When one of the wise guys who ran the Horizon Club handed musician Frankie Severino a package containing a great deal of money to deliver to the boss, Big Julie Passano, he knew his life just took a left turn. In a matter of minutes, Frankie graduated from local cover band leader in Pittsburgh to 'drummer for the mob.' He was the leader of the Nite Lites, four Italian-Americans who became the go-to group for organized crime. The bond he forged with them could not be broken and was threatened with death if he took his band out of the Horizon, one of the city's illegal and most infamous after-hours spots.
Drummer for the Mob is a true story. Frankie's narrative is a personal account of the sometimes hilarious and often dangerous years he and his fellow musicians toiled in these clubs.
"Frankie Severino tells his tale of smoky night clubs, wild women, drugs, and rock-and-roll--a tale that is populated with the most motley line-up of Mafioso bosses, wise guys and crooks since The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight --with a wry wit and a sense of humor that is worthy of Jimmy Breslin. Drummer for the Mob is a hoot. It's The Sopranos with a driving disco beat."
Karl J. Skutski
Author
Revised Copy:
Adventures of an Ad Man in New York City
"Outrageous characters and lots of local color enrich the story, but the real bada-bing comes from the author's terrific tongue-in-cheek tough guy narrative style. Drummer for the Mob will win hearts and gets my award for the year's favorite."
Pittsburgh Quarterly Magazine
