It’s a gorgeous Friday Sept. 22, 2017 evening in Holmdel, NJ, and although it’s several hours before showtime, music lovers are already lining up outside the gates of the PNC Bank Arts Center to be admitted to the Garden State Arts Foundation’s Dick Fox’s Doo-Wop Extravaganza show!
A free concert for NJ residents of all ages, Dick Fox’s Doo-Wop Extravaganzafeatures an extraordinary line-up of talent which includes six star-studded acts: The Classics featuring Emil Stucchio, Joey Dee of Joey Dee and the Starliters, The Tymes, The Happenings featuring Bob Miranda, The Shirelles’ Shirley Alston Reeves, and Lou Christie.
As we make our way through the venue’s rear entrance, we spot Lou Christie — currently a New Yorker — who reveals to us that many of the Lou Christie band members currently live right here in the Garden State.
States Christie, “I love all the people in this area! New Jersey is one of the top states I’ve played,” before adding, “I’m originally from Pittsburgh PA, and a lot of people don’t realize that New Jersey is a beautiful state!”
When asked about using his falsetto voice on his signature 1966 #1 hit, “Lightin’ Strikes” a half-century after its initial release, Christie proudly exclaims, “I still sing it in the same key,” acknowledging, “I just sing the notes — they are still there — knock on wood,” and further adding, “I don’t even have to think about it — I just do it!”
Talking about some of his other hits — “The Gypsy Cried,” “Two Faces Have I,” “Rhapsody in the Rain,” and “Beyond the Blue Horizon,” etc. — Christie admits he doesn’t have a favorite, although, as he explains, “Each one has a special meaning in my life and each one comes from a different time of my life.”
“I wrote ‘The Gypsy Cried’ in 15 minutes,” explains Christie. “It was my first record,” going on to note, “And it’s very cool to hear one of your songs ending up played in a television show or movie.”
Disclosing that “The Gypsy Cried” was used in the HBO television series, The Sopranos, Christie also acknowledges that his song, “Beyond the Blue Horizon” was used “in five or six movies including Home of Our Own starring Kathy Bates” and “in Rainman, where,” he comments, “I feel it was perfectly placed within the film to illustrate a poignant change in Tom Cruise’s and Dustin Hoffman’s characters’ lives.”
When asked how Christie enjoys performing his classic hits for audiences today, he smiles and declares, “It’s just so nice to walk out on the stage and see everyone turn seventeen years old again!”
Following our chat, we make our way through to the PNC Bank Arts Center auditorium. There, we find our seats just in time to see Garden State Arts Foundation VP Ron Gravino take the stage to welcome an estimated crowd of 8,500 music fans to the final GSAF performance of the season.
Taking a moment to thank the sponsors of the show — LiveNation Entertainment, PNC Bank, First Energy, Sirius XM radio, and more — Gravino additionally makes it a point to thank the audience for their “continued support.” He also thanks all of the behind-the-scenes volunteers and helpers who make all of the GSAF performances such successful Jersey music events.
Following the playing of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” the lights dim and the announcement, “Let’s go in a time machine back to 1959,” is made as The Classics featuring Emil Stucchio enter the amphitheater from the rear, singing as they stroll down the side aisle through the crowd.
Looking suave and sounding great, Stucchio and the current line-up of Classics — Al Contrera and Teresa McLean — perform to accompaniment provided by a live orchestra which also includes two additional back-up vocalists.
Moving to the music, Stucchio, Contrera, and McLean perform beautiful harmonies on cover versions of hits like Barrett Strong’s “Money (That’s What I Want)” and The Angels’ “‘Til,” in addition to arrangements of their own Classics tunes — notably their 1963 million-seller “Till Then.”
Following enthusiastic applause for their set, Stucchio takes over as emcee, telling jokes and stories as he entertains the crowd between acts.
Taking the audience back in time, Stucchio announces, “This next performer set the world on fire in 1960 at the Peppermint Lounge in New York City” where he “changed the whole complexion of music.”
Here, Stucchio introduces the leader of Joey Dee and The Starliters — the one-and-only Joey Dee!
Opening with lively versions of two 1961 hits — “Hey, Let’s Twist” and “What Kind of Love is This” — Dee, 77, knocks the audience’s socks off with an electrifying live performance of his 1961 chart-topper, “The Peppermint Twist.”
