This is an archive of our What's
New Page from 2009. Events are in reverse order with the latest events
on top, the older events farther down. For events from other years
that our website existed, see...
Courier News/Home News Tribune Article Now Posted on
Our Website
For anyone who might have missed it, we've now posted Chris
Jordan's article about us,
"Sweet Songs: Somerset Couple Strives to Keep Doo-Wop
Music Alive," on our website. It's reprinted from the
Courier News (Bridgewater, NJ) and the Home News Tribune (East
Brunswick, NJ), November 15, 2009, pp. B1-2.
Classic Urban Harmony Visits the Star Diner in
Rumford, Rhode Island.
Classic Urban Harmony visited the Star Diner in Rumford, RI on
December 26, 2009, to give a mini-presentation and meet fans of vocal group
harmony in Rhode Island. We spoke for about a half hour about groups
from the Washington Heights area like Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers, Lewis
Lymon & the Teenchords and Jimmy Castor & the Juniors. We also brought
with us our collections of doo wop sheet music, photos and lobby cards for
display. There were plenty of area singers present, including Cal Raye
of the Class-Airs, members of Ronnie & the Satellites and the acappella group
Flashback. After our presentation Flashback serenaded the crowd with
some great harmony, at one point being joined by Cal Raye. We plan on
returning to the
Star Diner soon to give a formal presentation. Click
Star Diner Event to
see photos of our Rhode Island visit.
New Holiday Harmony Song Spotlighted - the Drifters'
"White Christmas"
Just in time for the holidays we've spotlighted another holiday
harmony song. Last year we gave you the story of the Orioles' "Lonely
Christmas." This year we've picked the Drifters' "White Christmas" to
feature. Click Drifters
"White Christmas" to read about and see photos, label scans,
YouTubes and much more - all pertaining to the Drifters' "White Christmas."
Happy Holidays!!!
Remembering Ronnie I. Concert Photos now Posted on
our Website.
On November 28, 2009, a concert was held in Lodi, NJ, to
celebrate the life of Ronnie Italiano (Ronnie I.), President and Founder of
the United in Group Harmony Association. The concert was produced and
MC's by Sandi Italiano and featured performances by Cornerstone, the
Devotions, the Clickettes, the Cliftonaires, the Solitaires and the
Harptones. We thought you'd enjoy seeing some of the photos we took
that night. To view them, click
Remembering Ronnie I.
Tribute to Carolina Beach Music Star, Bobby Smith of
the Poor Souls
When Bobby Smith of the Poor
Souls died on November 29, 2009, it was a loss to both Carolina Beach Music
fans as well as those who follow 1950's style group harmony. Of all the
modern era (post 1965) Beach Music groups, the Poor Souls did the most to
reconstruct the R&B vocal harmonies of the early and mid-1950's. Visit our
tribute to Bobby
Smith of the Poor Souls, including label scans of all their
records, a discography, and rare never before published photos of the Poor
Souls from
1982.
New Profile on Gospel Group, Claude Jeter & Swan
Silvertones Posted!
As the year 2009 comes to a close, we begin to look back all
that's happened this year, both good and bad. In January we lost Claude
Jeter, legendary lead of the gospel group, the Swan Silvertones. Whether
you're into Gospel, R&B, Doo Wop or Soul group harmony, all these fields owe a
debt to Claude Jeter. Claude is mostly responsible for, among other
things, the use of falsetto leads in group harmony. Claude Jeter never
quite got the recognition he deserved, a fact made clear to us by James
Power's tribute song to him, "The Man In Room 1009." We thought it time
to add a new Profile In Harmony to this website, one on Claude Jeter and the
Swan Silvertones. Whether you like gospel music or just love group
harmony, check out our latest profile by clicking
Swan Silvertones.[Just added courtesy of Bob Marovich is a rare autographed photo of
the Swan Silvertones from the late 1940's!!!]
Photos and Review of the Philadelphia Group Harmony
Association (PGHA)'s Heavenly Harmony XII Concert
On October 3, 2009, the Philadelphia Group Harmony Association
(PGHA) held their 12th Heavenly Harmony Concert in Philadelphia. Classic
Urban Harmony was there to take in the event. To see Pam's review and
our many photos of this great concert featuring the Encounters, the
Balladeers, Joel Katz & the Dynamics, Joe Cariati & the Delmonicos and Little
Isidore, Angel Rissoff and the Inquisitors, click
Heavenly Harmony
XII.
Fisk Jubilee Singers Nominated for a Grammy!!!
The Fisk Jubilee Singers, a vocal ensemble that traces its
origins back to 1871 has been nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best
Gospel Performance. Nominated is "I Believe" by Jonny Lang with the Fisk
Jubilee Singers. Tune in on January 31 to see if they win.
Chantels Again Overlooked in their Quest for
Induction Into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Once again we are disappointed to report that the Chantels were
denied entrance to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame after being nominated.
Those to be inducted in 2010 will be Abba, Genesis, the Hollies, the Stooges
and Jimmy Cliff. We are pleased to report that songwriters Jesse Stone
and Otis Blackwell will be among those recognized.
Group Harmony World Loses Three More Singers
The world of group harmony was saddened to learn of the passing
of three more of its own this week; Our good friend Wes Hayes of the Dreams,
Al Alberts of the Four Aces and Bobby Smith of the Carolina Beach music group,
the Poor Souls.
