We’ve been Forgotten Hits friends for over a decade … but we never had the chance to meet until Sunday Night (July 15th) at The Arcada Theatre in St. Charles, IL.
Over they years we have shared many FH “firsts” and exclusives …
When we told you about Freddy’s pencil drawings (a story that was later picked up by the rock and roll press around the world), several of our readers bought some …
When he released his autobiography (a great read, by the way), we let the fans know how to get a copy …
https://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/2012/02/freddy-cannon-available-now.html
https://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/2009/04/more-on-freddy-cannon.html
https://forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/2009/04/more-on-freddy-cannon.html
When he teamed with Svengoolie last year to create “The Svengoolie Stomp,” we were among the first to present the video …
(By the way, Freddy will be back on Svengoolie’s program next weekend … and he has a brand new record out that is racing up the charts in England! We’ll be sharing that with you shortly, too!)
When he had a heart attack and had to miss several performances, we worried and prayed for his healthful return to the stage … and sent Get Well Wishes thru the website and the mail!
And on one glorious occasion, we reconnected Freddy with a long lost pressing of his very first recording … “Rock And Roll Baby,” made before the lyrics were changed to become his first big hit, “Tallahassee Lassie” … and even before he had become Freddy "Boom Boom" Cannon!!!
But despite ALL of these connections, we never got the chance to say “hello” in person.
Well, that all changed on Sunday Night. Freddy not only acknowledged me from the stage but even brought me ON stage for his big finale. (I, of course, just stood there like a dork, not knowing what to do, being completely blind-sided by this very kind jesture!)
I had been pushing to bring Freddy Cannon to The Arcada for four years … and it FINALLY happened … and the crowd LOVED it!!! (I lost count of the people who thanked me afterwards.)
Lumped in as one of the “Boys From Bandstand,” Freddy always stood out from the rest of the crowd …
You had good looking Frankie Avalon …
And Bobby Rydell, another Teen Idol who could actually sing (as opposed to Fabian, who could not!)
You had Chubby Checker …
And you had Freddy Cannon, who may have racked up more Bandstand appearances than any of the others. (Over a hundred from what I'm told!)
Now, Freddy could sing, too …
But Freddy also ROCKED!!!
And he rocked HARD!
And he is STILL rockin’ today!
The energy and the voice are still there … and he laid it out for all to see at The Arcada Theatre Sunday Night. (By now, his back-up band included three former or current members of The Buckinghams … Bob Abrams on guitar, Rocky Penn on drums and Bruce Soboroff on keyboards, all long-time friends of Forgotten Hits, so it was now like “old home week” for me once I got up on stage!)
All of his up-tempo hits had that special “Boom Boom” style to them … and Freddy performed rockin’ renditions of “Tallahassee Lassie,” “Palisades Park,” “Action,” (the theme song to “Where The Action Is”), “Way Down Yonder In New Orleans,” Chuck Berry’s “Roll Over Beethoven” and “Shake, Rattle And Roll,” as well as “The Svengoolie Stomp” WITH Svengoolie (Rich Koz), who came up on stage to sing it with him!!!
(It is clear that Freddy holds Chuck Berry in the highest regard … ranking him ahead of Elvis and The Beatles for his contribution in creating the REAL music of rock and roll.)
Freddy finished his set … and then a quick encore … but the crowd kept wanting more … literally standing up and cheering “We want more! We want more!” … so Freddy obliged, coming out one more time, at which point he called ME up on stage to thank me again for putting his original recording back in his hands after nearly sixty years.
(Frannie snapped this one!)
He closed the night with another performance of “Tallahassee Lassie” and that was it. We got the chance to visit backstage afterwards and let me tell you, you couldn’t find a nicer or more appreciative guy. (We even snapped a picture together “with the wives” … Freddy’s wife Jeanette is a real gem … and she must have hugged, kissed and thanked me a dozen times for making Freddy so happy. I was truly touched.)
I’m thinking Freddy will be asked back to The Arcada REAL soon … as this was a killer show … and the audience loved it.
Me and Freddy, after the show
And one of my favorites ...
kk ... boom boom ... and sven!
You can keep up with all of his latest going ons here: http://freddycannon.com/default.htm
