Dominic Fortuna Hits all the Right Notes

March 6, 2002

It‘s 8:45 p.m. and Dominic Fortuna is just getting warmed up. He‘s plying the crowd at South City Limits in Traverse City, cracking jokes, singing songs, sending energy into the audience. And they‘re giving it right back to him.
“They‘re not just here to drink and eat, they‘re here for the entertainment,“ he says. “And the more energy they have, the more they give back to you. It‘s like a circle.“
Fortuna‘s set list includes a waterfront of musical styles ranging from Sinatra to salsa. He‘s at his peak on romantic ballads (“When I Was 17“), Latin numbers in the “La Vida Loca“ mode, pop hits and even country. At New Year‘s Eve, he packed the house with dancers.
Fortuna -- who was raised in Bellaire and who could pass for John Travolta in the right
lighting -- has been in the entertainment business since he was 13 years old, belting out songs at Brownwood Acres in Central Lake.
He spent the next several years touring the country with the Young Americans, performing
West Side Story in Europe, doing a Midwest tour of “Grease“ with the American Musical Theatre, and finally landing in California, where he worked as a DJ for Disney‘s Videopolis, introducing and interviewing bands a la Dick Clark.
But his love of Northern Michigan eventually drew him back to his Dad‘s restaurant, Mico‘s
in Torch Lake. After a fire destroyed the place, they moved the operation to River‘s Edge in Traverse City. But through it all, Fortuna continued to entertain patrons with his charismatic personality and unique talent.
“It was really successful and I enjoyed doing it,“ he notes. “I thought, ‘If I ever get out of the restaurant business, I‘m going to continue doing this.‘“
And that‘s exactly what he‘s doing. As owner of Dominic Entertainment, Fortuna continues
to mesmerize crowds at festivals, weddings, and special events, both near and far. His local calendar for this year is already filling up with gigs at the Cherry Festival, Gaylord Alpenfest, Elk Rapids Harbor Days, and a number of area nightclubs.
But he‘s had some experience with the big guys, too. In 2000, he won the chance to appear
on Dick Clark‘s “Your Big Break,“ flying to Hollywood and singing on national TV.
Not long after that, he worked with Barry Manilow, helping to put together a show about the star‘s life and music. That was the chance of a lifetime for Fortuna, who‘d been a big fan of Manilow‘s for years.
“It was awesome,“ he said. “He‘s a super-star and yet he‘s very approachable and very
humble. When I sang for him and hung out putting the show together, he praised me all the time. He‘d say, ‘You sing this better than I sing it.‘ He always put himself kind of underneath just to make you feel good. And he‘s super smart. There‘s nothing he doesn‘t write or play on the piano that doesn‘t have a catch.“
Fortuna has also performed with Dean Martin, Arsenio Hall, Peggy Lee, Les Brown‘s Band,
Larry Gatlin, and Joe Piscopo, who‘s invited him to sit in anytime at his New York nightclub, a sort of Frank Sinatra throw-back with a rat pack feel to it.
“Joe Piscopo is so down to earth,“ says Fortuna. “He‘s very pro Italian and a real rugged
spirit.“
And while Fortuna continues to audition for bigger venues, he‘s not really looking to break
into a bigger market, “unless it seems right,“ he says, adding that he and his wife, TV 9 & 10 news anchor Kimberly Purdy, love living here. “I chose to be here for a purpose... because I love northern Michigan.“
To learn more about Dominic Fortuna, visit his Web site, http://www.dominicentertainment.com.