Saturday, April 1, 2006

7:00 pm
The Rinks at Shelton

A Famous Voice Lends His Talent
to Worthy Cause

Frank Simms
For more information on Frank Simms

Darien resident Frank Simms is the voice behind many well-known characters the Kool-Aid Man and the Coca-Cola polar bears, to name a couple. This spring, Simms, who has also been a back-up singer for Madonna, Billy Joel and other famous musicians, will use his famous larynx to give a voice to juvenile, or Type I, diabetes. On April 1, Simms will be the master of ceremonies for "Skate for the Cure," a fund-raiser featuring world-class figure skaters at the Rinks at Shelton to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. "When they first asked me to do it, I didn't know if I could do it because I had never emceed before," said Simms, who is also a regular back-up singer for Saturday Night Live.

"After I did it, however, it was nice to know I could help people out and a lot of the young people, who are also skaters, look forward to it." In its second year, "Skate for the Cure" is the brainchild of Westport resident Daniel Innamorati, a 17-year-old competitive figure skater who has Type II diabetes. Having skated since he was 8, Innamorati is a five-time U.S. national competitor whose accomplishments include championships in the Future Champion Series Grand Prix of Figure Skating and North Atlantic Regional competitions. "I had an opportunity to produce a show when some friends opened up the rink, so I decided to turn it into a charity show instead of a regular show, and I have three diabetic family members," he said, adding he learned of JDRF through a newspaper article.

"We really want to raise funds and awareness for the cause." Last year's "Skate for the Cure" raised $27,000 for JDRF, which has become the world's leading fund-raiser for juvenile diabetes. Since its founding in New York City in 1970, JDRF has awarded $900 million to diabetes research, including $98 million last year. Innamorati said he has confirmed some national competitors for this year's show, yet he is not sure of the complete roster because many of the country's best skaters are competing in the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. "We will confirm more competitors after the Olympics conclude," he said. Last year's show hosted performances by three-time Italian national champion and Olympian Silvia Fontana and Canadian national pairs bronze medalists Elizabeth Putnam and Sean Wirtz. Spectators also viewed routines by 2006 Olympian and World Junior Figure Skating Championship bronze medalist Emily Hughes and European champion and Olympic bronze medalist Jozef Sabovcik. Barbara Ross, Innamorati's mother, said she hopes this year's event is as successful as last-year's show, which was attended by about 600 people. "We want it to raise as much money as possible, but hopefully it will also raise awareness," she said. Simms said he hopes he will be able to get closer to the spectators this year as he announces the skaters from the ice. "When we did concerts overseas for David Bowie and Billy Joel, sometimes people'd be so far away you couldn't see their faces," he said.

"It was so wonderful when they were right up by the stage because you can connect with the emotion." Simms said his career in voice started in the mid-1970s when he and his brother, Gary, took after their father, the late Frank Simms Sr., sang locally as "The Simms Brothers." "My father would warm up the crowd before a show, whether it was 'Candid Camera' or 'The Gary Moore Show,' 'I Love Lucy,'" he said. "My uncle also did a lot of shows for the television producer Quinn Martin." Frank and George's voices can be heard on Billy Joel's 'In the Middle of the Night" and Madonna's "Material Girl." "Many of the records I sang on were with my brother," he said. "I also do a lot of voices for Nickelodeon."

Simms has also sung back-up for Harry Chapin, INXS, Nile Rodgers, Sheena Easton, Jeff Beck and other famous players. Professional accomplishments aside, Simms said he hopes to give more of his time to charitable events such as "Skate for the Cure," having sung in choirs honoring victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. "I'd like to do it as much as I can," he said.

Visit "Skate for the Cure" Web site at www.skateforthecure.com  for information and tickets.

 

Daniel Innamorati and Ilana Phillips
—Executive Producers

To make a donation, volunteer or
for more information, please e-mail
Daniel@skateforthecure.com

Webmaster:  Desmond C. Gamble 
desdirect@yahoo.com