As he performs, the audience actually gets to see two Joey Dees doing the twist as Joey Dee Sr. twists in the center of the stage while his son, Joey Dee Jr., twists to the side of the stage accompanying his famous dad on keyboards!
Audience members follow Joey Sr.’s energetic lead and dance in their seats on The Isley Brothers’ “Shout.” The crowd sings “a little bit softer now” until they are barely whispering, and then follow that up by singing “a little bit louder now” until the entire house is happily cheering for Joey Dee!
Following an introduction by Stucchio, the vocal group, The Tymes, takes the stage dancing to their rendition of The O’Jays’ “Love Train,” where they get the crowd clapping and singing along before segueing into Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes’ hit, “The Love I Lost.”
Additional highlights of The Tymes’ set include a stylized version of “Wonderful, Wonderful,” where the trio travels down stage so they can croon to the front row, and a good vibes rendition of their 1963 #1 smash, “So Much in Love,” where the audience joyfully sings along as the performers stroll around the stage.
Inquiring if the audience wants to see them dance, the spry members of The Tymes double clap, turn, and twirl before thanking the audience and leaving them wanting more!
During intermission, we get an opportunity to chat with Joey Dee — founder of Joey Dee and The Starliters — who tells us, “The crowd tonight was awesome; I really felt at home!”
Revealing, “I’ve lived in Florida for many years now but I’ve always considered New Jersey my home, “Dee acknowledges, “It’s like performing for my family here.”
After acknowledging the “amount of talent that has come out of such a small state like New Jersey” — citing examples like “The Four Seasons, Connie Francis, The Shirelles, Frankie Vincent, and many more” — Dee invites us to take a look at some photographs he’d like us to see.
First, he shows us an early photo of himself with a good friend — a very young and handsome Frankie Valli.
Next, he holds up a picture of his band — The Starliters — in the early days of the group, asking if we have any idea if we can recognize who his guitarist happened to be at the time. When we have to admit we’re not really sure who it is, Dee reveals to us that it’s actually a very young Jimi Hendrix!
Lastly, Dee shows us a photograph of another group of musicians who accompanied him as Starliters. In addition to long-time member David Brigati, brother of The Rascals’ Eddie Brigati, we see a young guitarist who went on to make his mark in the world of acting — the star of Goodfellas and Home Alone, actor Joe Pesci.
Thanking Dee for this unique music history lesson, we travel back to our seats to hear Stucchio introduce the The Happenings, featuring the group’s original lead singer Bob Miranda, who takes the stage and exclaims, “Hello, New Jersey! Are you ready for some old time rock ’n roll?”
When the crowd replies in the affirmative, Miranda and The Happenings launch into a rockin’ rendition of The Rascals’ “People Got to be Free.” Jumping up and down as he sings and ramping things up on the rock ’n roll meter, Miranda gets the crowd singing and clapping along, after which he states, “I love you, Jersey!”
Revealing, “I come from Paterson, NJ,” and adding, “all four of the original Happenings come from Paterson — two from East High School and two from Central High School,” Miranda tells the crowd that the group’s 1967 hit — written be Carole King — was “a song she requested we perform.”
Here, Miranda and the group perform a nostalgic version of “Go Away Little Girl,” their harmonies sounding terrific.
From there, they segue into the group’s signature song — their 1966 Top 5 hit, “See You in September,” Miranda’s falsetto lead voice never sounding better. The entire audience happily joins in singing along on the famous “Bye, bye, baby goodbye” bridge.
After telling a story about meeting The Righteous Brothers’ Bill Medley in person, Miranda shows off his vocal incredible range as he recreates Medley’s low opening verse on “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling.”
Following huge applause, Miranda and the Happenings conclude their portion of the evening’s festivities with their 1967 Top Five hit, “I’ve Got Rhythm.” Delighted by the group’s authentic 60’s feel and harmonies, the crowd cheers, and several audience members up front rise to their feet and shake hands with Miranda and company following a job well done!
Explaining to the audience that The Shirelles had “26 charted records” and that they were honored by Rolling Stone Magazine as one of the “100 Top Acts” of all time, Stucchio introduces the lead vocalist of The Shirelles, Shirley Alston Reeves.
