Frank Amato’s Christmas Jam Featuring The Cleveland All-Stars

Frank Amato was born in Cleveland, Ohio in a very musical family. His father, Frank “Papa” Amato was a recording artist on Dot Records. He was known as “The Singing Fireman” and opened for Elvis Presley back in the ’50s. Frank, like his father, loved to sing. His parents would put the toddler in the middle of the dining room table so he could perform for family and friends. His love of music grew as the years progressed.

From singing with his buddies in the schoolyard to playing in garage bands as a teenager, Frank knew that Rock and Roll was his destiny. His high school cover band, Liberty, played a few gigs, and he had the opportunity to get to know other musicians in the area. Frank decided that he would take Audio Engineering Classes at Agency Recording and soon, as he excelled, ended up teaching the course! This led to Frank joining Producer Kirk Yano to form the band After Dark. Yano concentrated on studio production as Amato went on to form Thrills & Company, a rock/funk fusion band with Neil Giraldo, of Pat Benatar fame. Thrills went all the way to California to seek fortune and fame, but only Giraldo remained, later returning to Cleveland where he eventually joined the Rick Derringer Band.

Back in Cleveland, Frank got busy, handling several projects at once. He became the lead singer of The Mirrors, the opening act for Elvis impersonator Johnny C. (The back-up band for Johnny were Bill March, Dennis Lewin and John Franks…all of whom would join Amato later in Beau Coup.)

In comes Kirk Yano again, who wanted Frank to help him open After Dark Recording Studios in Parma. He did, so Frank was an aAudio engineer by day, and rocker by night. If that wasn’t enough, Frank created a hard rock outfit called Task Master with drummer Eric Singer of Kiss, guitarst Mike McGill, Paul Christensen on keys and sax and the Norton Brothers: Bruce and Cliff. Meanwhile, Classic Rock icons Savoy Brown asked Frank to tour with the band. He did that too, but the lure of rocking in his home town beckoned.

Amato returned to Cleveland when “Pop Opera” came calling; a recording project that later became a band, utilizing members of Frank’s former bands along with his brother, Thomas Amato. Frank’s joining the band was the brainchild of Eric Carmen, to the band’s manager, Henry LoConti, (son of Hank LoConti of the Agora.) Pop Opera (a name everyone hated!) was later changed to Beau Coup, a suggestion made by TV personality Eddie Marshall, and the band was born.

While Beau Coup was busy working on songs, Frank had the opportunity to hit the road again, this time as an audio engineer for Westwood One Networks. He traveled the world under the guidance of his mentor, Arnie Rosenberg who he met at Agency Recording, working with such bands as Jimmy Buffett, Brian Adams, Joe Walsh and more… Somehow, Amato found time to join Bart Koster to help to build and work at his Right Track Studios in Cleveland as an audio engineer, joining staff members Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, Steve Cox of the Dazz Band and legendary producer Pete Tokar.

Beau Coup quickly became the darlings of Cleveland Radio. Rock outlet WGCL adopted them as their own, having the band record custom jingles for the station. This lead to major competitor, WMMS, to name them “The Baboon Band,” famously destroying Beau Coup albums at local clubs during station events. Their popularity could not be denied and WMMS Program Director John Gorman caved, adding “Somewhere Out in the Night” to the Buzzard playlist. Gorman became a major supporter of the band and to this day remains a fan, playing them regularly on his Internet Radio Station: OWow. Even Kid Leo jumped on the Beau Coup bandwagon referring to Frank and Thomas on air as “The Sinatra Brothers…” Soon, Beau Coup became the Buzzard House band, playing Listener Appreciation Concerts: with John Waite to an audience of over 40,000 on Mall C downtown and with Night Ranger at Public Hall to a capacity crowd.

Beau Coup was invited to play a sold-out show at The Front Row, with opening act: Jeff & Flash of the Buzzard Morning Zoo. This was a major turning point for the band, as they played concerts, festivals and events all over the city, which lead to shows all over the country. The album Born and Raised (on Rock and Roll) saw success in the US and abroad with the title track considered by many to be the anthem for the city that houses the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. A parody of the song “Born and Raised on Cleveland Browns” is still played to this day on local sports station 92.3 FM.

The album includes the track “Jane” written in honor of Plain Dealer rock writer Jane Scott, and it was performed by Beau Coup at the Front Row, as the Amato Brothers brought her on stage and sang to her as they gave her roses. Michael Heaton memorialized the event the following day with an article entitled “The Good Guys of Rock and Roll…” including a photo on the front page! Later the band performed “Jane” live at her memorial at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The band’s first single, “Still in My Heart,” remains a radio staple, while the cut “Sweet Rachel” earned a spot on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart in 1987, with Frank’s powerful lead vocals in the forefront. Beau Coup can be found everywhere today: in digital juke boxes and all major online streaming outlets. The band performs periodically, with their 40th Anniversary coming up.

WMMS turned out to be more important to Amato than just a radio station, It is also where he met his wife, radio personality Lisa Dillon. The two married in 1992, and as she likes to put it, she “dragged him all over the country” chasing her career. One of those stops was Detroit, Michigan where Lisa became a part of the JJ & The Morning Crew program on Classic Rock WCSX. Life-long friend, Kirk Yano came through for Frank once again, introducing him to renown Detroit Recording Studio owner/producer RJ Rice who, by the way, is the star artist of the R&B group RJ’s Latest Arrival. Amato soon became an audio engineer at the Southfield studios, working with the likes of Slum Village, J. Dilla, Janet Jackson, A Tribe Called Quest, Shaquille O’Neill, and more.

After 7 years in the Motor City, Lisa was invited back to Cleveland to do the Morning Show at Jammin’ Oldies 92.3. This was the opportunity Frank had to return to his hometown. The two started Amalon Entertainment in previous years, but brought the Mobile DJ company to full force upon their return. The two perform in area clubs as well as DJ weddings and major events.

When not on stage, Frank owns and operates Amalon Recording Studios, helping upcoming artists reach their musical goals as a producer and audio engineer. Frank has also formed The Cleveland All Stars, a band of Cleveland notables who perform regularly for charity. It is a tribute to Cleveland music, which is all the band performs, and is comprised of Amato’s friends throughout the years, many of whom made their start here and went on to their own fame and fortune!

Frank and Lisa celebrate 31 years of marriage this year. They have 4 children and 3 grandchildren and reside in Mayfield Heights.