Life in the Ville by Jimmy Del Ponte

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Not only can Somerville boast of The Sunsetters singing group, consisting of teenagers, but we can also lay claim to a more “mature” batch of Somerville singers.

For the last few years I have had the honor of being the musical director and piano player for Somerville’s Swinging Singing Seniors also known as The Moonlighters. We meet on Mondays at 10:30 a.m. at The Council On Aging building on Holland Street and sing and laugh for an hour.

Our repertoire has grown to 62 songs, not counting our Christmas tunes. Council Director Cindy Hickey and her staff have supported The Moonlighters since she came up with the idea.

In the past few years we have performed all over, including The Somerville Theatre where we sang for Holiday in The Ville. One of our most memorable dates was when we sang the national anthem for a Lowell Spinners baseball game.

Our ages range from late 50’s to early 90’s and everyone in between. We have sung at St Patrick’s Day parties, Christmas Parties, The Senior Picnic, Valentine’s Day … well, you get the picture. Have voices, will travel! We have sung at VNA’s and nursing homes in Medford, Charlestown and, of course, Somerville. We are a fun loving group who really enjoy each other. They really get a kick when I change the words to the songs at rehearsals. Unfortunately the censor forbids me from giving an example!

The seniors in Somerville are among the busiest I have ever seen in any city. There are always trips, luncheons, dances, exercise classes, lectures and many other activities that keep our elite elders very occupied. I’m glad they have time for The Moonlighters because music is such an important part of life.

I always joke and say that The Moonlighters made some of the songs popular, even though most of the ditties have been around for many, many years. We sing Al Jolson, Sinatra, The Coasters, Dean Martin, Harry Belafonte (led by Mr. Del-A–Ponte). The Moonlighters have performed with the Sunsetters at the annual fireworks celebration for the past few years.

When we perform I do what I like to call a musical voyage around the globe. When Irish Eyes Are Smiling (Ireland), My Melody of Love (Poland – by Bobby Vinton, The Polish Prince), Hava Nagila (Israel), That’s Amore (Italy), and The Banana Boat Song (The Caribbean). Sometimes we do a Beatles number and visit England too.

Besides enjoying each other’s company and laughing and singing, there is one bigger reward we get from being a Moonlighter. When we do concerts for nursing homes, assisted living facilities and memory loss centers, that is where the magic happens. When our audiences see and hear folks that are around their same age and similar in appearance, giving of themselves and taking the time to perform for them, the smiles are worth a million bucks. For us that is the ultimate reward.

When you read this, we will already be into our fall tour. Remaining dates are Monday, November 10 at the Lowell St. VNA, and Monday, November 17 at the Buddy Cohalen Family Center in Medford.

If you would like The Moonlighters to perform at a facility contact me, Jimmy at 617-625-6600 extension 2616 or jdelponte@somervillema.gov. We always welcome new gigs and new members!

This story, and our upcoming tour, is dedicated to two of our beloved members of The Moonlighters, Harold and Flo, who we will eventually join us again in Heaven’s choir.