The audience at New Brunswick’s State Theatre New Jersey this March 2, 2019 evening is getting ready for a nostalgic concert of music from the 1950s and ’60s — the Brooklyn Paramount Reunion Jubilee of Stars! Produced by “The Duke of Doo Wop” himself, Harry G, tonight’s performance will feature such classic artists as Lloyd Price, Gary Troxel and the Fleetwoods, Sonny Turner’s Platters, Danny and the Juniors, Cleveland Still and the Dubs, and Jimmy Gallagher, original lead singer of The Passions.
The Brooklyn Paramount originally opened in Brooklyn, NY in 1928 as a movie palace. In the 1930s and ’40s the venue introduced local residents to live jazz with concerts by artists including Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald, and Miles Davis. By the ‘50s, however, radio DJ Alan Freed’s rock ’n’ roll shows played at the theater, with acts which included the likes of Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, and Buddy Holly. Other artists who played the Brooklyn Paramount included such singers as Bobby Rydell, Neil Sedaka, Chubby Checker, Jackie Wilson, and Ray Charles, in addition to groups including The Drifters, The Coasters, The Shirelles, Little Anthony and the Imperials, and The Supremes.
As we wait for tonight’s Brooklyn Paramount Reunion show to begin, we take a moment to chat with several members of the crowd including Mary Jane from Staten Island who declares, “We love this music — it’s from our era — we’re big doo wop fans!”
Recalling, “We used to go to all the Brooklyn Paramount shows, where for just a dollar or two you could see a concert starring several of the great performers of that time,” Mary Jane exclaims, “It was just fantastic!”
Stuart of Bloomfield concurs stating, “This is the best kind of music in the world, and it’s sometimes hard to find it performed live. I’ve come to the State Theatre a couple of times for the great concerts they have here, but I’ve also seen shows like this at The Beacon Theater in New York City.”
Acknowledging, “I grew up listening to this music ever since I was in diapers,” Stuart recalls, “I watched the movie, La Bamba, over and over when I was little and I’ve been hooked ever since. My favorite artists are Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens, but I also love The Platters, which is why I can’t wait to hear Sonny Turner sing tonight. I’m also looking forward to hearing The Fleetwoods sing their hit, ‘Mr. Blue’ — I love that song, too.”
Inside the historic State Theatre auditorium, the lights dim before a short video is projected onto a large screen at the rear of the stage. Commemorating the 60th anniversary of “The Day the Music Died,” the video recreates the events surrounding the Feb. 3, 1959 plane crash which took the lives of Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens.
Following the video, concert promoter Harry G takes the stage to welcome the crowd and dedicate tonight’s show to the memory of Alan Fried, who produced so many shows at the Brooklyn Paramount theater — some of which featured the artists which are a part of tonight’s lineup here at the State Theatre.
After introducing his co-host, radio DJ Alan David Stein, Harry G welcomes tonight’s opening act — the original lead singer of a group from Brooklyn — The Passions’ Jimmy Gallagher.
Supported by a live band and a trio of backup singers, Gallagher opens tonight’s show with “Meant for Lovers,” a song which has an arrangement that features background “shoo-wops” supporting his lead vocal.
Moving on to a number which Gallagher reveals he “performed for Dick Clark, Alan Fried, and on PBS TV-specials,” he launches into a rendition of “This is My Love,” at which point a member of the audience yells out to Jimmy, “SING it!”
Lights flash overhead, raining down magenta and blue streaks which bounce to the beat of Gallagher’s next tune — an uptempo number entitled “I Only Want You.”
Following large applause, Gallagher tells the crowd, “We’ve enjoyed doing these songs all these years,” at which point he performs The Passions’ 1960s-era ballad, “Gloria.” Easily switching back and forth between his chest voice and his falsetto as he cries out the name of his love, audience members applaud and cheer.
