Photo courtesy of Jerry Grillo
Jerry Grillo
Jerry Grillo
On May 13, 2022, Mayor Cavalier Johnson declared “My Hometown Milwaukee Day” and presented Jerry Grillo with a proclamation, honoring the singer for writing a song in homage to our city.
Grillo will wheel out “My Hometown Milwaukee” at his May concert at the Jazz Estate and introduce a brand-new number, “The Strength of America.”
The Milwaukee song was heartfelt and whimsical, conjuring the spirit of “Chicago” and “New York, New York” but with cheese curds and beer. The American song comes from a different place, striking a hopeful note in unsettled times with its insistence that “We are brave, we are proud—and we will sing out loud!” and demand the “freedom to live our own lives.”
Grillo explains, with a half dozen jazz vocal albums to his credit: “Everything started to happen—I didn’t realize there’d be so many changes” under the new administration, “I’m 80 and I always lived in the America I knew since childhood. I couldn’t understand what was going on. I decided to write a song about the people of America—how we are the strength of this country.”
He describes “The Strength of America” as “kind of like an anthem. I will debut it at the Jazz Estate as a syncopated ballad, but it could be sung by a choir or performed by a marching band. It could be sung at an event. It’s short and the point, and I could teach it to people in five minutes.”
For his performance at the recently and beautifully refurbished Jazz Estate, Grillo will be accompanied by John Hefter on the club’s grand piano, Randy Maio on drums and Jeanne Marie Farinelli on saxophone. He has performed for years with all three—50 years off and on with Maio, since their days together in a cover band during the ‘70s. Their set will span jazz, pop and Broadway and include Carousel’s “You’ll Never Be Alone,” Company’s “Being Alive,” Tony Bennett’s “San Francisco” and Etta James’ “At Last.”
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And yes, “My Hometown Milwaukee” will be heard at the concert. The song received a good bit of local media when it first surfaced and has recently been transformed into a music video and given its own website. “Cities don’t really have official songs,” Grillo says, “but this has gotten airplay, and a lot of people are talking to me about it.”
7 p.m. Friday, May 9 at the Jazz Estate, 2423 N. Murray Ave. Tickets are selling fast. For tickets, visit estatemke.com/events
After the show, the Estate hosts a Milwaukee-themed record spin after the show from 9:30 p.m. to close with no cover. “The Strength of America” will be available on Spotify, Amazon and iTunes.
