The crowd of over six thousand music lovers at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, NJ, this May 17, 2019 evening is patiently waiting for the start of tonight’s Doo Wop Extravaganza show presented by Dick Fox. Starring Lou Christie, Jay Seigel’s Tokens, The Vogues, Dennis Tufano, and The Leaders of the Pack, the concert is slated to present a cavalcade of hits designed to take the audience on a nostalgic trip back to the 1950s, ’60s, and ‘70s.
Tonight’s performance is the first of two free Garden State Arts Foundation concerts for New Jersey residents of all ages. The second GSAF show will star Cousin Brucie, Tommy James, Darlene Love, and The Ventures, and will take place at the PNC Bank Arts Center on June 14 at 7:30 pm.
Before the show begins, we go backstage to chat with the three music legends who comprise the trio, The Leaders of the Pack — Emil Stucchio of The Classics, Vito Picone of The Elegants, and Bobby D’Andrea of The Knockouts.
Explains Stucchio, 74, “We started this trio doing Malt Shop Cruises and have had such great success, people have continued to book us.”
Continuing, “It’s a fun show where we get to poke fun at each other,” Stucchio notes, “We also get to reminisce with the audience and have a chance to recreate some really great memories.”
Vito Picone, 78, agrees adding, “In addition to performing on stage, we really look forward to our camaraderie backstage, because we laugh so much together,” before acknowledging, “but it’s really the audience that is the connection that makes all of this worthwhile.”
Lastly, we chat with Bobby D’Andrea, 86, who discloses, “I’ll be 87 years old in August, and I’ve never had so much fun in my life!” Recalling, “We started working together on the Malt Shop Cruise,” D’Andrea exclaims, “and we’ve been laughing together ever since!”
Outside, in the PNC Bank Arts Center ampitheatre, Ron Gravino, Vice President of GSAF’s Board of Trustees, welcomes tonight’s audience and thanks them for coming. He also thanks the series sponsors — PNC Bank and Live Nation Entertainment, in addition to Sirius XM ’60s on 6 radio — before reminding the audience about Cousin Brucie’s show on June 14, along with a series of free GSAF programs for New Jersey residents 55 and older including Drinkin’ Singin’ & Swingin’ on June 5 and Bobby Rydell and Ron Dante on Sept. 4. According to Gravino, all concerts start at 1:30 pm here at Holmdel’s PNC Bank Arts Center.
Following the singing of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” the three members of The Leaders of the Pack — Emil Stucchio, Vito Picone, and Bobby D’Andrea — take the stage. Accompanied by The Coda Band rhythm section, a four-piece horn section, and a trio of backup singers including Roy Velez, Michael Perrone, and Teresa McClean, the group opens with an energetic rendition of Danny and The Juniors’ “Rock and Roll Is Here to Stay.”
The audience cheers as 86-year-old Bobby D’Andrea takes the lead dancing around and putting the crowd in a jovial mood.
Then, each member of The Leaders takes a turn featured in the spotlight.
First, Picone has the audience singing along with the “Ooh-wee baby” vocal part of his uplifting rendition of Frankie Ford’s “Sea Cruise.”
After Stucchio beautifully handles the lead on Ed Townsend’s 1958 ballad, “For Your Love,” D’Andrea is as loose as a goose as he sings Jerry Lee Lewis’ “Whole Lotta Shaking Going On.” Wiggling his hips, he cracks the audience up with his antics and energy as he performs from the edge of the stage.
Moving on to his 1960 hit song with The Knockouts, D’Andrea has backup vocalist, Michael Perrone, join him on his rendition of “Darling Lorraine.” Singing with style and emotion, the audience stands and cheers for this talented and very young-at-heart performer.
Stucchio’s expressive voice is featured on his multi-million selling #1 hit with The Classics, “Till Then,” where he’s deftly accompanied by the Coda rhythm section, horns, and background vocals on this beloved ’60s ballad.
