Singer Ron Donovan’s band consists of trumpeter Dave Cafro, from left, bassist Dave Daddario, Donovan, drummer Wayne Gasiorek and pianist Bil Groth.
Apr 17, 2025 5:00 PM
Tony Bennett died in 2023.
If, though, the Bay Area ever needs another crooner to leave a new heart in San Francisco, they can always reach out to New London’s Ron Donovan.
A superb vocalist whose love of Bennett and fellow masters of the Great American Songbook, Donovan has, at 61, arrived late to the local live band circuit. In fact, the primary reason he’s starting to regularly perform in the area is because of the loss of Bennett.
“Right after he died, I just said to my wife, ‘You know, I’d really like to do something to honor him’ because I did love his music and I admired him as a performer and as a person,” Donovan said. “I had no idea what to do or on what scale, but I thought I’d like to sing. I slightly knew Bil Groth, the pianist at our church, All Souls, and he’s really, really good. So I reached out to him.”
Donovan initially envisioned a duo with Groth — maybe hosting a house party or just playing for a relaxed gathering of friends. But when Groth heard Donovan sing, the pianist immediately broadened the concept to a full band.
The group indeed came together and will perform April 25 at the Lighthouse Inn in New London.
“Ron is a tremendous vocalist,” Groth said. “He has the right feel, he can swing, he’s charismatic, and I was really impressed. My first thought was that he deserves to be heard in a big way.”
Groth, who studied at Berklee, is a well-known musician and arranger in a variety of bands and solo and duo capacities. After hearing Donovan sing, he immediately cherry-picked a topflight group of area players for the proposed Bennett tribute.
While Groth assembled a full band, Donovan decided to approach Robert Duleau, co-owner and manager of the Lighthouse Inn, and ask if he could present the Bennett tribute in the venue’s ballroom.
Donovan and his wife, Susan, are regulars at the Inn, and Duleau knew his customer could sing. Over the years, Donovan’s fondness for music had come up in conversation, and eventually, Duleau arranged for the singer to take the stage with some of the jazz players who regularly play at Lighthouse Inn.
“Ron sounded fantastic, and he started to sit in regularly,” Duleau said. “I could easily have imagined him as a professional singer. When he wanted to do the Tony Bennett tribute, I knew it would be first class.”
Donovan said, “We decided to make the event a fundraiser benefitting a local charity called Whalers Helping Whalers, and I thought that was very much in the spirit of Tony Bennett’s reputation as a kind and charitable person.” The tribute included a video screen showing footage of Bennett and stills of his paintings — which, Donovan pointed out, are very highly regarded and includes pieces hanging in the Smithsonian.
A full house
Over 200 people showed up, filling the Lighthouse Inn Ballroom, Donovan said. “We had a blast — so much fun,” he said. “People were singing along, and dancing and the band was so great. And people kept coming up and asking when we were going to do it again or why weren’t we doing this full time?”
As flattering as that was, working exclusively as a Bennett tribute act wasn’t possible. One of the reasons Donovan never pursued a professional singing career is because he already HAS careers.
He’s a paramedic working out of Lawrence + Memorial Hospital, and he’s a full-time real estate agent. He and Susan — a nurse — have three grown sons and seven grandchildren. They also split their time between Connecticut and Florida.
“I guess it never occurred to me to try to make it in a band even though I grew up loving music. I’ve been a singer since I could first open my mouth,” Donovan said. He was raised in a Waterford household where tunes were omnipresent, and his mother was classically trained as an opera singer. “My mom had an amazing, beautiful voice, and her Italian family were always around with guitars or a piano. And my father, who loved country music, could sing, too.”
Despite those roots, though, Donovan and Susan got married young and had children young. There was no time to experiment with show business.
“We went to work!” Donovan said, “I was a picture framer for a while, then got a job with a homebuilder. From there, I started my own business as a remodeling contractor.”
The paramedic gig came about when the Donovans first had children.
“Susan’s been a nurse since the early ’80s, working in the emergency room,” Donovan said. “Any time one of the kids was sick or there was a medical crisis, she always knew what to do. It seemed unfair and I hated the fact that I didn’t know what to do, so I took an EMT course and loved it. From there, I went to paramedic school and then on to ambulances and working in the ER. I absolutely love working in that environment and helping people.”
One other job Donovan had played a crucial role in the ultimate foray into music. For years, he had his own business working as a DJ in clubs and for private parties. That included operating a karaoke machine, and Donovan would often take the makeshift stage and sing in order to encourage reluctant party or club guests to participate — as well as for his own enjoyment.
As time goes by
The years passed. Donovan’s love of music remained fervent. He idolized Bennett but also other singers from that era, along with rockers like Bruce Springsteen, younger singers like Michael Bublé, and a variety of popular artists. Occasionally, he sat in with the pros at the Lighthouse Inn. Then Bennett died and things changed — at least a bit.
Donovan has no interest in leaving his real estate or paramedic jobs; he loves them. In fact, he often sings or plays music for the patients he sees in the hospital.
But he and the band — which he describes as “amazing musicians and great guys” — ARE starting to expand their gigging calendar a bit. They’ve played the Lighthouse Inn a few times, the Tamarack Lodge in Voluntown and some private parties, and there are more shows on the horizon.
Groth said all the members of the band — bassist David Daddario, drummer Wayne Gasiorek and trumpeter Dave Cafro — are enthusiastic about working with Donovan, perhaps beyond the professional responsibilities of some of their regular jobs. Given that they’re among the most sought-after sidemen in the region — with decades of work with casino headliners, in top jazz clubs, with symphonies across the state and as session players — that’s saying a lot.
“We’re professional musicians, and a gig is a gig is a gig,” Daddario said, laughing. “So, back when Bil called me about Ron and a Tony Bennett tribute, I was interested and a bit curious. I didn’t know Ron but it was one of those ‘if Bil says he’s good’ situations.
“And Ron IS tremendous. That was a straight Tony Bennett gig, but he can sing Sinatra, Michael Bublé, Nat King Cole. … He’s got natural charisma, he’s a genuinely nice guy, and people like him. He has so many friends from the community and his jobs, and those people show up at these shows. They love him as a person and an artist. So it only made sense to expand the repertoire a bit and get out and play when we can. It’s a really enjoyable gig, and Ron is the real deal.”
Groth agreed. “Ron has great pitch and a great style. He looks great. He can swing. He doesn’t mimic the artists we’re covering. He does it in his voice and he does a special job, and it’s a pleasure to arrange these songs for him. I frankly think this group all together brings a lot of originality to the idea of a cover band. It would be a great band in any case, but Ron as a singer and a front man puts it all together.”
Groth laughed. “It seems natural now when we’re onstage and it sounds so good and people are thoroughly enjoying what we do. But I think back to the stories Ron’s told me. I imagine him and his karaoke machine in a Motel 6 lounge somewhere, just nailing Bublé and Sinatra and of course Tony, and it makes me happy. Those people had no idea who they were listening to! But I’ll bet they knew he was great.”
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IF YOU GO
Who: Ron Donovan
When: 7 p.m. April 25
Where: The Lighthouse Inn, 6 West Guthrie Place, New London
How much: Free
For more information: lighthouseinn.us, (860) 709-7883