Recently
Updated Mailbox Page
Check out all the interesting new emails we've gotten over the
past few months. See what your fellow site visitors are saying!
Click Mailbox.
Difficulties with our Website
We had serious problems with website lately, which is why we
haven't been able to update it until now. What's more, those of you who
view our site through AOL or Netscape browsers may have had days when you
couldn't visit us at all. If this happens again and you can turn off
your AOL browser and view us through Internet Explorer or Firefox you
shouldn't have any trouble. We are working to correct our website issues
and apologize for any inconveniences we've caused.
Classic
Urban Harmony subject of article in central NJ newspapers
Charlie & Pam
Horner and Classic Urban Harmony were the subject of Chris Jordan’s well
written article in the November
15, 2009 Courier News and Home News Tribune central NJ newspapers.
The response has been fabulous, sending hundreds of new visitors to this
website and opening up new opportunities for us to give our group harmony
presentations. Many of you had trouble viewing the article on line,
partly because our directions were confusing. We've now made it easier
by providing a direct link to the article, now archived on the newspapers'
website. Click
ClassicUrbanHarmony to read about us.
Then use you back button to returm to our website.
“Doo
Wop at the South Philly Stringband Club” Honors Its Founders and Staff
The founders and staff of the “Doo Wop at the South Philly Stringband Club”
were honored this Veterans Day (September 11, 2009) when the members of the
audience gave them a surprise testimonial. Expecting the usual Wednesday
night acappella-fest, Bobby Buerklin, Eddie Natale and all the others who work
tirelessly to keep our music alive in Philadelphia, were stunned to see no
less than seven acappella groups arrive to sing for the packed club.
We’ve tried to capture the excitement of that night with the photos. Click
South Philly Stringband Club Doo Wop Testimonial
to take a look. Most of all, we at Classic Urban Harmony want to
express our gratitude to Bobby, Eddie and all who have helped them make “Doo
Wop at the South Philly Stringband Club” such a success.
Classic
Urban Harmony Takes Part in Documentary on Acappella Vocal Groups
Read about Visual Communications Group, Inc.'s visit to Classic
Urban Harmony Headquarters while filming a documentary on the art of acappella
group harmony. Click
Acappella Documentary.
Chantels
Release New CD!
Our friends the Chantels
have notified us that they've just released a new CD and it's a nice one! You
can click on the YouTube below to hear a couple songs from it. To those
visitors to our website that have voting privileges, don't forget the Chantels
are nominees for this year's induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. They
deserve to get in!!! For information on how to purchase the Chantels new CD
email
BarCagency@aol.com.
[The YouTube below is presented with the Chantels' permission.]
The
Vic Donna Story Now Posted on Our Website
Our "Vic Donna
Story", originally in the September issue of "Echoes of the Past" magazine is
now also posted on our website. Click
Vic Donna
Story to view and then use the Back Button to return to this page.
To read about Vic's new CD or to hear a Vic Donna & the Parakeets singing
"Teenage Rose," scroll down.
New
Vic Donna CD now available!
The long awaited
Vic Donna CD is finally been released! Many of you enjoyed our article
on Vic Donna in the September issue of "Echoes of the Past." [The
Vic Donna Story is now also available on this website.] Now Vic has
recorded a new CD of songs he used to sing back in the day - some from the
street corners of Brooklyn, some written by the Parakeets and Fi-Tones but
never recorded. Vic has recorded 13 such songs acappella with Vic
singing all the voices! In addition the CD includes all the recorded
songs by Vic Donna and the Parakeets and Fi-Tones. It includes "Teenage
Rose," "Love Was A Stranger To Me." "Count The Tears," "My Life Is In Your
Hands," and "To Know You Care." If you're not familiar with Vic Donna,
we've embedded a YouTube of his "Teenage Rose" below. To purchase the
CD, go to
www.widetracksound.com or call702-808-1921.
[Permission was
obtained from Vic Donna to use the song/photos below to our website.]
Chris Bartley Tribute Now Posted on this Website.
On October
26, 2009, the world lost another golden voice. Chris Bartley, R&B, Soul,
Doo Wop and Gospel singer died of kidney failure at the age of 62.
Chris Bartley gave us some great sixties soul records like "The Sweetest
Thing This Side Of Heaven," even before joining the Ad Libs in the 1970's.
To read about Chris' career as a singer, including many photos, click on our
Chris Bartley
Tribute Page.
Alexander "Pete" Dixon of the Visions Passes
Just heard
from Alshaun Dixon, who's father was Alexander Dixon of the Visions on the
Original Sound label. Alexander "Pete" Dixon passed away
a couple weeks ago at the age of 71. Dixon was lead singer of the
Visions, a Los Angeles vocal group that recorded "Look At Me Now' b/w
"Cigarettes" in 1963. The group performed on the "Chitlin Circuit" and
in clubs around L.A. throughout the 1960's. Pete Dixon later sang with
the Echoes of Eden Choir at St. Paul Baptist Church and the Wings Over
Jordan Choir in Los Angeles.
(From the
Classic Urban Harmony Archives)
Our next article for Echoes of the Past
magazine will be on the Plurals!
Our next article for Echoes of the Past magazine, due out in
December, is about the Plurals. The Newark, New Jersey group is best
known for their 1958 song, "Miss Annie."