Then, Picone — who, we learn, will be inducted into the East Coast Music Hall of Fame in Wildwood, NJ on June 5 — sings the song which he says “61 years ago brought us all together” — a heartfelt rendition of the smash hit he had with The Elegants — “Little Star.”
The audience stands before Stucchio, Picone, and D’Andrea are joined by their back-up vocalists on the Ben E. King classic “Stand By Me,” as the crowd sways, claps, and sings along before rising to their feet for The Leaders of the Pack.
Stucchio returns to the stage to introduce tonight’s next performer — the original lead singer of The Buckinghams — Dennis Tufano.
Looking fit and sounding great , Tufano opens with The Buckinghams’ 1967 Top Ten hit, “Don’t You Care.”
The band’s smooth horn lines contrast nicely with the rhythm of the drums as Tufano’s vocal captures the hearts of the audience and elicits avid cheers from the crowd.
After asking, “You want to stay in the 60’s with me awhile? Help me out,” Tufano launches into The Bucks’ 1967’s Top 20 hit, “Hey Baby (They’re Playing Our Song)” as audience members clap and sing along to this bouncy pop hit.
Reminding the crowd, “You’re responsible for us being here tonight — God bless you for that,” Tufano gives one of the highlight performances of the evening with his passionate rendition of “Susan.”
As his voice soars singing, “No other girl could ever take the place of you/Though you’re hurting me/You know I’ll always be/Thinking of you/Girl, I love you,” audience members are immediately transported back 50 years in time to the 1960s.
Following huge applause, Tufano points to the musicians backing him up and exclaims, “This isn’t digital!” before he and the band perform a funky version of The Buckinghams’ 1965 Top 5 hit, “Mercy, Mercy Mercy.” Dancing to the rhythm, Tufano’s smooth vocal is accentuated by the groove of the band and the powerful, brassy sound of the horn section.
Concluding by stating, “This was our first gold record,” audience members become teenagers again as some sing with Tufano on the lead vocal — and others on the backup part — on the classic “I still love you (I still love you)/I’ll always love you (I’ll always love you)/Anyway, anyway, anyway” lyric of “Kind of a Drag.” Clearly in love with Dennis and his music, the crowd stands and cheers for this consummate performer who’s still going strong over a half century after the release of this timeless #1 hit.
During intermission, we get an opportunity to go backstage and chat with Dennis Tufano who reveals, “This is my first time here at the PNC Bank Arts Center — it’s a great place,” before noting, “To stand and see this vast panorama of people and know that they’re all connected — all smiling and singing along — was fun!”
Acknowledging, “I try to sing each song like it’s the first time,” Tufano explains, “I try to clear my mind, and then whatever pops in goes into my singing of the song — whether it’s a person, a place, or a feeling.”
Adding, “You always have to sing from your gut — from your heart; if you don’t, the performance will be flat,” Tufano continues, “We were given such good material that it still holds up today. All the songs by Jim Holvey are like a boxed set — ‘Kind of a Drag,’ ‘Don’t You Care,’ ‘Susan,’ and ‘Hey Baby (They’re Playing our Song)’ — as soon as you hear each one, you go back to that time in your life.”
Recalling, “I hear from people all the time about amazing stories from their lives when they were listening to this music,” Tufano adds, “And I still remember when we had the #1 song with ‘Kind of a Drag.’ It was released on December 31, 1966 and by February, it was #1 with a bullet — ahead of both The Rolling Stones and The Monkees” — before he concludes with a smile, “I still don’t know how all that happened, but I’m thankful!”
As the lights dim, we make our way back out to the PNC Bank Arts Center ampitheatre where Emil Stucchio is introducing The Vogues to the stage.
Looking dapper in their contrasting suits with matching shirts and ties, the group opens with “Till.”
Three-part harmonies float in perfect synchronicity — smoothly and effortlessly — their voices blending as one, their diction clear and precise.
