Headed for Erie concert, Gino Vannelli just doesn’t want to stop

In the 1960s, Gino Vannelli, said, "If you were in English Montreal, you listened to The Doors and Steppenwolf. If you were French, you followed the French hit parade, which was American songs with French lyrics. If you were Italian, you listened to James Brown, Aretha Franklin and King Curtis — all the groups that were doing shows at the Apollo."

It's an influence that gave Vannelli's hit songs, "I Just Want To Stop" and "Living Inside Myself" among them, an authenticity and emotional weight that set them apart from the bland, soft-rock with which they shared the charts four decades ago.

Vannelli, 67, still sings those songs and when he brings them to the Warner Theatre on Sunday night, he'll deliver them with a voice that sounds as pliable and fresh as the one on the A&M Records 45 RPM singles that made his reputation.

"I sing almost all my songs in the original keys," he said by phone from Portland, where he moved when, as he said, he'd had enough of L.A. "I have a certain standard that I want to keep, and if I can’t, I’ll hang it up."

Keeping that standard requires work, and Vannelli has a routine of exercises that he does every other day to keep his instrument in top condition.

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He also has an excellent band that provides the full, lush sound of his polished hit albums, such as 1974's "Powerful People" and "Brother to Brother" from 1978.

"It's a big band. We bring eight and sometime nine pieces onstage with a horn section," he said. "For me, it’s a blast to sing ‘Nightwalker' or ‘Appaloosa' that I wrote almost 40 years ago and the songs are sounding better than ever — and that’s why I do it. If there wasn’t a response, I wouldn’t do it, either."

From the Warner, Vannelli and the band will head to Mexico City where the tour will conclude next week. "Then we shoot video to one of the songs on 'Wilderness Road' (his latest album) the first week of December, then it's back in the studio in January for new recording," he said.

He just doesn't want to stop.

SEE IT

Gino Vannelli will perform Sunday, 7 p.m., at the Warner Theatre, 811 State St. Tickets, $67-103, are available at erieevents.com. Find more information at www.ginov.com.

Singing tips

At his studio outside Portland, Oregon, Gino Vannelli conducts an annual masterclass in which he teaches vocal and studio techniques that incorporate elements of the principles Vannelli uses to keep his voice fresh and pliable. They include:

• "Practice, but not too much."

• "Be concerned, but not obsessed."

• "Listen to great singers."

• "Do a lot of cardio. It helps with stamina."

• "Read out loud and tape yourself reading. Listen to yourself and learn to use every part of your body: your throat, tongue, cheeks, diaphragm. When you get used to where your voice's placement is, you’ll have more control."

• "On stage, make sure you hear yourself really well. A lot of singers sing too loud and that's how you splat your vocal chords.”