For info on how to subscribe, email Bob Belniak at
echoes.past@yahoo.com
Charlie & Pam Return from Italy, Greece and Turkey
(Charlie & Pam in Mykonos, Greece, October 2009)
We are back! In case you've noticed our sparse activity
on this website over the past couple of weeks, it's because we've been taking
a break from the music in order to cruise the Mediterranean. Our travels
took us to Italy (Rome, Sicily, Naples and Capri), Greece (Mykonos, Athens and
Santorini) and Turkey (Epheses). We apologize to those of you who depend
on our website to get your weekly fix of group harmony news and for falling
behind in our Events Calendar. In the rush to get away we neglected to
post some area events. We hope they were successful anyway. We are
now hard at work again having completed our tribute to our friend John Wilson.
We also met a fine young acappella group on the cruise ship, called Soul'D
Out. See below to link to our write up on them.
Acappela Group "Soul'D Out" Rocks Cruise Ship
On our recent Mediterranean cruise on board the Celebrity
Solstice, we were pleasantly surprised to hear a young acappella group named
Soul'D Out. The group performs a variety of music styles in tight
acappella harmony. To see our photos of the group and listen to a
YouTube clip, click Soul'D
Out.
Silhouettes' John Wilson Tribute Now
Posted
On September 21, 2009, we lost our friend John Wilson, the last
member of the Silhouettes. We were fortunate to have interviewed John
when he visited us in February and have now posted a tribute to John "Bootsie"
Wilson, including his bio and many photos. Click
Silhouettes' John
Wilson Tribute.
Article
Tells the True Story of how Michael Jackson came to Motown Records.
It's about time someone set the record straight on how Michael
Jackson came to record for Motown! We've known for some time that our
good friend Weldon A. McDougal III played a key role in getting the Jackson
Five a contract with Motown. Finally an article has been published in
Goldmine magazine that gives Weldon credit! Click
Weldon-Michael Jackson Article to read about
it. The hit the Back Button to return to our website.
Weldon A. McDougal III and Charlie Horner, September 2009
(Photo by Pamela Horner)
In just over fourteen months of existence, our website,
www.classicurbanharmony.net,
has now seen more than fifteen thousand (15,000) visitors. Our sincere thanks to all of
you who share our devotion to group harmony!
Golden Gate Quartet Concert in Suffolk VA -
POSTPONED!!!!
We've just received word that the Golden Gate
Quartet's concert, originally scheduled for October 25 in Suffolk, VA. has
been postponed until Sunday February 28, 2010. Please Check Our Events
Calendar for more details.
Chantels
Nominated for Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Our friends the Chantels have been nominated for induction into
the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Only 5 of the 12 acts nominated will be
inducted at the Annual Induction Ceremony on March 15, 2010. We don't have
a vote, but if we did, the Chantels would be our choice!
Classic Urban Harmony's Doo Wop Part 2 Presentation at the Bridgewater
(NJ) Public Library, September 24, 2009.
We had a great time returning to the Bridgewater Public Library.
Celebrity guests in attendance were our friends Bobby Thomas (Vibanaires &
Orioles) and Bill Keith (Blendtones, A Moments Pleasure, Philadelphia Students &
Accords). See photos from latest our presentation of "Under the Streetlamp:
Tales From the Doo Wop Era - Part 2"
by clicking
Bridgewater Public Library on September 24, 2009.
Classic Urban Harmony's Doo Wop Part 3 Presentation at the Franklin Township
(NJ) Public Library, September 22, 2009.
See photos from our first presentation of "Doo Wop - Part 3"
(including one of the rare penny arcade acetate by the Quantrells) by clicking
Franklin Township Public Library on September 22, 2009.
Special guests in attendance were Vic Donna (Parakeets, Sharps, Compliments),
Shelly Buchansky (Vito & Salutations, Five Discs, Kid Kyle's Kool Kats & Silk
City), Ron Taylor (Del Larks), Jim Bakey (Street Corner Five). Among the
radio personalities there, in additions to Jim Bakay, were Steve Propes, Lou
Rallo and Carl Tancredi and music historian Steve Applebaum.
New Section
Added to Classic Urban Harmony Website
We've added a new section to our website.
From now on photos of all our past Classic Urban Harmony presentations and
events can be reached through the section called
Past
Presentation Photo Album. Hope you like it.
Dancing and
Vocal Group Harmony on the Battleship New Jersey
The deck of a battleship seems like an unusual place to find
vocal harmony. But this was one ship that rocked without sending us
running for the Dramamine. See our pictures of 5/3 Woodland and 45 RPM by
clicking Battleship.
The WVTL Cruisin' 92.1 Dinner, Doo Wop and a Sock Hop
See our photos and review of the WLVT Cruisin' 92.1 Dinner, Doo
Wop and a Sock Hop in Pittsgrove, NJ, on September 18, 2009. Not only did
we get to see three great acappella vocal groups (Joey P. and His Emeralds,
Quiet Storm and Joe Cleary & the Balladeers) but we were surprised with a
special appearance by our friend Jimmy Merchant, an original member of the
Teenagers! Click
WVLT Concert to take a look.
Photos from
the Tymes' Norman & Peggy Burnett's Annual BBQ
When the Tymes' Norman Burnett and his wife Peggy throw their
annual BBQ there's always great food and great company. The guests
always include many of our friends from the Philadelphia area music scene.