Following avid cheers and applause, The Vogues launch into their Top 10 hit from 1969, “You Are My Special Angel.” Lush harmonies abound as the men sing together, “You are my special angel/Sent from up above/The Lord smiled down on me/And sent an angel to love.”
The audience cheers for the group’s million-seller from 1968, “Turn Around, Look at Me,” which the trio sings with grace, style, and emotion.
Next up is a 1966 tune which The Vogues explain has been featured in many movies and television shows including Big Fish and The Drew Carey Show. Entitled, “Five O’Clock World,” the trio sings this rockin’ ‘60’s number — a happy-go-lucky song which features a unique yodeling sound.
Closing with their 1965 Top Ten hit, “You’re the One” — written by Petula Clark — The Vogues’ brilliant harmonies and high countermelody impress the crowd which rises to it’s feet to express their appreciation for this talented vocal trio.
Stucchio introduces the next group on tonight’s roster, Jay Siegel’s Tokens. Making their entrance wearing patriotic red, white, and blue jackets, Siegel, 79, and The Tokens — Kurt “Frenchy” Yahjian and Bill Reid — open their set with their 1961 #1 hit “Tonight I Fell In Love.” Sounding as fresh as ever, audience members’ hands clap as the singers effortlessly switch up to their falsetto voices and back to their full chest voices, all to the delight and amazement of the crowd.
Siegel takes the microphone and tells a story about attending Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, NY where he formed his group, The Tokens — a combo which, he explains, in its early years “included Neil Sedaka.”
Then, Siegel and the guys launch into “the ‘B’ Side of the ‘Tonight I Fell in Love’ 45 rpm record,” “I’ll Always Love You,” for the smiling crowd. As the background harmony lines move, Siegel sings his compelling lead.
Following enthusiastic applause, Siegel talks about how — despite the British invasion of music in the 1960s — The Tokens still managed to earn a third gold record with their 1967 hit, “Portrait of My Love.” As the crowd claps along on this lilting love song, the horns punctuate the melody sung by Siegel in his crisp, clear falsetto which inspires cheers and whistles.
Siegel takes a moment to explain how he became a record producer in the 1960s and ’70s, auditioning new artists and songwriters and matching them up to create hits, just as he did in the case of two groups — The Happenings and The Chiffons. Here, he, Yahjain, and Reid perform a medley of hits Siegel produced including The Happenings’ “See You in September” and The Chiffons’ “One Fine Day.”
In the middle of singing “One Fine Day” — a composition written by Carole King — Siegel excitedly declares, “I made that record!”
After introducing the members of the group, Seigel recalls that when he was a teenager growing up in Brighton Beach, NY, he and his friends would spend their summers singing doo wop in neighborhood harmony groups. At the age of 16, he and his buddies happened to hit upon a version of a traditional song which they could perform so well it would enable them to impress all the other vocal groups but, most importantly, would enable them to “get all the girls.”
Six years later, Siegel and the Tokens released a recording of this song which, in 1961, went on to reach #1 in countries all over the world, and also became a worldwide hit again 40 years later after being featured in the Walt Disney film, The Lion King.
After revealing that he typically says a silent prayer right before he sings this number— hoping all the notes will come out — the audience cheers as Siegel perfectly executes the opening notes as smoothly and effortlessly as if he were 16 again on the Tokens’ standout performance of the evening: a live version of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” in its original key.
As Siegel conducts, the crowd of 6000 music lovers sings along on the memorable “wimoweh” backup vocal.
The number ends with the audience standing and cheering for Jay Seigel, his amazing voice, and trio.
Stucchio returns one more time to introduce singer, songwriter, and teen idol, Lou Christie. Launching into a snappy version of his infectious 1969 Top Ten tune, “I’m Gonna Make You Mine,” Christie, 76, sings as free and easy as ever with his clear, falsetto voice.
A drum roll introduces Christie’s next number — a powerful ballad — Mel Carter’s “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me.” With his powerful vocal, Christie infuses his rendition with emotion, the audience cheering for his dynamic performance.
