Bronx Wanderers Open Concert Series

Vinny Adinolfi is just a neighborhood guy. His neighborhood used to be the Belmont section of the Bronx, with fellow neighborhood guys Chazz Palminteri, Danny Aiello and legendary singer Dion DiMucci, best known as Dion. Now, with his band the Bronx Wanderers, Adinolfi's neighborhood is the whole world.  

The Bronx Wanderers is a family affair; besides singer Adinolfi, or "Yo Vinny," as he's known on stage, his two sons "Vinny the Kid," age 22, and "Nicky Stix,"19,  play keyboard and drums, respectively, while his brother "Richie the Wrench" sometimes plays guitar.

"It's great because I get to watch (my sons) turn into men," said Adinolfi. "And they also bring a younger crowd. I see a pretty girl walking over to us after the show, I think she's coming to talk to me, but no, it's my sons she wants to talk to."

Rounding out the lineup is guitarist Jimmy Fracassi (who played guitar on the Regents' song "Barbara Ann") and sax player Jay Leslie of The Tokens. The Wanderers sing classic doo-wop and pre-British Invasion rock and roll, with plenty of Dion hits and The Four Seasons, with some Kenny Vance, Jay Black and Neil Diamond. Adinolfi describes the Bronx Wanderers as "'A Bronx Tale' meets 'Jersey Boys.'"

"We want to take people back for 90 minutes," said Adinolfi. "Back to high school, the prom, the malt shop. It's really great playing things people know."

Adinolfi has been in the music business for his whole adult life. At age 19, Dion helped him get a job at Lifesong Records. Adinolfi worked his way up from runner to general manager in the next 30 years, but when business slowed down in 2003, he finally had time to realize his dream of performing. The group itself was started with help from actor Palminteri, who gave them a little stage time during one of his nightclub acts.

"I had kind of given up on being a performer," he said. "It was never part of the plan; it just happened."

The Bronx Wanderers live up to their name, and have played everywhere from Chicago to Florida to Beverly Hills to Abu Dhabi, half a world away (according to Adinolfi, Arab sheiks love Frankie Valle and are surprisingly good dancers). But even with the exotic locales and famous people, Adinolfi–now living in Bergen County–is excited to play in Summit.

"I love being home," he said. "New Jersey has the most appreciative, wonderful audiences. I'm really looking forward to it."

The Bronx Wanderers will open Summit's Summer Concert Series on July 6 on the Village Green. Investors Savings Bank is the presenting sponsor, and Otterstedt Insurance and PNC Bank are premium sponsors. Each of the four July shows are free, and there will be food and giveaways. The city of Summit took over the series in 2008.

"We just blew it up," said Judith Leblein Josephs, Director of Community Programs for the city. "We knew we had to get really big bands…the Bronx Wanderers have a big sound and put on a great show."