Love Story: 'Strawberry Fields' meant forever for them

Tony Garofalo of Great Neck talks about meeting his wife, Deborah.

I met Deborah Sable on Sept. 14, 2014, at BeachFest, a free outdoor concert in Port Washington where I was performing with Strawberry Fields, a Beatles tribute band. Like I’ve done for 30 years, I was dressed as John Lennon in a hot, heavy wig, a black button-down suit and Beatles boots — not an outfit for an 80-degree day. Nonetheless, after an early soundcheck and before we started playing, I spotted a beautiful girl — tall, with long hair and wearing a pair of remarkably bright red pants. She was stunning but two hours later, I lost sight of her, as well as the time, as I rushed onstage to perform. While performing, I kept looking for her, and boom! — there she was sitting on the back of a park bench about 100 yards away. I dedicated the next song to her. She later told me that an elderly woman sitting next to her said sweetly, “Miss, I think he’s singing to you.”

After the show, Deborah came up to chat and thank me for the song dedication. I was still dressed as John Lennon, and she had absolutely no idea what I actually looked like (my real hair style is straight out of 1977!). She told me she was a contract music lawyer, and I told her I was a retired NYPD police sergeant. She admits that when she first saw four middle-aged guys in wigs and costumes get on stage to play the Beatles, she said to herself, "Ooooh, this can’t be good." But once we started playing, she, a lifetime Beatles fan, was amazed at how authentic we sounded.

I invited her to BB King’s Blues Club in Times Square where we had a weekly residency for 18 years. She came to the show a few weeks later, and I fell in love. I knew she was the one.

Our first official date was dinner at Antonette’s in Roslyn Heights. While we were eating, fans came by for pictures and a quick autograph. Deborah asked me how much I paid them to do that. I laughed and told her it happens all the time. Being a fake Beatle has its ups and downs.

After we dated for two years, I proposed to Deborah at Montauk Lighthouse. I actually did it quickly so I wouldn’t be on bended knee too long because of the ticks there. (I had already battled a tick-borne disease 10 years ago.) We were married May 21, 2017, at East Wind Long Island in Wading River. It was a wedding our friends say they still talk about. In addition to family, including Deborah’s 96-year-old father, members of every major band on Long Island were there. It was a musician’s reunion.

Deborah is affectionately known to many as ”the girl with the red pants.” It was those pants that caught my eye in the crowd, changing our lives forever. She is the kindest, most considerate person I know. Having her by my side gives me comfort and security especially knowing our love for each other is matched. We live in Great Neck and enjoy antiquing, art museums and promoting our Chitty Chitty Bang Bang car, a replica I built of the car from the 1968 movie. Deborah continues to practice music contract law and work as an entertainment talent agent, and we own and operate 89 North, a music venue in Patchogue.

We celebrated our third wedding anniversary May 21, by driving our Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and enjoying a quiet dinner at home.

— With Ann Donahue-Smukler