Concert Review: JAY and the AMERICANS

I try. I honestly try to sit quietly in the audience and simply listen to the comments at every concert.  Yes, you guessed correctly, I added my voice to the conversation next to me. They appreciated it. One woman was singing the virtues of Jay and the Americans present formation, and a man was eagerly listening to her but a bit skeptical on whether the quality was what she claimed. When I filled in one of her blanks (a question asked of her to which she did not know the answer), I then answered their query about how many times I had gone to their concerts and left him with a look that I read as either "She is just insane" OR "Gee, they must be good!"  As it turned out, everything that I told them was confirmed during the afternoon of listening. Jay and the Americans gave the audience the same facts that I had related and the quality of what we heard was undeniably top-notch. 

When you have a prospective audience that is bigger than your theatre, one smart way to handle it is to book two shows. On July 14, 2026, The Kate Theatre has set up a 3:00 pm show and a 7:00 pm show. Summer School has been cut by two hours a day this year (another superb decision) which enables me to go home, have lunch, dress for the show and drive to Old Saybrook in time for the 3:00 pm concert. Since I get up at 5:45 am to get ready and drive to the Summer School location, it means I will also be home in time to have dinner, relax and get to bed so that I can be assured of rest before I tackle the next day of heat and education. I could almost do this every day! Listen up, District Administration and Connecticut theatres! 

Jay and the Americans have been spending the last few summers touring with The Happy Together Tour. This summer they are spending their time on their own tour, most of it in the Northeast. Happy Together is always phenomenal, albeit each act utilizing their hits only. To do your own show requires more planning, more work, more time on stage and MORE SONGS. The opening video with Red Skelton and Paul Anka gives a quick input into the time that Jay and the Americans hit the charts and the battle between Britain and the USA in 1964 through the end of the decade. 

The harmonies on the songs were top notch. The USA Band (guitars, keyboards, percussion, woodwinds, brass) helped to recreate the sounds of the 45 records we played over and over. I want to tell you each story I heard from the stage, BUT I want you to go see them and be surprised by their 60 years of music production and experiences. Because the songs are so well done, I will list them in hopes your favorites are there and it will encourage you to support them at one of their live shows. We are so fortunate to still be able to hear our 60s songs live, performed by original players. 

Here is what American Sandy Deane posted on FB ...

"Imagine in 1966, someone came up to me and said, ‘60 years from now, you're still going to be onstage singing these songs that you made famous. And sometimes so many people are going to want to hear them that the theaters are going to have to do two shows.'  And here we are ..."

Yep, here we are. Actually, I never doubted that I would still be listening to these songs and praying that I could see them in live concert! My life, my children's lives and the lives of their friends were filled with 60s music. My daughter told me, "I just thought everyone grew up this way." 

It raised my energy level, increased my smile and heightened my attitude positively. Thank you, Jay Reincke, Sandy Deane, Marty Sanders, Darren Dowler, Lenie Colacino, Glen Raby and Rick Van Horn. 

 

The playlist:

Only In America

Let's Lock The Door

Sunday And Me

Up On The Roof

She Cried

Some Enchanted Evening

You've Lost That Loving Feeling

Oh, Pretty Woman

Let It Be Me

Cara Mia

Stand By Me

It's Now Or Never

Walking In The Rain

I Saw Her Standing There

I'll Be Back

Day Tripper

Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'

The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore

Just Like Me

Kicks

Reelin' In The Years

Come A Little Bit Closer

This Magic Moment

 

Shelley J Sweet-Tufano

NE Correspondent

Forgotten Hits

FREDDY "BOOM BOOM" CANNON ... and July 19th, 1966

We received the sad news that Freddy Cannon passed away on Friday (7/17) from cancer.  He was 89 years old. 

I know he had been sick for a while and even cancelled an appearance on last Saturday's Cousin Brucie show.  Yet he just recorded a brand new record that's doing great on the World Charts right now.  (We've featured it a couple of times already in Forgotten Hits.)