After acknowledging, “This is the song that made it all possible for me. We made a demo with Paul Simon and Carole King, but they were dropped from the record,” Gallagher performs The Passions’ biggest hit, “Just to Be with You.” With his white sequined jacket shining brightly under the lights, Gallagher connects with this audience of classic music lovers who respond with an enthusiastic standing ovation.
Harry G and Alan David Stein return to the stage to introduce tonight’s next group from Harlem, NY. Recognizing their “harmonies from heaven,” the audience cheers for The Dubs featuring original member Cleveland Still.
Intricate doo wop harmonies ring out as Still and The Dubs perform their classic hit, “Don’t Ask Me to be Lonely.”
On “Chapel of Dreams,” a tenor sax wails along with the band before the quartet of vocalists slide together on the ending note.
The Dubs invite the audience to clap along on “Such Lovin,’” a shuffle which features solos on tenor sax, keyboard, bass, guitar, and drums which get the entire crowd hooting and hollering on this feel-good song.
Still and The Dubs wrap up their portion of the show with their 1957 hit, “Could This Be Magic,” a number which features the group’s patented strong and soulful lead vocals.
At the conclusion, group members shake hands with their fans in the audience as they leave the stage to enthusiastic hurrahs and cheers.
Alan David Stein talks about the “doo wop community” of musicians making their mark in three major cities — New York, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia. At this point, he introduces a group from Philly declaring, “Their iconic songs can be recognized after only hearing the first few notes” — Danny and the Juniors.
Members Joe Terry, Bobby Maffei, and Frankie Maffei take the stage running with an energetic rendition of their 1958 hit, “Rock and Roll is Here to Stay.”
Mixing up their music with stand-up comedy, the trio performs “Twistin’ USA,” an upbeat ditty which features trombone, sax, and trumpet.
Following a slow and full arrangement of “Sometimes (When I’m All Alone),” Danny and the Juniors conclude their set by performing their 1957 hit which sold over two and a half million copies, “At the Hop.”
Lights flash on the audience as the crowd happily sings along on the ubiquitous “Let’s go to the hop” chorus.
Following audience cheers, Harry G takes the stage to introduce The Skyliners. Explaining that although the group’s premiere singer, Jimmy Beaumont, is no longer with them, The Skyliners continue to perform as a tribute to Beaumont and his music.
Opening with “This I Swear,” fingers snap along to the background “oohs” and “ahs” which help to create the group’s rich vocal sound.
Following up with “I Can Dream, Can’t I,” The Skyliners also perform the lovely slow ballad, “My Lonely Way.”
Long-time member Donna Groom tells the crowd that their next number — the upbeat “It Happened Today” — is “dedicated to the true doo woppers,” especially those in the New York/New Jersey area, exclaiming, “I used to think all audiences were great, but then I was told, ‘Wait ’til you get to Jersey’ — and they were right!”
Concluding with their 1958 hit which they reveal “was covered by hundreds of artists,” the familiar strains of The Skyliners’ “Since I Don’t Have You” fill the room as audience members nostalgically sing along on the “I don’t have plans and schemes/And I don’t have hopes and dreams/I don’t have anything/Since I don’t have you” lyric.
Following a standing ovation, Harry G acknowledges tonight’s instrumental group, The Coda Band, and also informs the audience about the upcoming East Coast Music Hall of Fame concert which will take place on June 5, 2019, in Wildwood, NJ.
Then, he introduces 89-year-old Willie Winfeld, an original member of the Harp Tones, who happily sings a few strains of a cappella music for the audience before Harry G welcomes Sonny Turner and his Platters to the stage.
Engaging and personable, Turner opens his set with The Platters’ “With this Ring.”
Dancing as he sings, Turner charms the crowd before exclaiming, “Now give me a hand for this band!”
Accompanied by his trio of back-up singers, Turner performs the ballad, “Twilight Time” before knocking this audience’s socks off with his rendition of The Platters’ 1955 hit, “The Great Pretender.”