We thought you'd like to see some photos from this year's get-together.
If so, click
Burnett 2009 BBQ.
Rare Photos of
Castelles' Billy Taylor with the CLOVERS added to our Billy Taylor Tribute
Page!
With all the
groups Castelles' Billy Taylor sang with it's easy to forget to
mention one or two. We always used to have to remind Billy
that he was once a member of the Clovers, if only for a short
time. For about a month in mid-1987, Billy Taylor sang with
Harold Lucas' Clovers while they performed in the lounge of one of
the Atlantic City casinos. We have now posted some of our
unpublished photos of Billy singing with the Clovers.
They're on our
Billy Taylor Tribute Page.
We hope you like them.
John
Farrington of A Moments Pleasure Passes
We are saddened to report the death of our friend John
Farrington of the Philadelphia acappella vocal group, A Moments Pleasure.
John passed away on September 16, 2009. John was a good friend and he'll
be missed.
A Moments Pleasure with John Farrington on the far right.
All Star
Acappella Productions (ASAP) is no more.
We are sorry to report that ASAP (All Star Acappella
Productions), the organization that formed several months ago to produce
monthly acappella shows in northern New Jersey, will no longer continue to
operate. There apparently was not enough support for the organization
for them to be successful. When people fail to attend shows in their
area, it seriously hurts our music. The less people producing shows, the
less work there is for vocal groups. Singing groups can not continue to
rehearse day after day for a couple gigs a year. We at Classic Urban
Harmony try to support any events that keep our music alive. If there's
a group harmony event in your area, go out and see it. We thank Gil and
his staff at ASAP for the wonderful shows they did produce.
Classic
Urban Harmony visits the 2009 Charleston Beach Music & Shag Festival
For the second year in a row we've traveled to
South Carolina to catch part of the Charleston Beach Music & Shag
Festival. We're glad to report this year was again
spectacular. To read Pam's review and view scores of photos
of the Tams, Catalinas, Swingin' Medallions and East Coast Party
Band, click
2009 Charleston Beach Music Festival.
Since we started
this website a little more than a year ago, one of our goals was to give credit
to the many vocal groups whose history has been overlooked. Over the
years, we and other historians have come across photos of groups that we
couldn't identify. We started posting photos of these yet-to-be-identified
photos, hoping visitors to this site could help us ID them. We've not been
disappointed. We happily announce that Unknown Groups # 3 and # 5 have now
been identified. That means we've now identified 5 of the 8 unknown
groups! To see the names of Unknown Groups numbers 3 and 5, and to read
how and by whom they've been identifies, click
Unknown Groups.
And while you're on that page, take a look at the remaining three groups.
You might just recognize them.
New Updates to this website include a
greatly expanded list of group harmony concerts we support on
Our Events Calendar.
We've also posted a lot of emails on our
Mailbox Page.
New Echoes of the Past Magazine now out with our
article on Vic Donna!
The latest issue
of Echoes of the Past magazine (#89) is now out. It contains our article
on Vic Donna and the different groups he recorded with (the Parakeets, Fi-Tones,
Sharps, Compliments, etc.) What a fascinating life story! Also in
the issue are Bob Bosco's article on the Kings Five/United Four, George Frunzi's
article on Val Shively (Part 2), articles on the Mighty Jupiters, Caribbeans and
much more. For info on how to subscribe, email Bob Belniak at
echoes.past@yahoo.com
August 21, 2009 - Our entire Classic Urban
Harmony staff (Charlie & Pam) just returned from a well deserved vacation in Quebec
City, Canada. We had a great time, though the only music related activity
we attended was a fabulous Johnny Cash Tribute Show, performed by Shawn Barker
at au Cabaret du Capitole. Monsieur Barker (actually, he said he's from from St. Louis)
does a fabulous job of singing and even looking like Johnny Cash. He and
his band performed for about an hour, took a twenty minute break, and then
returned for another forty-five minutes of singing. They covered Johnny
Cash's career from the early Sun label songs through his final
recordings. We know Johnny Cash's music has nothing to do with classic
urban harmony but we like to credit talent when we see it.
Charlie & Pam in Quebec City
Unfortunately, being out of the country, we were
not able to attend the memorial service for our friend Billy Taylor. We do
hope to receive photos from others who were at the service to add to our Billy
Taylor tribute very soon.
From
Canada we also heard the news of Les Paul's passing. Les Paul, of course
did have a big effect on group harmony. Think of how many R&B and R&R
group recordings make use of an electric guitar! In addition, Les Paul's
two recordings with the Delta Rhythm Boys are phenomenal. From our hotel
room in Quebec, (thanks to WiFi) we were able to convert our review of Les' last
show to a tribute (see below).
Prior to our trip, we learned from Carl Fisher of
the passing of David Govan, long time member of the Jayhawks, Marathons and
Vibrations. We've also just heard that Johnny Carter, legendary tenor of
the Flamingos and the Dells just died (see below).
Anyway, we're back and ready to tackle more than
a hundred emails that backed up while we were gone. If we haven't answered
yours yet, please be patient.
