The man behind the Blackhawks' music

It's just before 7:30 p.m. on Monday at Aurora Skate Center. The lights haven't dimmed yet, and a few regulars shuffle in.

Tall, slender women dress in sparkling bodysuits colored in pink, purple and blue. The men wear comfy jeans, shorts and sometimes black unitards, ready for an all-night affair. “It’s like a bug you catch; you just get it in your blood.”

Some warm up with a few laps around the rink; others greet each other with hugs and hellos, as they do every Monday evening.

In a few minutes, the lights will go down, and anyone and everyone who's on skates, steps onto the rink. At that time, the chatter fades and the sound of charging roller skates swooshes over the polished wood floor. A breeze swarms throughout the otherwise musky 55-year-old rink off Montgomery Road and Hill Avenue, as more skaters coast from end to end.

There's just one thing missing.

Frank Pellico, a man without roller skates, walks over to the far end of the rink and up a makeshift stage. He sits down at his beloved Hammond X66 organ and pulls the microphone toward him.

It's showtime.

Without hesitation, Pellico pumps out a song by The Temptations. It is upbeat and funky. The skaters on the floor below him only see a man behind a contraption of four stacked keyboards, buttons, levers, synthesizers and a sound system.

Somehow, Pellico never skips a beat, even though he shifts his fingers and feet rapidly in every direction. One hand plays a chord and another hand finds just the right button among dozens of other identical buttons.

He scoots his feet from left to right along the pedals while he strikes the keys. A cowbell sound erupts. He smiles, and his short, stout fingers dance along the keys to punch out a charming, flute-like melody.

"Our skaters are used to movin' in this place," he says, his eyes alert and fixed on a crowd of energized skaters swaying to his every beat.

There's no question that the 50 to sometimes 150 skaters that turn out on Monday nights love to skate, but they're also here for another reason: Frank Pellico...

To read the full story, go to The Beacon News in Chicago >>