WFDU-FM
Fundraiser Concert at Mexicali Live
Teaneck, NJ, March 10, 2011
(Reviewed by Pamela Horner)
Christine Vitale who hosts The Group Harmony Alley program on Sunday nights
from 7PM to 10PM hosted a fundraiser at Mexicali Live in Teaneck, NJ on
March 10, 2011 for her radio station WFDU (89.1 FM,
www.wfdu.fm).
It was a sensational show from start to finish. The show began in a
downpour of rain but those in attendance didn’t dwell on the stormy night
once they arrived. The music was amazing and the acappella groups flowed on
and off stage. Christine even had a large clock on stage to keep the
concert moving.
WFDU's Christine Vitale
The first group up was The Expressions from Staten Island. They were
impeccably dressed in red jackets and black slacks. They looked very
polished and sounded that way too. A few of the songs they sang were “I
Only Have Eyes for You”, “What’ch Gonna Do” and “Everybody’s Got A Home But
Me”.
The Expressions
The Expressions
It was so wonderful to see the Lar-Kings once again who mostly reside in
Brooklyn. They have been singing as a group for many years. Their choice
of songs was superb. They sang “Most of All”, “Only Sixteen”, and “You
Are”. They closed their performance with some Nutmegs' songs “Make Me Lose
My Mind,” and “Comin’ Home”. This was a superb performance by a veteran
group.
The Lar-Kings
The Lar-Kings
To see and hear the Lar-Kings singing "Island Of Love" at the
WFDU Fundraiser click the YouTube below. Video courtesy of Jim Bakay.
Christine Vitale & the
Lar-Kings
Quiet Storm is a Philadelphia acappella group that causes a sensation
wherever they perform. They’ve got marvelous voices and bountiful
confidence. They harmonized to The Moonglows “Sincerely”, their own
arrangement of The Crickets’ “You’re Mine”, and The Temptations “Lady
Soul”. They closed their set with The Blue Notes “She is Mine” and The
Temptations “Farewell My Love”. It was an amazing performance!
Quiet Storm
Quiet Storm
To see and hear Quiet Storm performing "Lady Soul" at the
WFDU Fundraiser, click the Youtube below. Video courtesy fo Jim Bakay.
Quiet Storm with
Christine
From Westchester, NY and formed in 1988, The Magic Touch gave us their slant
on acappella singing.. They sang a stirring rendition of The Four Seasons’
“December 1963 (Oh, What A Night” and went on to sing a Temptations medley
of” I Wish That It Would Rain” and “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg”. Their version
of “House of the Rising Sun” reminded me of The Nylons in concert. This
group represents a bold new approach to acappella singing.
The Magic Touch
The Magic Touch
The Magic Touch with
Christine
The Vic Donna Group who sang at our anniversary party put on an astonishing
show. Vic introduced each song and told how he was acquainted with the
song. It was interesting to learn the history of each song. The first song
was “Teenage Rose” which Vic recorded with the Parakeets. Vic initially
heard “Walking My Baby Back Home” when the Fi-Tones’ Gene Redd rehearsed it
although the Fi-Tones never recorded the song. The Vic Donna Group
harmonized to “Love Was A Stranger To Me” originally recorded by Vic & the
Parakeets and written by Lloyd Davis of The Fi Tones. The next song “We
Three” was recorded in 1961 as The Sharps. Originally Vic did all but one
of the voices. Another Parakeets song that was never released was “A Big
Night for Love”. The Fi-Tones also rehearsed the song “Rosemarie” but it
never came out. The very incredible Vic Donna Group closed with “You”.
This group is superb and I hope to see them again---soon!
The Vic Donna Group.
Vic Donna on left.
The Vic Donna Group
The Vic Donna Group
To see and hear the Vic Donna Group performing "We Three" at
the WFDU Fundraiser click the YouTube below. Video courtesy of Jim
Bakay.
Christine Vitale with the
Vic Donna Group
The closing act for the evening was the Persuasions the “granddaddies of
acappella”. They still sound remarkable after all these years. Over
the years, The Persuasions probably did more than any other group to
popularize acappella singing. They opened with a very explosive version of
“ We Still Ain’t Got No Band”. They continued with “Looking For An
Echo”, “Since I Fell For You,” and “Gypsy Woman”. They harmonized to a
very soulful version of “Buffalo Soldier”. The Persuasions sang “500
Miles” which was the 1966 Bobby Bare hit. They went on to sing “Old
Man River” and closed with “Under the Boardwalk” with audience
participation. If you have the opportunity to see this group in
concert, please do so. They will be appearing at The Blue Note on
April 18,2011.
The Persuasions
The Persuasions
Christine with the
Persuasions
Kudos to Christine Vitale and her staff for a fabulous show! Everyone
had a great time and it was all for a good cause.
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