MIDDLETOWN – Eighteen-time Grammy winner Jimmy Sturr, a life-long
resident of the nearby Village of Florida, is a familiar face in Middletown.
He often leads his 12-piece band at the Paramount Theater. In fact, last
Saturday, they performed their annual Christmas concert in the 1,100-seat
venue.
Sturr was back at the theater on Tuesday with Mayor Joseph DeStefano and
Assemblyman Karl Brabenec to announce he would record the entire series
of his television shows – 12 of them – at the Paramount next
spring.
Aside from the entertainment value of Sturr’s shows, which the band
leader called an updated version of the Lawrence Welk Show, when they
play in Middletown, the city “buzzes,” said DeStefano.
“You couldn’t get a table at a restaurant. Parking was at
a premium and all the good things that come out of having activity here
at the Paramount Theater were here Saturday night,” he said. “We
are very proud that Jimmy has chosen Middletown to do this.”
Sturr usually records his TV shows in Branson, Missouri or in Nashville,
but this time he chose the Paramount because of its grandeur.
“That’s easy. Just look around at the place. That answers
its own question. It’s such a beautiful venue. How can you beat
it?”
Brabenec called Sturr “a rock star like Mick Jagger.”
The public is invited to attend some or all of the TV show tapings –
four each day – at a cost of $17 for one day or $40 for all three
days.
His shows air on Direct TV channel 345, Disk Network channel 231 and AT&T
channel 568.