- C&P
Johnny Carter, legendary floating tenor for the Flamingos and the Dells died of
lung cancer on August 20, 2009. Born June 2, 1934, John Carter was an
original member of the Flamingos and recorded with them on the Chance, Parrot
and Checker labels. He was drafted in 1956 and after getting out of
the service, Johnny joined the Dells in late 1959. John Carter remained
with the Dells throughout the rest of their career. He had one of the more
distinctive voices in R&B history.
Flamingos on the Chance label
(From the Classic Urban Harmony Archives)
(From the Classic Urban Harmony Archives)
(From the Classic Urban Harmony Archives)
David Govan, baritone
of the Jayhawks, Vibes, Marathons and Vibrations passed away this past May.
David Govan (August 2, 1940 - May 1, 2009).
Jayhawks with Dave Govan in center.
(Photo courtesy of Jayhawks' & Vibrarions' Carl Fisher)
We were shocked this week to hear of the passing of guitar legend Les Paul.
Several weeks ago we went to see Les perform at the Iridium Club in NYC, just a
week before his 94th birthday. Les and his trio were fabulous!
Little did we know at the time that that night would be his final performance.
We posted photos of that night on our website that we've now turned into a
tribute. To see our write up and photos of Les Paul's final night at the
Iridium, click
Les Paul Tribute.
We
are saddened to announce the passing of our friend, the Castelles' Billy Taylor.
Click HERE for our tribute to Billy Taylor and his singing career with the Castelles,
Dreams, Spaniels, Orioles, Cobras, Modern Red Caps, Dominoes and Clovers.
We're adding more and more photos so revisit this page often. If you have
photos of Billy Taylor you'd like to add, please email them to us.
We also mourn the passing on July 24, 2009, of Warren Suttles, last surviving
member of the original Ravens.
Ravens' Warren Suttles, Leonard Puzey, Maithe Marshall with Charlie Horner, 1988
(From the Classic Urban Harmony Archives)
If you missed our
FREE Acappella Concert by CHOICE on August 6, you missed a great event.
We've now posted a review and many photos from the event. Click
Choice Concert to take a look!.
Keep Rockin', New Fifties and Sixties
magazine now out!
We've recently
become aware of a new magazine dedicated to the life and times of 1950's and
early 1960's. The magazine is called Keep Rockin' and it covers
everything from cars to comics to culture. Plenty of coverage of music
too, including interviews with people like Jimmy Beaumont of the Skyliners and
Lou Christie. It's an enjoyable read. To learn more, check out Keep
Rockin' website through our
Links Page.
www.classicurbanharmony.net
Turns One Year
Old!
On August 1, 2009, our website
begins its second year. Thanks to all of you, over the first year we've
averaged more than a thousand hits per month. We'll keep adding
interesting articles, photos, reviews and music news as long as you keep
stopping by.
Dancing with the American Bandstand Stars
Fundraiser
We recently learned of a fundraiser to repair the deteriorating
floor of the Original American Bandstand Studio at 46th & Market Streets in
Philadelphia and decided to cover this worthy event. In addition to
getting to dance on the Bandstand floor next to some of the original Bandstand
dancers, we got to hear two excellent vocal groups, the Accords and the Phyllies
Intruders and meet up with Steve Caldwell of the Orlons and Joe Terry of Danny &
the Juniors. See photos of the event and read Pam's review by clicking
American
Bandstand Fundraiser.
Classic Urban Harmony Returns to the South Philly
String Band Club to Catch Acappella Groups "Memory Lane" and "The Balladeers"
When, in May, we posted a page on the twice-a-month acappella doo
wop fest at the South Philly String Band Club it became one of our most visited
articles. We went back this June to see the acappella groups, Memory Lane
and the Balladeers. Click
South Philly String Band Club Revisited to see more photos and an
update on this great harmony get-together. To get on the mailing list for
the South Philly String Band Club, contact Eddie Natale at his new email
address,
eddie7792@gmail.com
Pre-Motown and Other Early Jackson Five Rare
Records
With all the tributes to Michael Jackson, little attention is
being paid to the early pre-Motown records by Michael and the rest of the
Jackson Five. The Jacksons grew up in Gary, IN, the city that gave us the
Spaniels and Vee Jay Records. Classic Urban Harmony dug deep into
our archives to give you a pictorial history of some of the Jackson Five's
earliest and rarest records. Click
Jackson
Five to take a look.
Four Man Trio at Dover, NJ's Attilio's Tavern
One of the most entertaining acts in northern New Jersey today is
the vocal group and self-contained band, Four Man Trio. Click
Here
to see our write up and photos from the Four Man Trio's recent performance at
Attilio's Tavern in Dover, NJ. When you're finished reading about the Four
Man Trio, be sure to visit their website through our
Links Page.
New Acappella
Organization, ASAP, Holds its First Concert in Paramus, New
Jersey
All Star Acappella Productions (ASAP) just held its first
monthly acappella concert at the Paramus (NJ) Elks Club and it was a
fabulous time. The show featured the Encounters, the Larkings,
Echoes of Time and special guests, Joel Katz and the Dynamics. Click
Here to read
Pam's review and see many photos of the event as Classic Urban Harmony
visits ASAP. For information on future ASAP events, see our
Events Calendar,
click on their Link from our
Links Page, or call
347-692-6209.
Nicky
Addeo at Asbury Park's Wonder Bar
One of our favorite singers is New Jersey's own Nicky Addeo.