Dramatic and crying, as he nears the end of the song, Turner stops for a dramatic pause, but the audience keeps singing the song anyway, eliciting much feigned consternation from Turner who continues to conduct the song’s coda until the audience learns to perform it correctly.
Bringing back memories for many in the house, Turner performs “(You’ve Got) The Magic Touch,” before launching into one of The Platters’ biggest hits, 1958’s “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes.”
Declaring, “I’m the last living survivor of The Platters — I’ve got to carry on!” the audience stands and applauds for this consummate performer.
Dedicating his next number to all of the veterans in the audience, Turner performs a dramatic moving rendition of “My Prayer.”
He concludes his set with one of the highlight performances of the evening — a dynamic rendition of The Platters’ 1955 smash, “Only You.”
Singing, “Only you can make all this world seem right/Only you can make the darkness bright,” audience members rise to their feet for this gifted performer.
During intermission, we take a moment to chat with several members of the audience who share their thoughts on the Brooklyn Paramount Reunion show thus far.
Declares Rosemarie from Staten Island, “This show is fantastic — especially Sonny Turner and his Platters! I come to all of the oldies shows, and I can tell you that Sonny has such personality and showmanship — he’s still got it.”
Ira from Marlboro agrees, calling tonight’s Brooklyn Paramount Reunion “a fantastic show” and naming Sonny Turner and The Platters, his “favorite artists.”
Lastly, we chat with Emil from Matawan who says, “We come to all of the shows here at the State Theater — they’re always fabulous, but Sonny Turner was just amazing tonight!”
Act II begins with Harry G introducing a group which, he reveals, is currently “celebrating its 60th anniversary as the first mixed vocal trio” — The Fleetwoods.
Led by original member Gary Troxel, this male/female trio from Olympia, Washington opens their portion of the show with their 1959 recording, “Mr. Blue.” Looking elegant in their full length gloves with rhinestone bracelets, sparkling tops, and long skirts, the female singers provide rich harmonies to Gary Troxel’s male lead vocal.
The sound of a flute introduces “Tragedy,” a song which features the smooth, close harmonies of the ’50s and ’60s, and The Fleetwoods follow up with a soft and sweet performance of “Confidential.”
Ending their portion of the show with group’s first-ever hit, Troxel and The Fleetwoods perform 1959’s “Come Softly to Me” to animated cheers and applause.
Harry G and Alan David Stein take a momentary break from the music to present awards to all of the original artists on tonight’s stage. Then, they present a birthday cake to the show’s final performer, Lloyd Price, who is celebrating his 86th birthday while the audience spontaneously begins to sing “Happy Birthday” to Lloyd.
As he gets ready for his performance, the audience sees a video clip of “Mr. Personality’s” appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show where he says to Sullivan, “I just brought the music — the kids wanted to dance and have fun together!”
Next, the crowd is treated to clips of a variety of musicians performing Price’s original composition, “Lawdy Miss Clawdy,” which include such well-known artists as Paul McCartney, Elvis Presley, Joe Cocker, and more.
When the lights come up, we can see that Price’s musicians — two keyboardists, one guitarist, one bassist, one drummer, three backup vocalists, and a complete horn section — have already taken their places before Price himself enters, announcing, “Hello, New Brunswick! Are you ready for some rock and roll?”
Wearing his jaunty beret, Price performs one of his biggest hits, 1958’s “Stagger Lee” — he and his band sounding rich and full in this sonically superior concert venue.
Next, Price and Co. perform their rendition of Fats Domino’s “I’m Walkin,’” a rockin’ shuffle which features tight three-part harmonies, a wailing sax solo, and the full horn section.
Following large cheers from the crowd, Price reveals, “I used to work 200 shows a year, but I never worked New Brunswick!”
Recalling, “I’ve been singing these songs since I was 17!” Price launches into “Lady Luck,” and follows up with a high-energy rendition of “Caledonia” after interspersing his set with jokes which have audience members belly laughing.