Freddy was a good friend to us over the years ... we talked several times and I think we had a real bond.  I was once able to reunite him with one of his very first recordings, a demonstration record that predated "Tallahassie Lassie" but used the same tune with different lyrics.

We displayed several of his charcoal drawings over the years and were able to finally bring him to Chicago for a show at The Arcada Theatre, where I got to meet the love of his life, Jeanette, who sadly passed away a couple of years ago.  Freddy, of course, was devastated, but he pressured on by devoting himself to making new music.  He even made appearances on Svenghoolie's TV show and wrote a couple of songs for him as well.

He was a real sweetheart of a guy and I will miss talking to him.  Thank you for all the great music you gave us over the years ... and thank you for being a good friend to Forgotten Hits.  (kk)

Here are just a handful of links I found using the Forgotten Hits Search Engine (located in the upper left hand corner of the web page) pertaining to some of the highlights we experienced over the years with Freddy Cannon.

Browse around and check these out … and then search for more if you like …

But there are a couple of REALLY special moments shared here:

https://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/2018/07/freddy-boom-boom-cannon-concert-review.html

https://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/2014/10/freddy-cannon-forgotten-hits-exclusive.html

https://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/2014/10/freddy-cannon-forgotten-hits-worldwide.html

https://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/2012/02/freddy-cannon-available-now.html

https://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/2011/04/sunday-comments-04-10-11.html

https://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/2009/04/more-on-freddy-cannon.html

https://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/2018/07/the-sunday-comments-07-22-18.html

https://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/2025/12/more-monday-madness.html

https://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/2018/07/the-friday-flash-freddy-cannon-edition.html

https://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/2014/10/get-well-wishes-to-freddy-cannon.html

Here is the official obituary, as put together by Tom Cuddy and David Salidor, both close personal friends of Freddy Cannon and great assets to Forgotten Hits over the last few decades ... 

50s & 60s ROCKER FREDDY CANNON, WITH THREE BILLBOARD TOP TEN HITS, DIES AT 89

Singer, songwriter and guitarist, Freddy “Boom Boom” Cannon, who holds the record for the most appearances on Dick Clark’s “American Bandstand (110 times), died July 17^th at a California hospice facility.  He was 89 years old.

His longtime friend, iHeart Radio’s Tom Cuddy, confirmed that Cannon passed after a very brief bout with cancer. His children Conny and Billy were with him in the days before his passing.

Frederick Anthony Picariello, Jr. was born on December 4, 1936, in Lynn, Massachusetts and lived in the state till his late teens when he and his wife Jeanette moved to Philadelphia on the encouragement of Dick Clark.  Philly was where Clark produced his daily “American Bandstand” broadcast for ABC-TV. 

Clark became aware of Cannon as a result of his first Top Ten record “Tallahassee Lassie,” which originated from a poem his mom wrote and he put to music. His initial smash led to 29 of his recordings landing on the Billboard Hot 100, including three Top Ten songs: “Palisades Park,” “Way Down Yonder in New Orleans,” and “Tallahassee Lassie.”

His other hits included “Action,” Transistor Sister,” and “Abigail Beecher,”

Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones said in an interview “Freddy Cannon inspired ‘Brown Sugar.’ I wrote the song in Australia and it has a good groove. The groove is similar to Freddy’s song.”

Once after seeing Cannon perform in the U.K., musician Robert Plant came backstage and told Freddy “I love ‘Tallahassee Lassie’ so much that before we named ourselves Led Zeppelin, we recorded a blues version of it.”

Author Stephen King wrote “On a Webcor turntable growing up I played my 45s by Elvis, Chuck Berry and Freddy Cannon.” King went on to mention Cannon’s music in four of his books.

Over a career that spanned 70 years, the former truck driver worked and performed with some of the top musical performers of that time: Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Little Richard, Chubby Checker, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bo Diddley, Connie Francis and Brenda Lee.

