He's such an exuberant performer, it's hard to believe singer-actor-
storyteller Lou Del Bianco was once painfully shy.
In fact, the Port Chester native says, growing up with six sisters
made it hard to get a word in at all. He spent much of his childhood
talking into a tape recorder, creating characters — a skill that
ultimately led to a thriving career on the high-school stage.
For the past 25 years, Del Bianco has focused primarily on young
audiences, presenting his original one-man shows all over the country.
With all the advances in technology, children's attention spans are
far shorter than they used to be, he says. Kids have also grown more
jaded.
"It's made it a challenge for me to strike a balance between giving
them something that has quality but at the same time is hip enough
that they'll accept it and won't reject it,'' he says.
Del Bianco, a Parents' Choice Award winner, has released seven CDs.
His latest album, "Make a Good Choice,'' is a character-education
program he also presents in local schools.
Although he's spent the better part of his career as a kids' performer
— writing as many as 75 original songs — he's recently gone back to
his acting roots, with portrayals of historic figures for older
audiences.
Want to learn more about this lifelong Port Chester resident? Go to
his web site (
www.findlou.com), or just read on.
1. His grandfather, Luigi, was a principal carver on Mount Rushmore, a
role for which he was largely uncredited. Del Bianco has written a
screenplay about his grandfather's experience on the mountain and is
currently shopping it around. "I'm looking for angels and investors
who would want to tell this very positive story with this very
positive Italian-American image to counter all the 'Jersey Shore' and
other disturbing stereotypes that the media keep putting out there."
2. His mother named him Louis, but relatives prefer the Italian
version. "In my family, in town, I'm known as Luigi because of my
grandfather. People of my parents' generation will say, 'Hey, Luigi,
how are ya?' "
3. His height got in the way of a Broadway career. Del Bianco, who is
6-foot-4ÿ, says leading men are rarely over 6 feet tall. As a
storyteller and performer, height is a non-issue. Del Bianco has
portrayed Paul Bunyan, Abraham Lincoln and a character called Ollie
the Too Tall Elf.
4.He's got a bad case of arachnophobia. Once, he got laughed at by a
truck driver who saw him flailing his arms at a red light, terrified
of a spider on the dashboard.
5. TV executives found Del Bianco too manly for children's
programming. "I had Disney and Nickelodeon interested in me years ago,
but they didn't know what to do with me. I actually have a quote from
someone that said, 'He's too big and masculine. He'll scare the kids.'
Isn't that hysterical?"
6. He loves John Wayne movies, which often surprises people. "He was a
really bad actor and he was known for his conservative politics, and
I'm very liberal and artistic."
7.Even a pastry from the finest bakery has less appeal than a Hostess
cupcake. Del Bianco claims he's addicted.
8.He has no sense of direction. "I get lost easily. I have a GPS, and
that's why I got one. Once I went through the same tollbooth four
times."
9. He can play songs like "Yankee Doodle Dandy" with his teeth. No, he
doesn't hit a spoon against his teeth — he chomps down and the tune is
instantly recognizable. "I can't explain why I can do it, why I can
think of the note, clap my teeth and that note comes out... I'm
chomping in exactly the same place, but the tone is changing to what
I'm thinking of. For some reason, I'm able to translate from thought
to music with my teeth."
10.He's married to his best friend and muse. Del Bianco's wife is
Camille Linen, a former Port Chester High School teacher who uses the
arts to teach English to non-native speakers.
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