My Eureka Moment: From Construction Manager To Late-Night Crooner

By Adam Kaufman

QUEENS, N.Y. – Jim Altamore arrived early to a Queens restaurant and ordered himself his usual -- a plate of pasta with marinara sauce. Regulars strolled by to shake his hand and give them his song requests. It's his regular "pre-gig ritual" since 2009, when Altamore became the restaurant's Tuesday night crooner after getting laid off from a management job in construction.