Sinatra, Gotti and Me: The Rise and Fall of Jilly’s Nightclub by Tony Delvecchio and Rich Herschlag
He never blinked. He never bluffed. He never backed down. We're referring to neither Sinatra nor Gotti. It's the "Me" that was the tough guy here — and he 
was not a "wise guy". He was the kind of guy who could tell John Gotti, "No" and get away with it. He was tough but not mean. And could he tell stories! Who knows how many of his stories were factual and how many were bullshit? Who cares? It makes for great reading, lots of smiles and some laughs out loud. Who is "Me"? It's Tony Delvecchio from the mean streets of Newark, NJ. This is the story of Frank Sinatra, John Gotti, Jilly Rizzo and the infamous "Jilly's" nightclub — according to Tony D. He gets half the writing credits for this book (posthumously) along with Rich Herschlag.
As the title would suggest, Tony's story is told in the first person, thanks to a collection of notes and audio tapes — and thanks too, to Herschlag. Reading this book reminded me of spending a few hours in a quiet bar catching up on old times with a long lost friend. The friend had thrown back a few drinks and was telling some great stories. Were it not for Herschlag, Sinatra, Gotti, and Me would read like Pulp Fiction on crack. It must have been a Herculean task to sort out all the captivating tales and put them in chronological order in such a way that a complete story could be told.
Along with Tony's biography, readers will enjoy a trip down memory lane, if you're a loyal fan of The Godfather. The story arc is the story of two nightclubs, Jilly's and then the second Jilly's. Both were favorite hangouts for Sinatra and his buddies. One of Johnny Fontaine's — oops, I mean Frankie's closest buddies was Jilly Rizzo. Tony D. has lots of anecdotes about both of these guys and their relationship. Everyone like Frank Sinatra needs someone like Jilly Rizzo around, and a backup like Tony D. ain't bad either.
was not a "wise guy". He was the kind of guy who could tell John Gotti, "No" and get away with it. He was tough but not mean. And could he tell stories! Who knows how many of his stories were factual and how many were bullshit? Who cares? It makes for great reading, lots of smiles and some laughs out loud. Who is "Me"? It's Tony Delvecchio from the mean streets of Newark, NJ. This is the story of Frank Sinatra, John Gotti, Jilly Rizzo and the infamous "Jilly's" nightclub — according to Tony D. He gets half the writing credits for this book (posthumously) along with Rich Herschlag.As the title would suggest, Tony's story is told in the first person, thanks to a collection of notes and audio tapes — and thanks too, to Herschlag. Reading this book reminded me of spending a few hours in a quiet bar catching up on old times with a long lost friend. The friend had thrown back a few drinks and was telling some great stories. Were it not for Herschlag, Sinatra, Gotti, and Me would read like Pulp Fiction on crack. It must have been a Herculean task to sort out all the captivating tales and put them in chronological order in such a way that a complete story could be told.
Along with Tony's biography, readers will enjoy a trip down memory lane, if you're a loyal fan of The Godfather. The story arc is the story of two nightclubs, Jilly's and then the second Jilly's. Both were favorite hangouts for Sinatra and his buddies. One of Johnny Fontaine's — oops, I mean Frankie's closest buddies was Jilly Rizzo. Tony D. has lots of anecdotes about both of these guys and their relationship. Everyone like Frank Sinatra needs someone like Jilly Rizzo around, and a backup like Tony D. ain't bad either.
Sinatra got ticked off at me for not coming down when he unexpectedly showed up at The Pow Wow Room . My hair was wet and I was mourning the loss of my boyfriend.which he never knew. I went to jillies a few nights later he was at his rear banquette with the two "boat bimbo's, Pat and the 3 other bodyguards all wished me goodnight as Frank passed me by at my table Arm in arm with the two Bimb's, later told Jillie I came there for Frank to apologize and explain,but dear old Ralph G.And Louie D.set me up by lying to frank.made him believe I Didn't like him. The guy was crazy about me. I was just a 24 Yr old stunad(dumkoff) Sharon from the Power wow room back in 1968!
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