Glenview singer performs to fight ALS

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Michael Hutchins

Updated: January 23, 2012 2:40AM

Michael Hutchins loved to sing at karaoke nights. When people began telling the Glenview resident that they enjoyed listening to him, he decided to share his talent. About five years ago, he put together a trio and began performing at weddings and private events. For a year, Hutchins has sung jazz standards monthly, as a solo act, at Via Gelato & Café in The Glen. His next show is Saturday evening, July 9.

Hutchins isn’t singing at Via Gelato for the money, though. He works for tips at the gig the second Saturday of each month — and he’s not even keeping those dollars the next few months. All proceeds from Hutchins’ performances this summer are going to a cause close to his heart, the ALS Association. The singer’s father died in 2004 from the illness, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, and his brother Phil succumbed to it in 2010.

Weekend gigs

Hutchins began singing in a choir when he was growing up in Michigan. The financial systems manager said he started performing at Via Gelato because, “I thought it would be great advertisement for me for the wedding stuff that I do. It’s turned out to do pretty good for me.” He also likes the fact that, “It gives me an excuse to go out and sing for a couple of hours on the weekends.”

Hutchins croons to recorded music. “It’s all the Great American Songbook,” he said. That includes selections made famous by such legends as Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Dean Martin. Hutchins noted that he gets the biggest reaction when he sings, “New York, New York.” “ ‘Chicago’ is always a good one to sing,” he added.

Hutchins donated his Via Gelato proceeds to the ALS Association last year, too, because his brother was battling the disease at that time. He died in December. “It’s a good tribute to my brother,” Hutchins said.

Hutchins’ father was affected with the disease for seven years before he passed away. Hutchins’ brother Phil, the father of two small children, died at the age of 37, eighteen months after being diagnosed.

The singer described his brother as “extremely intelligent and a very good athlete. He was a pole-vaulter in college. Later on, he decided to get into triathlons. That was how he discovered that something was wrong. He was trying to clip his shoe into his bike and he couldn’t clip it in. He stopped the race at that point and said, ‘Something’s wrong here.’ ”

Phil learned that he had that devastating disease. “Essentially, you lose all control of your muscles,” Hutchins said.

Expensive disease

Money donated to the ALS Association helps provide support services for families dealing with the disease. “It’s an extremely costly disease to take care of,” Hutchins said. Funds are also used for research, in hopes of finding a cure, and also for raising awareness of the disease.

Hutchins’ family has discovered that, for them, ALS is genetic. “Families like mine are great research targets,” said Hutchins, who has three children. “We’ve all donated blood to a couple of different places.” In June, Hutchins participated in a bike ride to benefit the ALS Association.

His performance on July 9 will be a win-win situation for Via Gelato & Café patrons. They’ll hear wonderful music and contribute to a worthy cause.