When Nicky began what we hope will be an extended Sunday night stay at
Asbury Park's musically historic Wonder Bar, we were right there to see him.
Read Pam's review and see photos by clicking
Here.
Charlie's Article on Tyrone & Nu-Ports & Pam's Article on
Deborah Chessler now Posted on this Website
We've now posted Charlie's article, "Fell
Like A Million: The Story of
Tyrone & the Nu-Ports" and Pam's
article, "An Evening With
Deborah Chessler: Songwriter and Former
Manager of the Orioles at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame" on
this website under Articles by Us. Both were originally
published in Echoes of the Past magazine. We've updated
and added to the photos in the Nu-Ports article. Just click
the highlighted links to see each.
If you're not already a regular subscriber to
Echoes, you're missing out on the many other fascinating
articles this magazine has to offer, plus a chance to read our
articles months before they are posted here. Don't miss a single issue of the only magazine
expressly dedicated to 1950's R&B and doo wop vocal harmony.
For the next issue, due out in September 2009, we're working on an
article about Vic Donna & the Parakeets!
Guitar
Legend Les Paul's 94th Birthday
Classic Urban Harmony visits New
York City's Iridium Jazz Club to catch
Les Paul on the eve of his 94th birthday!
In just over nine months of existence, our website,
www.classicurbanharmony.net,
has now seen more than ten thousand (10,000) visitors. Our sincere thanks to all of
you who share our devotion to group harmony!
Classic Urban Harmony Announces Its New Upcoming
Events: Free Acappella Concert by CHOICE in August and Doo Wop Part 3
Presentation in September, Plus More!!!
Check out the dates for our new
Doo Wop
Presentation Part 3 as well as a free acappella concert at Somerset, NJ's
Franklin Township Public Library. View these as well as other upcoming events we highly
recommend. Visit our Events
Calendar Page.
Acappella
& Doo Wop at the South Philly String Band Club
Twice a month the South Philly
String Band Club comes alive with great acappella harmony.
Click here
to read about and see photos of Philly's hottest group harmony happening.
Charlie Horner Reunited with Old
Radio Console As Classic Urban Harmony Visits NJ Station WDVR-FM
Come with Charlie & Pam to NJ
radio station WDVR-FM as Charlie visits the vintage radio console he used to
engineer at some thirty-five years ago! Click
WDVR.
Echoes
of the Past Magazine now out with Charlie's Article on Tyrone & Nu-Ports & Pam's Article on
Deborah Chessler
The latest issue of Echoes of the Past
magazine is now out. It features Charlie's eight-page article, "Fell
Like A Million: The Story of Tyrone & the Nu-Ports" and Pam's
article, "An Evening With Deborah Chessler: Songwriter and Former
Manager of the Orioles at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame". Also
in the issue are Bob Bosco's article on the Fantasys, George
Frunzi's article on Val Shively plus
more.
Don't miss a single issue of the only magazine
expressly dedicated to 1950's R&B and doo wop vocal harmony.
For the next issue, due out in September 2009, we're working on an
article about Vic Donna & the Parakeets!
The magazine is available from Echoes of the Past, P.O. Box 40,
Agawam, MA 01001-0040 or email
echoes.past@yahoo.com. Subscription rates in U.S. are $16.99 for
1-Year (4 Issues).
Forty Years of Group Harmony: Photo Gallery of the Ad Libs, Vintage,
Bon-Aires, Reunion & East River Drive
Singer Ray Block shares with us some photos of some great New
Jersey R&B and acappella groups he sang with between 1970 and the present.
To take a look at great photos of Vintage, the Ad-Libs, the Bon-Aires, East
River Drive and Reunion,
CLICK HERE.
Since we've added this feature, we were informed by Ray Block of
the passing of Abby Grant, who is pictured in many of Ray's photos. Abby
died at 11 PM on May 3, 2009. Abby will be remembered by these photos and
for the great music she gave us. She will be dearly missed.
New
Oldies Calendar to Debut This June!
With the passing of their publisher, Tony De Rienzo, the Golden Oldies
Forever Concert Calendar came to an end. Fortunately, a new concert calendar is beginning.
It's called It's About The Music! and it
promises to be all that we came to depend on Golden Oldies Forever
for. It's even compiled and edited by the same person, our friend
Andrea Siegel. The new concert calendar will again be the most comprehensive schedule of upcoming events in the oldies and
group harmony scene, countrywide. Fabulous listings of events, venues,
radio & Internet shows, producers, promoters, artists and record stores
and contacts for hundreds of active vocal groups. Plus, Classic Urban
Harmony's own Pamela Horner will be contributing occasional reviews of
recent concerts. Since the new magazine does not yet have a website,
you can contact Andrea for a subscription at
doowops429@aol.com. For those in the
U.S., it's $30 for three issues a year. You can make your check out to
"LTD Enterprises, Inc." and send it to Andrea Siegel, 291 Brookfield Avenue,
Staten Island, NY 10308.
Philadelphia Group Harmony
Association Debuts It's New Website!
Mr. Lee, President of the Philadelphia Group Harmony
Association, announced the introduction of PGHA's new website.
Check out
www.pgha.info for PGHA's latest newsletter, now online.
Also on the site is a calendar of group harmony and doo wop concerts
in the Philadelphia area and a listing of vocal group radio and
Internet radio programs. The site is still partially under
construction but it looks like it's going to be a great one.
