her here.
Although he enjoys all types of stages, small, intimate settings like the Empress Marquee Club are especially exciting for Fuller. “What I like about more intimate venues is interacting with the audience,” she said. Fuller says he and musical director Mike Greensill thrive on that variety, whether it's spontaneous questions to the audience or people shouting things out to them.
One time, during a show at the Blue Note, Fuller recalled coming out in a suit with large lint hanging from his pants. A woman in the front row said, “Excuse me,” and she reached out her hand to take it off, causing cheers from the others. Fuller laughed as she recalled this moment being one of the reasons she enjoyed the small theater experience.
“Whenever I do a show, I like to come out and talk to the audience after it's over,” Fuller said. Many of the audience members are often older people. “When I meet young people, I always go right to them, and they always tell me, 'I had no idea what it was going to be like. I'm going to look up that song right away.'”
Fuller's childhood is not only evidence of children's early interest in this music, but she witnessed it firsthand along with other children. Ms. Fuller said that when she ran a summer performance workshop for teenagers, she chose songs they didn't know to avoid copying famous artists. . She chose a jazz standard. “Of course they didn't know, but I ended up loving them,” Fuller said.
There's a reason this music is timeless, Fuller said. “Especially if you go to a live show, it feels different than online, so I want to give it a chance.”
If you go:
what: Kelly Fuller and Mike Greensill Trio
where: Empress Marquee Club, 324 Virginia St., Vallejo.
when: April 5th 8pm
ticket: Tickets range in price from $45 to $65 and can be purchased online at empresstheatre.org/event/fuller-greensill/.