As the crowd applauds, an audience member yells out, “That was my wedding song!” to which Christie responds, “You still married?” After she replies in the affirmative, Christie says, “What a generation!” before adding, “We saw the beginning and the end of rock and roll.” Here, he launches into an a cappella rendition of The Mickey Mouse Club’s “We’re the Mousekateers/We wanna say hello/And give three cheers/For all of you who see us every day” jingle.
The audience cheers for two Christie originals — his 1962 Top 40 hit, “The Gypsy Cried,” and his 1963 Top Ten smash, “Two Faces Have I” — where Christie holds the microphone out for the audience to sing along with him on the “aye-yi-yi-yi” backups.
Following his 1966 Top 20 recording, “Rhapsody in the Rain,” Christie performs an emotional version of a 1973 tune of his which he calls “one of my favorites” — “Beyond the Blue Horizon” — which earns him a well-deserved standing ovation.
After introducing his musical director, drummer Ron Wilson, Christie defies time and gravity with his rendition of his 1966 #1 smash, “Lightnin’ Strikes” — the driving beat and background vocals complimenting his legendary falsetto lead vocal.
Following his spirited performance, the crowd rewards Christie with a second standing ovation, demanding an encore.
After pointing to the audience and bowing, Christie performs a powerful and emotional version of The Association’s “Never My Love,” where he earnestly croons, “You ask me if there’ll come a time/When I grow tired of you/Never my love/Never my love.”
As the audience stands and cheers, Christie shakes hands with several members before thanking everyone “for supporting rock and roll.”
Declaring, “Our music goes on and on forever,” Christie adds, “Thank you for giving me the opportunity to record hit records you could sing along with!”
As audience members make their way out of the PNC Bank Arts Center amphitheater, we slip backstage one last time to catch up with The Tokens’ original lead singer, Jay Siegel.
Siegel informs us that he is part of a documentary entitled The Lion’s Share, which is now streaming on Netflix. According to Siegel, the show is just one episode of the Netflix ReMastered series which also features biographies of such legendary musicians as Sam Cooke, Johnny Cash, and Bob Marley.
Siegel tells us that The Lion’s Share is a film which explores the history behind the song, “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” He explains that, although the original tune — entitled “Mbube” — was written by Solomon Linda in South Africa in 1939, it was the song’s publishers who made all the money for it.
As we continue to chat, we’re introduced to Seigel’s wife, Judy, who reveals, “We got married just as ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’ was released as a single. We got home from our two-week honeymoon to learn it was becoming a hit.”
“Not long after,” continues Judy, “Jay came home to tell me, ‘I think I’m going to have to quit my job in the garment district,’” before declaring, “And the rest is history!”
Seigel agrees adding, “‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’ went on to be a #1 hit in 36 countries back in 1961 before it became a Top 20 international hit again all over after The Lion King movie came out.” After acknowledging, “I just saw the trailer for Disney’s new Lion King live action film where the characters, Timon and Pumbaa, sing ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’ again,” Seigel wonders aloud, “Maybe it will be a hit again for the third time?”
When asked how — at the age of 79 — he’s still able to perfectly execute the high notes in “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” Siegel replies, “I’m not sure how to answer that. I live a very normal life — I’m just like anyone else, but I just have a different job,” noting, “And when I’m performing, I’m just a different person.”
“As I mentioned on stage,” continues Siegel, “I really do say a silent prayer each time I sing, praying, ‘I hope the notes come out,’” joking, “because if they don’t, we’re all out of a job!”
“It’s pretty effortless, really,” adds Siegel, before concluding with a smile, “And when it stops being easy — I’ll stop!”
For information on the upcoming Garden State Arts Foundation concert starring Cousin Brucie, Tommy James, Darlene Love, and The Ventures on June 14 — or for info on GSAF concerts for NJ residents 55 and older including Drinkin’ Singin’ & Swingin’ on June 5 and Bobby Rydell and Ron Dante on Sept. 4 — please go to gsafoundation.org.
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