The Scintas

The Scintas were a music and comedy variety group.^[1]

The group began in 1977 as The Scinta Brothers, consisting of Frankie and Joey Scinta, brothers from Buffalo, New York.^[2][3] They got a job performing at the chain of Playboy Clubs, including a stint at the Playboy Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City in 1981.^[4][5] Their younger sister, Chrissi Scinta, joined later.^[6] Drummer Pete O'Donnell was added to the group around 1987.^[7] In the late 1980s, after Frankie overcame a cocaine addiction, the Scintas became prominent supporters of the "Just Say No" anti-drug campaign.^[8][9]

The group toured throughout the eastern United States for many years.^[3] They were particularly popular in Akron, Ohio, where they performed regularly at the Tangier cabaret.^[4][10]

In 2000, the Scintas moved to Las Vegas and began performing at casinos, with resident shows at the Las Vegas Hilton, Rio, Sahara, The D, and Plaza casinos through the years.^[2][11][12]

Chrissi retired from the group in 2013 because of throat hemorrhaging.^[6][13] She was replaced first by Ashlee Amoia and later by Janien Valentine.^[14] Joey Scinta died in 2017, and the group continued on without him.^[11] A year later, Frankie transitioned to performing under his own name, rather than as The Scintas, though O'Donnell continued to play a major part in the show.^[11][15]