Jarrod Spector as Sonny Bono
Joan Marcus
Actor Jarrod Spector’s starring role as Bono in The Cher Show (opening Dec. 3) is the latest in an unusual stage career: He has spent the past decade playing only pop music-related characters.
Frankie Valli, Jersey Boys
“You’ve got to get that glass-shattering, strident falsetto,” says Spector of the Four Seasons frontman’s instantly recognizable voice. “That sound is so damn specific. I learned a lot about rock singing by listening to Frankie.”
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Barry Bann, Beautiful
Spector spent time with Mann himself, informing his take on the “neurotic, comic Jewish” songwriter, who wasn’t known as a vocalist. For “We Gotta Get Out of This Place,” his big number in the Carole King bio-musical, “I mostly just listened to The Animals.”
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Sonny Bono, The Cher Show
“Sonny was a little pitchy sometimes,” says Spector with a laugh. “You can’t think of him as a serious singer.” His presence — especially his “wicked sense of humor” — is more key to channel. “When we come out and sing ‘I Got You Babe,’ I want it to be as authentic as possible.”
This article originally appeared in the Sept. 15 issue of Billboard.