Cannon was working on music at his home in Oxnard, CA right up to his death.  Currently he has a Top 20 song in the United Kingdom on the Heritage Charts with a tune he wrote called “All She Wants To Do Is Dance.”  The song is also in regular rotation on the Sirius XM 60s channel. 

Over the decades Cannon performed on many of the popular music TV shows of that era, including Shindig, The Midnight Special, Hullabaloo, Where the Action Is, and Sha Na Na.

Last weekend the well-known horror movie host, Svengoolie on Me-TV paid tribute to Cannon by airing the 1960s film “Village of the Giants” that featured a performance by Freddy. Cannon had written songs for Svengoolie’s program. Freddy was a huge fan of horror films.

Many movies over the years spotlighted his hits. Among them George Clooney’s “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind” and 2011’s “X-Men: First Class.”

Freddy was scheduled to do what would have been his final interview on July 11^th with longtime friend and legendary NYC DJ “Cousin Brucie” Morrow, but he was brought to the hospital the day before. 

Cannon is survived by his children Conny and Billy, his sister Mary Lou, his son-in-law Jim and daughter in law Beth, five grandchildren and seven great grandchildren. Cannon is pre-deceased by his son, John, on April 13, 2026.

Daughter Conny Weber said “We would like to thank everyone for their love and support throughout our dad’s life. He will be remembered as a rock and roll icon. His music will live forever in our hearts.”

The love of his life, his high school sweetheart and wife Jeanette, passed on September 25, 2024.

Cannon wrote a biography with Mark Bego in 2011 entitled “Where the Action Is.”

“I met Freddy through a concert he did in Providence for WPRO, a radio station I was programming in the early 80s and we had remained friends ever since. I had never seen a performer who kept his performance so upbeat and fun.  Freddy didn’t do ballads. Dick Clark once told me that every time he hosted an oldies concert, he asked Freddy to open it, because he knew Freddy would get the audience on their feet with up-tempo rock and roll,” said Cuddy.

Freddy Cannon ... a self portrait

 

Freddy Cannon has died?  

He was the RNR soundtrack of my youth! 

Clark Besch

Long-time FH Reader Frank B was the first one in with the news ... I heard from him just a little before noon on Saturday ... and then I got confirmation just a few minutes later from Tom Cuddy, who hooked me and Freddy up in the first place nearly twenty years ago. 

KENT ...

The Cousin Brucie Group Is Reporting That Freddy "BOOM BOOM" Cannon Has Died. He Was 89 Years Old.

Last Saturday Cousin Brucie Was Supposed To Interview Freddy But He Called It Off Because He Was Sick & Going To The Doctor.

Tonight, For The First Time Ever, Cousin Brucie Opened His Show Without Playing His Theme Song By Frankie Valli.

Instead He Opened With "PALISADES PARK." He Said That Later He'll Play Freddy's New Song + A Medley & Talk About Him.

Frank B.

From Variety ... 

https://variety.com/2026/music/obituaries-people-news/freddy-cannon-dead-palisades-park-rocker-1236815495/ 

From Deadline ...

https://deadline.com/2026/07/freddy-boom-boom-cannon-dead-1236997570/ 

From Best Classic Bands ...

https://bestclassicbands.com/freddy-cannon-obituary-early-rocker-with-3-top-ten-singles-7-18-26/ 

More ...

https://www.mensjournal.com/news/american-rock-and-roll-icon-freddy-cannon-dies-at-89 

 

Posted by Fabian ... a photo of Fabian, Tommy Roe and Freddy Cannon 

 Elvis, Jeanette and Freddy

 

Me, Sven and Freddy, backstage at The Arcada Theatre!

And how about this ... a photograph of Burton Cummings, holding a copy of Freddy's book!!! 

 

60 YEARS AGO TODAY:

7/19/66 – Frank Sinatra marries Mia Farrow in Las Vegas

Also on 7/19, Johnny Rivers begins recording his future #1 Hit “Poor Side Of Town”

Meanwhile, elsewhere on 7/19, The Monkees record the theme song to their new NBC television series