The Little Italy Association will launch Little Italy Legends, a program designed to honor prominent Italian Americans who have local ties to the community, with a tribute to entertainer Frankie Laine at Piazza Natale on March 30, the crooner’s birthday. The ceremony will include live music and the unveiling of a granite plaque that outlines Laine’s contributions to the world of entertainment and the local community. The plaque will eventually hang on a yet-to-be-determined building in Little Italy. Laine began his career in the 1930s and rose to fame with jazz and R&B-influenced hits such as “That’s My Desire,” “I Believe,” and “Mule Train.” During his 75-year career, he released more than 100 albums and compilations. He became a fixture of Little Italy’s restaurant scene when he moved to Point Loma in the 1960s. He was particularly fond of the Busalacchi establishments, especially Trattoria Fantastica, Po Pazzo and Spaghetteria, said his longtime friend, producer and manager Jimmy Marino. “Frankie loved Little Italy and frequented it often,” Marino said. “His gold record for ‘I Believe,’ which was his all-time highest-selling album, is hanging at Po Pazzo; he gave it to Joe Busalacchi for Po Pazzo’s opening.” Marino is captain of Team Frankie Laine, a group of the singer’s supporters that formed after Laine’s death in 2007 to keep Laine’s music and image alive. It was Marino who first approached the Little Italy Association about honoring Laine, and the association expanded his idea into the full-fledged Little Italy Legends program. “It is important for [the Little Italy Association] to raise awareness about Italian Americans and mainstream their names,” said Chris Gomez, the association’s district manager. “We want to help people understand that Italians are not all the ‘Sopranos;’ they are not the ‘Godfather.’ They are about family, culture, arts and history.” The Association is currently developing further guidelines and criteria to decide who will be inducted next into the Legends program.