We at Classic Urban Harmony are proud members of PGHA and urge to to
visit the PGHA website and support this fine organization.
Philadelphia Group Harmony Association Announces
Concerts for 2009!
PGHA has announced two new group harmony concerts
taking place on July 18 and October 3. Tickets are on sale now
for the first concert with Kenny Vance & the Planetones and the
Encounters, to take place in Medford, NJ. For details check
out our Events Calendar
Page or visit
www.pgha.info.
Happy
60th Birthday to the Vinyl 45 RPM Record!!!! - A Newly Featured Page
The vinyl 45 RPM single was born 60 years ago on March 31, 1949.
That's the date RCA Victor sent out press releases announcing the new format for
music. A couple days later, on April 2, Billboard magazine
announced the news. The 45 RPM vinyl single ushered in the Golden Age of
Rhythm & Blues Vocal Groups as well as the Rock & Roll Era of the 1950's.
Click on the 60th
Anniversary of the
45 to read our tribute to these amazing little unbreakable disks.
And while you're at it, climb up in your attic, retrieve that old box of vinyl
45's, blow the dust off them and give them a spin. HAPPY BIRTHDAY "45's".
Next Echoes
of the Past Magazine to carry Charlie & Pam's Article on Tyrone &
the Nu-Ports
The next issue of Echoes of the Past
magazine, due out in June, will feature our latest article, "Feel
Like A Million: The Story of Tyrone & the Nu-Ports." It's
based on Charlie's 1980 in-depth interviews Nu-Ports' members Tyrone
Johnson and Calvin Henderson. This will be the first time the
career of this great South Jersey vocal group has ever been written
about. We've updated the story through conversations with
South Philly native, Marc Tanno, whom the Nu-Ports backed on record.
This issue will also feature great articles by Bob Bosco, George
Frunzi and others. Echoes... is the only current
magazine completely devoted to 1950's and early 1960's vocal groups.
It is available from Echoes of the Past, P.O. Box 40,
Agawam, MA 01001-0040. Subscription rates in U.S. are $16.99 for
1-Year (4 Issues).
Updated
Version of Charlie & Pam's Article on Calvaes,
Blenders & Accents now posted on this Website!
Our article "South Side Harmony in
the Windy City: The Calvaes, Blenders & Accents Stories," has
now been updated to include the events of March 2009 and is now
posted on this website. Click
Windy City Harmony to read about
the Calvaes, Blenders and Accents.
On March 6, 2009, Classic Urban Harmony headed to Chicago to
join our friends from the U.K. and elsewhere at the latest SoulTrip USA
event. There, we also met dozens of Chicago soul singers (not to
mention a few doo wop singers), attended a live concert and heard hours of
great "Northern Soul" music. We even found time to visit Chess
Records and look for the former home of Vee Jay Records. To
read our review and see scores of great photos, click
Chicago SoulTrip
USA.
Classic Urban Harmony
Returns to Franklin Township Public Library for Doo Wop Presentation
Part Two!!!
MAY 5, 2009 -
SAVE THE DATE. If you've enjoyed one of our previous
presentations, you'll love "Part Two".
Classic Urban Harmony will return to Franklin Township Public
Library on May 5 to present it's multimedia presentation, “The
Evolution of Doo Wop Music - Part Two” on Tuesday evening, May 5, 2009,
from 7 – 9 PM. The Franklin Township Public
Library is located in the Somerset County Municipal Building Complex
at 485 DeMott Lane (near Amwell Rd.) in Somerset, NJ. See
http://www.franklintwp.org
for directions.
The presentation will again be FREE and opened to the public but
pre-registration will again be required. We'll
let you know when sign-up is available. Revisit this site
often, as the last talk at this library filled up quickly. Be
sure to arrive a few minutes early as we'll have a completely new
music display in the case near the circulation desk.
Two New
Unknown Vocal Groups Added!!!!!
We've just added two new Unknown Vocal Group photos to our
Unknown Vocal Group Page courtesy P. J. Noce
and Pete Wilgus. P.J.'s photo of of a 1960's group from northern New
Jersey called the U-Phonics while Pete sends us a 1950's vocal group from
Cleveland. We need your help in identifying the groups in these
photos.
Check them out on our
Unknown Vocal Group Page.
Charlie Horner Guest Appearance on the J. P. Godsey
Radio Program Now Archived on the Internet
For those of you who missed Charlie's guest appearance on the
February 11, 2009 "J. P. Godsey Show," it has now been archived on J. P.'s
website. The show
was first broadcast on WPMH 670 AM in the Virginia Beach, VA area
and also streamed live on the Internet. J. P. is very
knowledgeable about popular music and he and Charlie had a good time talking
about vocal groups from the Mills Brothers to Little Anthony & the
Imperials. To listen to that week's show, including Charlie and two
other guests, click
Here.
Echoes
of the Past Magazine now out with Charlie & Pam's Article on Calvaes,
Blenders & Accents
The latest issue of Echoes of the Past
magazine is now out. It features our latest
research in the form of a ten page article, "South Side Harmony in
the Windy City: The Calvaes, Blenders & Accents Stories." Our
in depth interviews of James "Zeke" Brown and Curtis Campbell
provide unique insight into the Chicago harmony scene of the fifties
and sixties. The magazine also features Bob Bosco's article on
the Troopers from Philadelphia and George Frunzi's article on
Delaware's contribution to the development of the phonograph plus
more. The magazine is available from Echoes of the Past, P.O. Box 40,
Agawam, MA 01001-0040. Subscription rates in U.S. are $16.99 for
1-Year (4 Issues).
