Follow that dream, I gotta follow that dream

Keep a-movin, move along, keep a-moving

I''ve got to follow that dream wherever that dream may lead

Those are the opening lines of Elvis Presley''s 1961 hit song Follow That Dream. It might as well have been the stage-opener for fast-rising local talent Brian Roman''s own second career.

Roman, who credits Elvis with "putting music in his soul" at the tender age of eight, had enjoyed a 20-year career selling insurance and real estate, but somehow felt unfulfilled. His dream was to be a singer, to stand in front of a crowd and entertain them with his rich voice that has been described as “liquid baritone.”

But did he have it in him to break through as a professional singer at the age of 42? Did he have the courage to leave behind the security of his current successful career to pursue his passion?

Did he have the courage to follow that dream? After all, giving everything up to chase a dream and find true happiness was something that happened only in Hollywood movies.

Brian Roman however had an immense amount of faith… and it seemed like even while he was reaping the rewards of success in insurance, a higher power was nudging him in a different direction.

“Have you read the book When God Winks?" he asked me during the interview. This is a book that says that when your life makes an abrupt change, you''ll find that a coincidence accompanied your every turning point. The author, Squire Rushnell, calls these coincidences "God winks."

There were winks from God in his case too, said Roman.

"The first wink came around 1998 in the men’s room of the office building where I worked. When I went in, a man in his mid-80s was at the sink, washing his hands.  I can remember the exact moment – it was around 2pm on a Thursday."

He still recalls the conversation from a decade ago.

“Young man, what do you do?” the man asked Roman.

"I’m in the life insurance business," Roman replied.

"Do you love it?" asked the man.

"I do very well at it," Roman replied.

"Oh yes?" queried the man, "Is it your passion?"

"No," Roman responded. "My passion is singing."

At this, the man raised his arms and began to sing an aria in German.

Roman recalls thinking how crazy – and yet strangely amazing – this moment was.

Then the man stopped singing and said: "Young man, when you get to be my age, you better have spent your time doing what you love to do or you will become bitter and regretful."

This left Roman in a state of disbelief, but the stranger had planted a seed in his mind. His dream of becoming a singer had long lingered in the back of his mind, but he began to see that maybe it was time he did something about it.

Fast forward to 2005, and Roman received his second "wink from God."

He was on an airplane headed to Florida to visit his brother and had brought along Napoleon Hill''s 1937 classic Think and Grow Rich to read on the flight. It had been recommended by one of Roman''s mentors Bob Proctor.

The book caught the attention of the man seated next to him, who said he had read the motivational bestseller too. He introduced himself as Keith Wayne and told Roman he had been leading corporate seminars for some time now. After reading the book, said Wayne, he was planning to quit his work in coaching to pursue a career in songwriting. 

To this point, Roman had not shared that he was also interested in music. He just listened as Wayne spoke about how he was going to accomplish his career switch. What a coincidence, he thought, that they were both after the same dream.

The real kicker however came when Roman asked him, "How do you know that’s what you want to do?"

"Well," came Wayne''s reply, "It’s as though you have a guy who sells life insurance all his life and all he really wants to do is be a singer”.

Roman was absolutely floored. If that wasn''t a clue, a "wink from God", what was? He decided it was time. Brian Roman was going to follow his dream. And he was going to jump in with both feet, launching his new career with a bang.

He booked Roy Thomson Hall, one of Toronto''s finest concert venues, despite not having  any previous experience, nor a manager or event promoter who could show him the ropes. He hired an accomplished orchestra to accompany him for his stage debut and even had a couple of introductory acts for the big night.

None of this came cheap – his bill ran into the tens of thousands – and Roman had to mortgage his house to raise the funds. But it was worth every penny to him. "Quarter-backed" by his friends, he sold virtually every seat in the house. Even the media took notice, stations and TV networks all covering this unusual and inspiring story.

When Roman first thought of staging his debut concert at Roy Thompson Hall, he didn’t know how he was going to accomplish a sell-out show, only that he knew he would. He got so busy selling tickets and handling all the administrative tasks himself that rehearsing was the last thing he had time for.  He actually only began thinking about the songs and rehearsing two weeks before the concert.

Roman recalls calling people and not asking them to buy a couple of tickets but 50, 100 tickets at a time.  He aimed high, knowing he had already paid upfront, he could not fail here.

The day of the show, he felt nervous, exhausted and excited at all the same time. He went for a walk just before show time and ran into Toronto Star photographer Richard Lautens, who was assigned to take pictures of the event.

"You know what," Roman recalls Lautens telling him, "We drew straws at the office to see who would have

the privilege of taking your picture. We love your story so much, we take such sad pictures most of the time, that this we fought for."

It was the kind of sentiment that made the heart sing.

When Roman finally took the stage, emerging to a rising crescendo from the orchestra and bursting into The Impossible Dream, there was no question that he had arrived, in every sense of the word. The dream had started to turn into reality.

Three years after that momentous beginning, Roman continues to enjoy enormous success, playing to sold-out houses in Canada and the US and with two CDs available online.

He is at his best when he does his own take on classics from the golden age of music – from Frank Sinatra to Elvis and Tom Jones. His new CD As Long As I Have Music also has several of his own compositions, including one dedicated to the memory of his grandmother, titled Forever In My Song.

Most people spend an entire lifetime dreaming of what might have been, but Roman has shown what can be achieved by actively pursuing that dream.

He truly believed that singing was his calling and this is what he was born to do. Sounds like the stars aligned and the universe responded, but how does one recognize when your calling is the calling? 

It’s a question that can be a hard one to answer, but Roman replied immediately:  “When there is no doubt present.”

"Each of us has our own journey and cannot be compared to anyone else’s," he said.  "You have to believe that and focus on that.  People mean well but they try to discourage you along the way.  It’s important to believe it yourself, it only matters that you believe it."

For Roman, his epiphany came when he was just eight years old. He remembers watching an Elvis special, and from that moment on, he says he had music in his soul. He even remembers getting an Elvis record and memorizing all the songs.  He just loved to sing. 

Along the way, Roman says he has met several people who have inspired him and mentored him, people who believed in his talent and wanted to help him make his dream come true. They included friends from all walks of life,  some of them well-known names like inspirational speakers Bob Proctor and Rich Robbins, and entrepreneur Gerry Schwartz.  It was Schwartz who invited him to sing in his backyard at a party he threw and afterwards said to him, "You know, Brian, one day it’s going to be like I have Frank Sinatra in my backyard…"

"This is a guy who has an airplane at Pearson that is ready to go on any given day," says Roman. "For someone like that to take the time and recognize me and offer his support, it’s unbelievable…Things like this happen to me all the time.  I’m in awe of people’s generosity."

Roman has a special word of thanks for his wife Carol who he says supported him emotionally and financially. They are raising four kids together and Roman says that without her he could not possibly have done what he is doing. His performances take him out of town often. "Carol manages our family while working full time."

Roman is also grateful for the enormous help he receives from his mother Audrey, who helps with the children''s activities; as well as to his dad Nick Romanguolo and his girlfriend Gwen Logie, who are in the front row for every one of his shows "and clap like they are seeing it for the first time."

Asked what legacy he would want to leave his children, Roman said he wants them to know that "when you work as hard as you can and believe, dreams can come true."

Roman continues to dream, he wants to continue to lend his talent and money to the less fortunate and he hopes to encourage others to reach their potential.

In a way, Roman gives the impression that he is just getting started, warming up for greater things still to come. 

Brian Roman''s dream continues.

• For more on Brian Roman, to sample some of his music or to view his upcoming shows, visit his website, www.brianroman.com.