Father of Kent’s Stefano Langone discusses son and ‘American Idol’

Ernie Langone wrote special music for Stefano Langone when he started to teach him to play the piano at age 6 because he couldn’t reach certain keys.

“His hands were not big enough to play an octave,” said Ernie Langone, of Kent, during a phone interview last week about his son, a finalist on “American Idol.”

Sixteen years later, Langone watches his son sing weekly on the Fox television program. Stefano Langone, 22, a Kentwood High School graduate, advanced to the top 10 last week to earn a spot on the “American Idol” summer tour. The tour dates and sites have yet to be announced.

“I think that’s tremendous for all of them and a huge boost for their careers,” Ernie Langone said. “We’re thrilled he made that.”

Langone flies this week to Los Angeles to watch Stefano perform live Wednesday night as well as see the voting-results show on Thursday. The proud father expects his son to survive another week.

“I feel confident he will be there for a while,” said Langone, who also watched one other show live and has watched the rest on television. “But he may get voted off. It’s very subjective, no matter how good or bad someone is. All of the contestants are so talented. But anyone can go.”

The 11 remaining contestants will sing Elton John songs this week, according to Americanidolnet.com. The votes by viewers after Wednesday’s show will eliminate two contestants on Thursday since judges Steven Tyler, Randy Jackson and Jennifer Lopez used their one save card last week to keep a contestant who had been voted off.

Langone, a career advisor at The Art Institute of Seattle, had a tough time as he watched his son on the brink of elimination last week. The votes by viewers left Langone in the bottom three. He sat next to fellow contestant Casey Abrams as host Ryan Seacrest announced Langone would be safe for one more week.

“I was disappointed to see Stefano next to Casey and not know,” Langone said. “That is nerve-racking.”

Music plays a large role in the Langone family history. Stefano is the grandson of the late Don Langone, who owned Langone’s Music Store for three decades in San Jose, Calif. Don Langone sold instruments as well as gave music lessons.

“I lived in an apartment above the music store with my father, mother and two brothers,” Ernie Langone said. “But my brothers did not pursue music.”

Ernie Langone started to play the trumpet at age 7. He has played in numerous bands over the years.

“My father was a music teacher but he farmed me out,” Langone said about learning to play instruments. “Music came naturally to me. I played trumpet in my first concert at age 10. I started to play guitar at age 9 and played bass at 13 in a band and started making money.”

Langone and his wife, Carrie Langone, have lived 21 years in Kent. Stefano Langone was born in Bellevue.

While Ernie Langone introduced his son to music, he credited the many music teachers Stefano has had over the years for helping his son reach the national spotlight.

“I got to work with him but he’s had great teachers,” Langone said as he watched his son sing at Emerald Park Elementary School, the then-Meridian Junior High, Kentwood High School and Bellevue College.

Langone also took private voice lessons from Berith Ballard, of Covington.

Shortly after Langone graduated from junior high, he told his parents he wanted to become a professional singer.

“He wants to share his God-given gift with the world and wants to inspire people,” Langone said. “He is a young, budding professional. This is not fly-by-night thing for him.”

Ernie and Carrie Langone have one other child, Dominic, 19, who is a Green River Community College student. Langone said his younger son has musical ability has well, but doesn’t plan to pursue music as a career.

Carrie and Ernie Langone traveled once together to watch “American Idol” live in California but then started to trade off weeks. Carrie Langone just returned to Kent last week after three weeks in Los Angeles. She cooked up an Italian dinner one night for all of the contestants, who are housed at a mansion.

The father stays in contact with his son mainly through text messages. Stefano Langone’s schedule keeps him plenty busy each week getting ready for the upcoming shows.

“American Idol” officials keep a close watch on all of the contestants.

“They are kind of under lock and key,” Ernie Langone said when a reporter asked for a contact number for Stefano. “They can’t really do any interviews without consent.”

To see his son reach the national spotlight looms even more gratifying for Langone when he reflects about how Stefano survived a head-on car crash just two years ago. Langone was driving home to Kent when a drunk driver crossed into his lane in Renton. Langone suffered injuries to his femur, pelvis, arm and wrist and spent time in a wheelchair.

“It’s a miracle he survived it and without any brain or internal injuries,” Langone said.

Now Langone watches his son excel on “American Idol”.

“We knew he had the tools to be successful on the program,” Langone said. “But a lot of it is luck. When 140,000 audition, there is some luck involved.”

It thrills Langone to see his son reach closer to his goal to become a professional singer.

“This is exactly what he wanted to do and strived for with all his heart and soul,” Langone said.