Is Kenny Vance up for taking
Bowzer's position at Mohegan Sun?
I received word that Kenny Vance
would be appearing in The Arena at Mohegan Sun on April 19th at 7:00 PM. That
is an early time slot for a concert, as well as a large venue for a single
group to fill. So ... I'm going!
What will be happening here? I
find out that other groups will also be appearing, but they are publicizing
Kenny and The Planotones as the drawing card. LAR Enterprises has set this up
and produced it as a salute to the 50s and early 60s. As I watch this concert.
I am immersed in Forgotten Hits ... hits that I have forgotten, hits I do not
remember hearing before and hits I constantly listen to at home.
Cool Bobby B from SiriusXM 50s
Gold hosts the show. First up are The Fireflies, and if you are like me,
you say to yourself, "Will I remember them?" When they sing and
perform while walking through the audience, you remind yourself that you heard
songs, sang songs as a child, but were not always aware of who the artists
were. Nor did it matter! I am a child singing and dancing through life. It is
always the music that gets me through.
The Fireflies were an American
doo-wop group from Long Island, New York, in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
They had one hit single, "You Were Mine," and were the first
all-white vocal harmonizing group to appear at The Apollo Theater.
How's that for a resume? All the
groups tonight are from the NY/NJ area and all made a permanent impression on
the history of doo-wop and rock n roll.
This Could Be The Night
I Can't Say Goodbye
Mony Mony (a step into Tommy
James and the 60s)
Since You Are Gone
And their 1959 hit: You Are Mine
'You Are Mine' was one of my
impromptu sing-it and dance-it numbers. When you can again see yourself in a
childhood happy moment, it uplifts in powerful ways. Original member Paul
Giacalone, (1939-2013) wrote the songs for The Fireflies and personally recruited
the current members.
Today their line-up is: Tony
Errigo, Vic Puma, Nick Catello and Marco Gueli.
During intermission, they came
into the audience area and snapped pictures with fans.
And from the history of The
Peppermint Lounge comes Joey Dee, and family! There are several cases of family
in tonight's show. This is the first time I have seen Joey perform with his
family.
Do the Twist
What Kind of Love is This
Jump Jive and Wail ... a Louis
Prima song performed by Ronnie Dee, Joey's son, who also plays saxophone like
his father.
Be My Baby ... The Ronettes song,
performed by Jaimie Lee, Joey's daughter.
Peppermint Twist
SHOUT
At 85, Joey is still jumping
around and twisting. As I saw with all the family connections tonight, it's in
the DNA.
Cool Bobby B introduces another
group whose name does not initially bring forward memories: Jimmy
Gallagher and The Passions.
Although I thoroughly enjoyed
them and their harmonies, I still cannot say I remember them from my childhood
recitals. I do feel the romance of the love lyrics from their songs. What these
guys pledge to go through for these women might make me swoon. For instance,
their last song tonight was recorded in 1959 and called 'Just To Be With You.'
LOOK at these lyrics!
Just to be with you
Just to be with you
There is nothing I wouldn’t do
Just to be with you.
I’d climb a mountain or sail the
seas
I’d go a thousand miles upon my
knees
I’d find a rainbow and take it
from the sky
I’ll be a slave till the day I
die.
Chorus:
I’ll build a castle, like those
of old,
And I would fill it with wealth
untold,
I’d fight a lion, compose a
symphony
I’ll count the stars in the
galaxy.
After he's crawled on his knees,
given me a rainbow, fought a lion and built a castle ... he does NOT need to be
a slave. I'm happy with the rest.
Here is their song line-up.
This Night Was Made for Love
This Is My Love - 1953
Gloria - This song caused
applause, oooohs and yeses from the audience.
Just To Be With You - 1959
Something new to me from Jimmy
Gallagher, Albee Galione, Lenny Trerotola and Lou Rotondo.
Cool Bobby B tells this next
great story about Times Square Records in NYC. The owner was one to visit
off-site shops and find records to introduce to his patrons at Times Square and
get their reactions. One such find was a record called 'There's a Moon Out
Tonight' by The Capris. It was recorded in 1958, but was first played in Times
Square in 1961. The patrons loved it, and so NYC radio DJs were alerted, played
the record and it became a hit. Thus rose The Capris to a new status of hit
makers.
John Monforte, Tony Sergi, Frank
Reina, Lou Esposito and lead singer Michael D'Amore hit the deck running with
'Great Balls of Fire.' Wow, that sounded
a tad bit arsenal. I mean they stormed the stage and began their set with a
rocking song. 