Remarking, “I play good music with strong lyrics and melodies,” Price launches into “I’m Gonna Get Married” before tearing up the place with the bluesy rock and roller, “Peeping and Hiding,” which features a rollicking piano solo.
Following huge cheers and applause, Price performs “My Baby Left Me,” a number which spotlights his backup band’s bass player playing tambourine with his foot!
Price continues his rhythm and blues-infused set with numbers including “Just Because,” “Mailman Blues,” and “Have You Ever Had the Blues,” a tune with such a slow, simmering groove that it makes audience members’ heads bop.
A highlight of Price’s set is his slow, bluesy rendition of “Lawdy Miss Clawdy,” which has audience members hooting and hollering for this rhythm and blues giant.
For his final number, heads continue to bop and the crowd joyfully sings along on Price’s huge 1959 hit, “Personality,” with everyone crooning, “‘Cause you’ve got personality/Walk, with personality/Talk, with personality/Smile, with personality.”
At the end of the number, the entire audience stands and cheers for Price’s fantastic performance.
As we make our way out of the auditorium, we take a moment to chat with several performers from tonight’s show who are greeting fans out in the State Theatre lobby.
First, we chat with Donna Groom of The Skyliners who talks about performing here tonight in the Garden State.
Remarks Groom, “My observation is that the audiences in this area are discerning — they are the experts. So many artists come out of the New York/New Jersey area, so you have to be good when you play Jersey!”
Continuing, “I’ve been singing with The Skyliners for 40 years, and I enjoy the music now even more than I ever have before,” Groom explains, “I was very young when I started out, and I just didn’t appreciate everything that was going on around me. I shared the stage with so many of these great performers, I wish I had kept an autograph book with pictures of all the wonderful groups I got to perform with over the years!”
When asked about the future of The Skyliners, Groom earnestly replies, “My goal is to keep performing as long as possible to keep this music alive.”
Next, we chat with Sonny Turner, who is taking selfies and giving hugs to his many fans in the lobby.
When asked about performing here in New Jersey, Turner replies, “I love to play the East Coast,” before joking, “but I’m glad to be anywhere, these days!”
Going on to add, “God has blessed me to be with you still, and I hope to see you again,” Turner concludes by reminding us, “Remember we are all a part of one big family — the human race!”
Lastly, we catch up with Lloyd Price who is chatting with fans and signing autographs. Taking a break for a second, Price smiles up at us to say, “I really enjoyed performing here tonight — it was one good, happy crowd!”
Out in the lobby, we also talk to several members of the audience, who provide us with their opinions of tonight’s Brooklyn Paramount Reunion concert.
Comments Gloria from Milltown, “I just loved Lloyd Price! He and his band were fantastic — I could stay here and listen to them all night.”
Peter from Marlboro agrees remarking, “This show was great, and Lloyd Price was a standout. I love the blues, and he just killed it,” before noting, “but all of the other acts were great, too — especially Jimmy Gallagher and The Passions — who were really on top of their game! To me, this concert was like one big church revival!”
Janet from Marlboro concurs adding, “This kind of music just makes you feel like you’re alive.”
Doug from Easton, PA contends, “This was one fantastic show — I can’t say enough good things about it — I enjoyed it so much.”
Sharon from Easton agrees declaring, “The entire concert was phenomenal! To have all of these legends on one stage was just amazing — they’ve all been a part of our world for so long.”
Lastly, we catch up with Mary Jane from Staten Island, with whom we talked before tonight’s performance.
Exclaims Mary Jane, “This was one great night! It brought back memories of the shows I attended at the Brooklyn Paramount when I was younger, and of all the records I owned at the time. Certain songs even brought me back to the boys I was dating in those days,” before concluding with a wink, “This music is what keeps me young!”
To learn more about future “golden oldies” shows at the State Theatre New Jersey — including the Rock and Roll Spectacular featuring Chubby Checker, The Duprees, Jay Siegel’s Tokens, and The Capris on November 2, 2019 — please go to stnj.org/event/rockandroll-spectacular.
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