Remembering Gerry Mancini

By Katie McFadden

The voice of a local legend has gone quiet, and Rockaway lost a piece of its rock and roll “sol.” On Saturday, September 20, Gerry Mancini, Solshyne’s longtime drummer and singer, died. He was 76.

“His voice,” fellow bandmate Daniel Klohe said is among the things he’ll remember most about the man he called a brother. “Gerry was a great drummer but a massive singer. His instrument was his voice. He could belt out the Allman Brothers almost as good as Gregg.” Local musician John Simonelli shared similar sentiments about Gerry Mancini’s memorable pipes. “I could hear all his life experiences when he sang,” Simonelli said. “He was a great drummer too, but his voice! He wasn’t faking it. The last time I saw him, even though he was weak, he still had every ounce of soul.”

And as a Rockaway Beach resident, it was a gift that Gerry Mancini shared among the local music scene for the last two decades. Klohe said he met his wife in 2000, which happened to be Gerry’s ex, but they “hit it off well. Music brought us together,” Klohe said.

Klohe started playing bass with another local band, The Grayriders, in 2007, and at the time, they needed a drummer, which is where Mancini picked up the sticks. But it was in a basement jam session with buddies a few years later where the sol began to shyne. “Me and Gerry and a couple buddies were playing in my basement, and it grew from there. Solshyne has been together 16 years. We’ve had different configurations since then. People left, people passed, and new people came, but Gerry and I were the heart and soul of the band,” Klohe said.

Besides being a major part of Solshyne as a drummer and lead singer, Mancini was a proud veteran, having served in Vietnam with the U.S. Navy. He also had a long career, working for the phone industry since age 17 and retired after 42 years with Verizon. And even bigger than that long career was his family. Mancini has five children including Jason (Leah), Victoria, Abigail (Jumel), Zachary (Brooke), and Dylan (Amber). That grew to 11 grandkids, James, Mia, Elliott, Dominique, Natalie, Liana, Zachary Jr., Dylan Jr., Quinn, Isaac, and Nathan. And he was loved by another 36 nieces and nephews. “He had a big family. He was a great father and his kids loved him so much. They’re heartbroken. We all are,” Klohe said.

What makes that loss so hard is that Mancini had so much of his heart to give. “He would do anything for you. He really would. If you asked him, he’d be there in a second to help you out,” Klohe said.  One example he gave is what Mancini did for fellow musicians at a time when local music stages went silent during the peak of the Covid pandemic. “During Covid, Gerry wanted to find a way to get live music out to the community. So he organized the Beach 92nd Street backyard sessions,” Klohe said. Mancini brought together musicians for backyard jam sessions for neighbors to enjoy from their windows, and for those even further away as the sessions were shared virtually online to keep the music going during a trying time.

Upon hearing the news of his passing, fellow musicians shared condolences and words describing the big-hearted man behind the big voice.  “One of the true great guys from the local music scene. A great drummer, beautiful soulful voice but most of all a great human being,” local musician Chris Long said. “He was always kind to me and very supportive. I’m grateful to have known him personally and shared musical experiences with him,” Simonelli said. “Gerry was more than a colleague in our little Rockaway music scene. He was a great friend and brother who will be dearly missed,” local band Wine With Sue shared.

And in true Gerry fashion, just as he kept the music going during Covid, Solshyne will keep on shining. The band played their last gig with Mancini in December at Dempsey’s in Bayside. Prior to that, Mancini had come out from behind the drums and put his voice in the spotlight out front, as a progressive illness had started to make him weaker.

But as Gerry stepped back, his own son, and Klohe’s stepson, Dylan, picked up the sticks and the mic, to carry on his father’s legacy so Solshyne could play on, and even brought new life to the music. “Dylan can sing the shit out of the music,” Klohe said. “We’ve always played the Grateful Dead and the Allman Brothers but Dylan brought us some new songs. We’re doing Pearl Jam and ‘Come and Get Your Love’ now. It’s a whole new phase of Solshyne and having Dylan in the band is awesome.”

Having to regroup was something the band had done before, as keyboardist Patrick Morgan became ill and died in 2019. “We moved forward with another keyboard player, and we played. You can’t stop the music. Pat wouldn’t have wanted us to stop playing and neither would Gerry. He’d kick our ass if we did. You gotta keep living,” Klohe said.

So Solshyne will live on, for Gerry. And with that, their scheduled gig for this Saturday, September 27, at the Beach 97th concession after Poseidon’s Parade, will go on as planned. “Gerry wouldn’t want us to cancel because of him,” Klohe said. “It’s gonna be rough, emotional, especially for Dylan. But it will go on. It’ll be a great gig and Gerry’s spirit will be with us.”

In a three-day affair, something Gerry “would’ve loved,” according to Klohe, Mancini’s wake began on Wednesday at Denis S. O’Connor Funeral Home on Beach 91st Street. It continues Thursday, September 25 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The funeral Mass will be on Friday, September 26 at 10 a.m. at St. Rose of Lima Church (130 Beach 94th Street) before the burial at Mount St. Mary Cemetery.

And then the music will play on, on Saturday, 3 p.m., at the Beach 97th Concession. Klohe said, “Gerry would say, get your effin’ ass out there and play some music!”