Conversation, Music on Tap in Free Frankie Randall Performance at CSUSB Palm Desert

The following was submitted for publication by CSUSB Palm Desert:

Singer and local resident Frankie Randall will perform a free night of music and conversation at Cal State San Bernardino’s Palm Desert Campus on Tuesday, May 14, to benefit the university’s Cal State University Associates program.

The presentation, which begins at 7 p.m. in the campus’s Indian Wells Theater, is open to the public.  It is one of eight Cal State University Associates yearly presentations, which are member-invite only, and not open to the public, but the group opens up one event per season to the community.

An RSVP is required to Mike Singer at (760) 341-2883, ext. 78107 or msinger@csusb.edu.

Randall, a “Casino Legends Hall of Fame Inductee” and recipient of a star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars, is an entertainer, vocalist, classical and jazz pianist, arranger, conductor and composer of both words and music, or as other entertainers refer to him, “The Real Deal.”

Randall performed with The Desert Symphony at the McCallum Theatre for his 75th birthday celebration this past Jan. 11.  That evening, he joined the elite company of Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, Jack Jones and others when he received the prestigious Amadeus Award, which is given in recognition of great musical talent and outstanding achievements in the advancement of the musical arts.

The president of the Frank Sinatra Celebrity Invitational presented Randall with an award on Feb. 21 for 25 years of support and contribution to the golf tournament benefiting The Barbara Sinatra Children's Center.

Additionally, Randall was the featured performer for the Feb. 22 evening celebration at the Frank Sinatra Celebrity Golf Invitational with Doc Poster’s 40-piece orchestra under the direction of Gary Berkson, maestro of The Desert Symphony.

Randall began playing piano at the age of 7, working his first professional engagement at the age of 13, which later led him to working at the late-nitery “Jilly’s” in New York City. That’s where a life-changing event took place - meeting Frank Sinatra. Through their friendship, “Mr. S” helped Randall obtain his recording contracts with RCA, leading to appearances on all major TV shows, including a regular cast role on the Dean Martin Summer Show.

Later, Randall became director of entertainment for the Golden Nugget and ultimately vice president of entertainment for Bally’s Hotels. Randall later returned to his first love of entertaining and currently has seven CDs available. He performs the Great American songbook all over the world to sold-out audiences.

Randall earned a bachelor of arts degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey, where he majored in psychology and minored in philosophy. He believes higher education is extremely important and is happy to share his music and life stories with others.

The Cal State University Associates is a premier organization of supporters of the Palm Desert Campus of Cal State San Bernardino. Members serve as goodwill ambassadors for the campus in the community and contribute tax-deductible yearly dues of $100/year for individuals, $150/year for couples or $300/year for corporations. The majority of these dues go towards scholarships for deserving students at the campus.

Members enjoy eight presentations throughout the year, including the “University for a Day” series, which features the very best university instructors lecturing on a variety of topics, and the “An Evening with…” series, which features intimate memoirs and discussions with outstanding citizens, personalities and celebrities.