It was a long time coming, but Petrina finally turned into a chanteuse.
All she needed for the transformation was a big band and on Saturday, she found one.
“I waited 10 years for this, and I’m having a ball,” the popular Villages’ entertainer said after singing with The Savoys big band at the Colony Recreation Center. It was a benefit for the iSparkle Scholarship fund, and also featured singer Dodie Fisher.
Petrina, seemingly possessed by the spirit of Peggy Lee, was the main attraction with a lively and authentic performance.
She was in vintage Lee form, on a sultry version of “He’s a Tramp.” Then she turned up some finger-snapping heat on another Lee standard, “Fever.”
Petrina, who lives in The Villages, came here about a decade ago. She has performed all styles of music, but never with a big band.
“This has been a dream of mine for a long time because you can’t beat the sound of a big band,” she said.
Skip Spurgeon agrees.
He has been the leader of The Savoys since 1955, long before the 10-piece band began playing in The Villages.
“Big band music has been popular forever and it is still popular,” he said. “People like this kind of music; today they call it swing, but it’s the same thing. It will never go away.”
He was impressed with Petrina’s performance and attitude.
“It’s a new style for her, but she works hard,” Spurgeon said. “She’s learning every day.”
“I like the arrangements and the music,” Petrina said. “This music makes people want to dance.”
The dance floor was crowded much of the night. Such big band classics as “In the Mood,” “Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom Time” and “Sway” got people moving.
Like Glenn Nielson, 92, who was swinging and swaying on the dance floor.
“I always liked dancing and I always liked Glenn Miller,” Nielson said between dances with his partner, Juantia Mander.
Her husband, Chuck Mander, is musical director of The Savoys, which features Jay Mau on bass, who handles most of the stage announcements. The band plays every third Wednesday of the month at the Hibiscus Village Recreation Center.
Dodie Fisher joined the Savoys, singing “Stormy Weather” and offered a country sound on Patsy Cline’s “Crazy.”
Petrina returned for her take on “My Funny Valentine” and “Blue Skies.”
“Petrina just loves performing,” said her mother, Marian Whitehead. “When she was a little girl, she was shy, and used to hang on to my skirt. Now, she loves being out there in front of people.”
Especially when it comes to big band music.
“That’s my music, too,” her mother said. “And Petrina knows how to sing it right.”
