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Capt. Mike Ventimiglia
Lead vocals, harp, congas, flute
From serenading girls on street corners in Paterson, New Jersey in the sixties to serenading crowds of fans, family and friends in concert halls, outdoor venues, bars, and restaurants during the 70's, 80's and 90's, Mike Ventimiglia's career as an entertainer has spanned more than five decades and extended well into the new millennia with his latest venture as lead singer for The Flamethrowers Blues Band.
Ventimiglia is as comfortable on stage today as he was singing acapella versions of Motown classics in his home town as a teenager hanging out at a luncheonette called Netzer's on Union Avenue. It was there he made a discovery; he could carry a tune and carry it well. And so he did. After enlisting in the Air Force in the mid-sixties, Ventimiglia, formed a four-piece pop band called The Cheques whom he ushered through gigs in and around Alexandria, Louisiana where he was stationed before shipping out to Vietnam for a one-year tour of duty in 1969. Never known to put his love of music on the back burner for too long and a raging war notwithstanding, Ventimiglia decided he might like to spin records rather than record them for a change. So, as Tony Taylor, he played out his own version of Good Morning Vietnam over the air waves in the war-torn country. In addition, he found time to form yet another band of musicians called Mike and the Groovemakers while in Southeast Asia.
Upon his return back to the states in 1970, Ventimiglia once again returned to the South where he formed The Paper Steamboat and later, Thunderhead. Thunderhead, a group with sounds reminiscent of The Allman Brothers Band and Lyrnyrd Skyrnrd toured Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama extensively warming up for the likes of Dr. John, Johnny and Edgar Winter, Alice Cooper, and ZZ Top to name a few. In 1975, the band signed a deal with ABC Records to produce their debut album of the same name, but with the change in times came a change in popular musical tastes, and Ventimiglia realized that perhaps the country was not yet ready for another Southern Rock band.
Once again, Ventimiglia's career as an entertainer was placed on hold, but not for long. As a firefighter in New Jersey's third largest city and as father to three children, Ventimiglia had little time to invest in singing, but he managed to form a wedding band called Mike and the Vanguards who kept the music alive during the 80's and 90's. And, today, Ventimiglia is happy to front what he refers to as a fine group of musicians. He's even resurrected eight songs that he wrote nearly 30 years ago in a compilation called “Table Songs”, available on the FlamethrowersBand.com website. |
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