Classic
Urban Harmony's Charlie Horner Interviews Deborah Chessler at Rock & Roll
Hall of Fame
Charlie
& Pam Horner traveled to the Rock & Roll Hall of
Fame and Museum in Cleveland on February 9, 2009, to
interview Deborah Chessler, songwriter and creative force behind the
legendary vocal quintet, the Orioles. In the late 1940's,
Deborah's songs helped shape a new style of music that would become
known as Rhythm & Blues vocal harmony. The interview took
place in front of a live audience at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in
Cleveland and was followed by a question
and answer period with the audience.
Click on
Interview with Deborah Chessler for Pam's review of
the event and many photos!!!
Unknown Vocal Group #4 Identified!!!!!
Congratulations to P. J. Noce for identifying the photo of
Unknown Vocal Group #004!!!! P. J. joins Bill Proctor and Pete Finn in a select circle of music
historians who have now identified three of our six unknown group photos.
Check out our
Unknown Vocal Group Page to find out the identity of Group #004.
Silhouettes' John Wilson Visits Classic Urban
Harmony
Silhouettes Day at Classic Urban Harmony World Headquarters
featured a visit from the last surviving member of the Silhouettes, John
Wilson, along with Elaine and Shana Lewis, wife and daughter of original
Silhouettes' tenor Rick Lewis. John Wilson led the group on songs like
"Rent Man" and "Not Me Baby". See the photos at
John Wilson
Visits CUH.
Classic Urban Harmony Guest
Appearance on "J. P. Godsey Show"
Classic Urban Harmony would like to thank our good friend J.
P. Godsey for having Charlie as a guest on his talk radio show, February 11.
"The J. P. Godsey Show"
was broadcast on WPMH 670 AM in the Virginia Beach, VA area
and also streamed live on the Internet. J. P. is very
knowledgeable about popular music and he and Charlie had a good time talking
about vocal groups from the Mills Brothers to Little Anthony & the
Imperials. J. P. told us the broadcast will be archived shortly.
Visit J. P.'s website,
http://www.mrhappyusa.com/
The Photo Gallery of Our Musical Family
We've added ten new photos to the top of the
Photo Gallery of
Our Musical Family!
[OK, so we've left the two photos of us first.
But after that, the next ten are new.] We'll be adding even more soon.
Visit
our New Calendar Page
to Find Our Latest Activities Plus Other Group Harmony Happenings!!!!
Our activities
have expanded and so has our website. Now you can visit one page and
see what we're up to. Find info and timing on our Group Harmony and
Doo Wop Presentations, our Radio Appearances, our Articles and everything
else we do. We'll also tell you about some other events you might be
interested in. Click on
Calendar.
SAVE THE DATES: April 2 and June 19, 2009. We'll be
giving a presentations for the Bridgewater NJ Public Library and the Meadows
Foundation in Central New Jersey. Details on our
Our Events Calendar Page.
New Unknown Vocal Group
(#006)
Yes, we've added another photo of an unknown group (#006) for
you to help identify! This one comes from our friend Val Shively, who
tells us he believes the group is from Philadelphia or Camden, NJ.
Could be a fifties or early sixties group. Please click on our
Unknown Groups
Page to see if you recognize them. And while you're on that
page, we still haven't identified groups #003 - 005.
Classic
Urban Harmony to Participate in Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Project
The Rock & Roll Hall of
Fame and Museum in Cleveland has selected Classic Urban Harmony’s
Charlie Horner to participate in a special live program.
On Monday, February 9, 2009, Charlie and Pamela Horner will fly to
Cleveland where Charlie will conduct an interview with Deborah
Chessler, songwriter and creative force behind the legendary vocal
quintet, the Orioles. In the late 1940's, Deborah's songs
helped shape a new style of music that would become known as Rhythm
& Blues vocal harmony. The interview will take place in front
of a live audience, from 7-9 PM, in the 4th Floor Theater of the
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. It will be followed by a question
and answer period with the audience.
The program is opened to the public but those interested must email
edu@rockhall.org or call
216-515-8426 to RSVP. See the Events Page of the
R&R
Hall of Fame Website for more details.
In the late 1940’s and early 1950’s, Deborah Chessler was the
songwriter and manager of Sonny Til & the Orioles, the first true
Rhythm & Blues vocal group. It was Deborah’s song (“It’s Too Soon
To Know”) that changed the face of American music and led to the
development of Rhythm & Blues, Doo Wop and Rock & Roll. A 1993
Rolling Stone magazine article called her the “Woman Who
Invented Rock & Roll.”
Deborah Chessler is a close friend of Charlie & Pam’s who someday
hope to complete a book about her and the Orioles. Deborah
Chessler’s story has a prominent part in our Classic Urban Harmony
presentations.
Doo
Wop Thrives in New Jersey at the Doo Wop Group Harmony Club
Read Pam's article and see photos of the (Central New Jersey)
Doo Wop Group Harmony
Club, an organization where singers can get together once a month and
blend their voices in harmony.
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