Michael D'Amore is a showman and
entertainer with a great voice. He definitely has the crowd reacting and
responding to his excitement for the music.
Another classic number, 'Do You Wanna Dance,' is next, with audience
participation on the refrains. Now I am surprised that the intro to 'Hey There
Lonely Girl' begins, and he sings it in falsetto as it was recorded by Eddie
Holman. The audience gives him a rousing applause, so he then reverts back and
forth between his natural voice and the falsetto range. I hear
"Whoa!" and "Wow, yes!" audience vocal responses. By now,
we are immersed in the emotions of the songs and D'Amore's energy carries us
upward. Before they finish, they sing 'Come Back Home to Me' and, of course,
The Times Square Record find, 'There's a Moon Out Tonight.'
Time for intermission? OK, I
will stretch my legs before I need to sit down again.
I asked the question at the
beginning as to whether Kenny Vance was becoming a Bowzer replacement. Since
LAR Enterprises is the producer of this show, it stands that the answer is NO.
Kenny Vance and The Planotones are one of the entertainments hired for this
particular show. So, is the question then whether LAR Enterprises will take
over Bowzer's place? Yes, that is the question, and we will have to wait for an
answer in the future. Rob & Laura Albonese (LAR Enterprises) come onstage
and immediately Rob states, "Bowzer did some great shows here, didn't
he?" This is sounding as if our
answer is currently falling on the affirmative side. The backing band for the
first act is Tom Schizzano and the LAR Enterprises Band. I believe I see Ron
Wilson on drums (Lou Christie's drummer and musical director) The band may be a
fluid collection of musicians comprising availability for each particular
event.
The Planotones with their chief,
Kenny Vance, will complete the final hour of this show. Not one to waste time,
Johnny Gale, Kenny's musical director, has been finishing the set-up on-stage
with drummer Tony Galino and keyboardist Chip Degaard. From where I sit, the
keyboardists have looked very similar, even down to the hats they wear, so I am
holding off on the certainty of two different keyboardists tonight. The
Fireflies were not originally planned for tonight, but it was announced at the
top of the show that Cleveland Still and The Dubs would not be appearing due to
an emergency. Actually, the advertising list had changed well before the show
date. The biography of each group on the Mohegan ticket site remained the same,
with The Fireflies listed in the line-up and The Dubs biography appearing
below. So there had been enough time to change one but not the other.
Kenny walks onstage and sits
down on a high stool (he is tall, you know) where he remains throughout the
show. Jimmy Bense, a Planotone, is recuperating from spinal surgery and so has
a replacement tonight. Ladd Vance (Kenny's son) is here, as is his niece, Tara.
Let me say it straight. If you were here and knew none of these facts, you
would never know you were watching anything different. They were great.
It's All Right - Given what I
just said, this is a good pick to open.
Let It Be Me - a duet between
Kenny and his son Ladd. This duet is also performed by Jay and the Americans in
concert. The joke is that Ladd is the only Planotone without a hat and
sunglasses and in every performance, he is trying to earn his hat. Each time he
gets closer and closer (says Kenny)
10 Commandments of Love - From
1955, this is a salute to The Moonglows and done with mastery. Simple words
that many find difficult on the follow-through.
Now a threesome of Jay and the
Americans songs …
She Cried - 1960
Come A Little Bit Closer - 1964
Cara Mia - 1965, sung by Ladd.
Given the history of this song, I salute anyone who decides to try to sing this
song and is successful. I have heard Jay Black, Jay Reincke, Kenny Vance and
now Ladd Vance be successful.
This I Swear
I've Had It - this is so fun in
concert
Will You Love Me Tomorrow - a
Shirelle song performed tonight by Tara
In the Still of the Night
Please Don't Ask Me to Be Lonely
- a Dubs song. Nice tribute to ones who could not be here.
Devil Or Angel
Angel Baby
Looking for An Echo
The entire second half was
interspersed with songs and stories and The Planotone Dance, also known as The
Retirement Walk. As Kenny walks off, he turns, removes his hat and sunglasses
and bows. Very humbling.
Will there be more? LAR says
there will. Will I still miss Bowzer? Of course! Will the music always go on?
YES! This was a salute to the 50s - early 60s. I wonder what will be next.
Shelley J Sweet-Tufano
NE Correspondent; Forgotten Hits
YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otfHKFsksps