Backed up by singers in elbow-length red gloves — each shaking a finger as they sing — Alston Reeves opens with The Shirelles’ 1961 Top 5 hit, “Mama Said.” Moving on to the group’s 1961 Top Ten hit, “Baby, It’s You,” every “sha-la-la” is perfectly choreographed to compliment Alston Reeves’ lead vocal.
The trio follows this up with a tune which Alston Reeves says she co-wrote “back in the good old days” — The Shirelles’ 1961 Top 40 hit, “Tonight’s the Night.”
Next, the audience joyfully sings along on the 1961 Carole King-penned smash, “Will You Love Me Tomorrow.”
Alston Reeves caps off her set with The Shirelles’ biggest hit, 1962’s “Soldier Boy,” with the crowd singing along and ultimately rising to its feet!
Stucchio takes the stage one last time to introduce a musician whom he says was once asked to do “a command performance for the Queen and the Royal Family of England” — an artist with “15 charted records” — Lou Christie.
Launching into a snappy version of his infectious 1969 Top Ten tune, “I’m Gonna Make You Mine,” a fan in the crowd calls out, “Hi, Lugee,” to which Christie responds by stating his given name and asking, “Do you mean Lugee Alfredo Giovanni Sacco?”
A drum roll introduces Christie’s next number — a powerful ballad — Mel Carter’s “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me.”
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 “yay-yay-yay” backups.
Following his 1966 Top 20 recording, “Rhapsody in the Rain,” Christie performs an emotional rendition of his 1973 tune, “Beyond the Blue Horizon,” a performance which earns him a well-deserved standing ovation from the crowd.
Christie follows that up with one of the highlight performances of the evening — his rendition of his 1966 #1 smash, “Lightnin’ Strikes” — the driving beat and background vocals complimenting his legendary falsetto lead vocal!
Following this dynamic performance, the audience rewards Christie with a second standing ovation, demanding an encore!
As his gift to the crowd, Christie performs a heartfelt rendition of The Association’s “Never My Love,” crooning, “You ask me if there’ll come a time/When I grow tired of you/Never my love/Never my love.”
Following even more applause, as the crowd files out of the ampitheater, we chat with several members of the audience who share their opinions of tonight’s Dick Fox’s Doo Wop Extravaganza performance.
Tom from Warwick — who reveals that this was his very first Garden State Arts Foundation show at the PNC Bank Arts Canter — says about this free concert, “It was excellent!” joking that, at this price, “You can’t afford not to come!”
Patti from Cranford calls the program, “Amazing!” citing The Tymes’ “dancing and doing their moves” as a high point, along with “Lou Christie hitting those high notes,” adding, “he still looks the same.” Suggesting that many of the artists tonight “are 70 years-old and above and still going strong,” Patti goes on to propose, “I bet they will all be performing in their 90s!”
Mary Lou from Warwick, agrees, commenting, “This concert was really good! I loved it when Bob Miranda of The Happenings sang The Righteous Brothers,” before adding, “and they really saved the best for last — Lou Christie!”
Donna from Union says, “I enjoyed this concert! Shirley Alston Reeves of The Shirelles was my favorite — but I wanted to hear even more of her hits,” declaring, “It’s a nostalgia thing!”
Donna’s friend, Diana from Union, concurs, remarking, “This music makes me feel like a teenager again — right now, I feel like I’m 16 again!” before jokingly adding, “My friends and I liked this show so much, we’re going to be find costumes so we can be The Shirelles for Halloween at our next senior group party!”
Lastly, Paul from Morganville, calls Dick Fox’s Doo Wop Extravaganza, “One fantastic show!” noting, “Shirley Alston Reeves was terrific and Lou Christie was just awesome — his voice is fantastic,” before lamenting, “I’m sorry the season is ending — but I’m already looking forward to next year!”
For more on Emil Stucchio and The Classics, please go to emilstucchioandtheclassics.com. To learn more about Joey Dee, please click on joeydee.com. For further information on The Tymes, go to theoriginaltymes.com. For more on Bob Miranda and The Happenings, please check out thehappenings.com. For further info on Shirley Alston Reeves, see Shirley Alston Reeves on Facebook. To learn more about Lou Christie, please click on lou-christie.com. For information on next season’s line up of free concerts sponsored by the Garden State Arts Foundation at the PNC Bank Arts Center, please consult gsafoundation.org.
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