SUN CITY – When Chuck Salvo was growing up, he had no idea his life would revolve around comedy. Sure, he was witty in school, but he wouldn’t consider himself the “class clown.”
He only knew one thing – music.
“When I was about 12 or 13, I went to this small, little restaurant near my house, with an accordion and just played music to make some money. After a while, I would go around to people’s tables and be personable, maybe play a song for them, and the tips they gave me were wonderful, so I figured I could make a living doing that,” Salvo said.
Chuck Salvo (Photo Provided)
Over time, Salvo would incorporate jokes into his act but kept music as his forte.
“Next thing I knew, I realized people were coming in more to hear the jokes than the music. So I reworked it until it was about 75 percent comedy and 25 percent music,” he said.
His act “Dr. Chuck Salvo the Laughologist” heads to Sun City on Jan. 28. While he normally performs under his given name, Salvo said he’s donned the moniker of “Doctor” at least once before.
“It just popped into my head for the performance at Sun City. It’s sort of a ploy – I’d sent out advertisements in snail mail that read ‘if you need medical care (Rx), come see Dr. Chuck Salvo the Laughologist’ because laughing can cure many illnesses,” he said. “I was normally advertised for years as the godfather of comedy but that kind of connotates that you do mostly ethnic or Italian stuff, and since my material always changes, it doesn’t fit me now.”
Salvo is no stranger to Sun City, having performed here twice before. Also having worked in the Chicago area primarily for “a long, long time,” he’s been able to perform in at least 55 communities, clubs and venues.
While his material tends to change between performances, Salvo generally keeps it revolving around the same topics – his life, his marriage and children, current news topics, and everyday situations.
“Every performance is marketed. Certain jokes that you make throughout [your performance] you can sense the reaction through the feel of the people. And then you know which jokes work and which jokes you can trash.
“The show is different each time, with perhaps a few of the same strong bits incorporated. Comedy is a crazy thing. Johnny Mathis can sing ‘Misty’ a thousand times and never be booed, but if you come out and tell the same joke twice, people will say ‘well, I’ve heard that before.’ So you have to stay fresh,” Salvo said.
Salvo’s performance is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start on Tuesday, Jan. 28 in Drendel Ballroom. Tickets are still available at $10 per person and can be purchased at the Prairie Lodge. Ticket prices increase to $15 on the day of the performance.
