Have you ever taken an Uber ride downtown and experienced those long, awkward moments of silence with your driver while stuck in traffic?
Well, that’s rarely the case for Rocco Cornacchia and his smooth baritone voice.
The retired real estate agent and now full-time Uber driver is engaging with Toronto passengers by turning on the stereo and playing his own cover songs of popular tunes during his daily trips.
Taking his 2022 Tuscon on the road five days a week, Cornacchia, 76, will ask his Uber riders if they’d like to listen to music during their trek. If they say yes, he’ll put on some timeless hits from Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and Frank Sinatra.
But most commuters aren’t aware it’s actually Cornacchia’s voice until he tells them, or when he starts singing along himself — whichever comes first.
“They’re pretty surprised when they hear it,” he told TorontoToday. “I really like speaking to people during the rides, and the feedback I’m getting has been great. I’ve had people shake my hand, ask for hugs, and some have taken photos with me and asked for my autograph.”
With hundreds of rides already under his belt in the last year — including countless mini performances of On the Road Again and My Way, among many others — Cornacchia’s positive replies have been validated by a 4.9-star rating on his Uber profile.
His openness to telling personal stories and sharing his appreciation for old music makes content passengers cheerful and dejected passengers grin.
“I had this one young lady get in and she was crying and really depressed,” Cornacchia recalled. “I had her for about 15 minutes, so I put on the song, When You’re Smiling. By the time she got out of the car, she was smiling. For some reason, music changes people’s mood.”
Thanks to some encouragement from his wife, Gail, he started taking singing lessons in the city eight years ago and has been recording music for the last six.
He’s recorded several holiday songs over that time, including Let It Snow and A Holly Jolly Christmas, which receives a strong response from his travellers at this time of year.
Cornacchia even intends to dress up as Santa Claus and hand out Tim Horton’s gift cards to his riders in the days leading up to Dec. 25 — as long as the Canada Post strike doesn’t prevent him from ordering a Santa suit, he said.
“It won’t have the same effect without the suit,” he admitted. “It has to be Santa Claus handing out coffees to the people. Hopefully it works out, and if not, I’ll plan to do it next year.”
While he’s spreading lots of holiday joy, Cornacchia’s giving nature isn’t just limited to December.
For the last several years, he travelled to Mexico for two months to oversee his own charity show. He performs live and raises money for a children’s orphanage in Puerto Vallarta, which to date has raised more than $25,000.
Now, he’s hoping to share his voice beyond the driver’s seat and hit some stages around Toronto.
“I don’t consider myself old, but I am,” he laughed. “How many people my age would do what I’m doing? I really enjoy this. Most people at my age want to relax — I’d rather keep going.”
Cornacchia is searching for a singer-songwriter to collaborate on original music, as well as an agent to assist with landing gigs in Toronto. He can be reached by email at [email protected].
