Ron Gartner brings it all to North Wildwood

Rat Pack fans, pay attention.
On Aug. 15 at 8 p.m., you must go to Lou Booth Amphitheater, Second and Ocean avenues, where, if you close your eyes, you’ll think you’re listening to Frank, Sammy, and Dino.
Later on, you might think it’s Bobby Darin. Then the Temptations, Paul Anka, and Frankie Avalon.
It’s really a Vegas-style show called “Scotch, Soul, and Rock ‘n Roll,” starring dynamic crooner, doo-wopper, rocker, and soulman, Ron Gartner, backed by his swinging band, playing great songs from Big Band to Bandstand, to Motown, to the Great American Songbook, to Michael Buble.
It’s one of the free “Concerts under the Stars,” offered Thursdays and Saturdays through Sept. 5.
As a boy, Gartner dreamed of being a pop star, just like all the young people lining up to get on “American Idol” these days. In the ‘50s, Gartner had his own high school band and in the early ‘60s, played occasionally at the Whisky A-Go-Go and PJ’s in LA.
After a few frustrating attempts to cut his first album failed, Gartner tabled thoughts of a music career and went into his family’s textile business. When his parents retired to Palm Springs in 1994, he moved himself and his business to New York.
Eventually, Gartner began volunteering to sing at a senior center in Queens, and later performed at other senior centers and senior residences.
Today, he brings his exciting show to casinos, performing arts centers, community theatres, and outdoor summer concerts, like “Concerts under the Stars.”
And don’t miss the concert on Thursday, Aug. 13, when a perennial favorite—The Quailes—will take the stage at Lou Booth Amphitheater.