Margo Smith made a triumphant return to the Savannah Center; the Boardwalk band had a rocking debut and Billie Thatcher, as usual, sang her heart out.
It all happened Friday before big crowds and a festive atmosphere at the fourth annual Savannah Center Music Lover’s Showcase. Nearly 40 local acts – ranging from country to gospel to rock to classical to Dixieland and Big Band sounds — had a chance to strut their stuff.
Music fans in the Villages showed up in droves to watch and listen.
“I feel as well as I can be and I feel great singing in front of all these people,” said Margo Smith, the famed country singer who lives in The Villages. A couple of years ago she came back from a near fatal auto accident and, just a few months ago, from a life-threatening illness.
Smith appeared fit as a fiddle and that might be a good way to describe her rollicking appearance with Sparky’s Strummers.
Smith provided plenty of spirit as she sang the uplifting gospel number, “This Little Light of Mine.” Margo seemed to gallop around the packed Rhett Butler Room, as she led to crowd in a sing-a-long.
“This is wonderful,” Smith said after the song. “I just want to thank all the people in The Villages who prayed for me. I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.”
Watch video of this year’s performance here:
Jim Boerman, another Strummer, shimmied, shaked and stomped his way through “Sweet Georgia Brown.
“We had a lot of fun today,” Boerman said. “The idea is to get people clapping and singing. That’s what we did.”
So did the Boardwalk rock band, in its first ever appearance. The group, featuring Roy Bill, drums; Bob Wilson, keyboards, Gary Lanza, guitar and Wayne Beal, bass, seemed to grow more comfortable as the show went along.
After about a half hour, they sounded like tight-rocking unit. The set list included: “Get Together,” “Da Doo Ron Ron,” “Let the Good Times Roll” and, of course, “Under The Boardwalk.”
“Maybe that’s our theme song,” Beal said.
“I was a little nervous, because it was our first time,” Roy Bill said. “But it all came together.” Beal agreed and said playing the Showcase was special.
“There’s nothing else like it,” he said. “You start a new band and you have all these people seeing you. It’s great exposure and a great time. I know it’s hard event to put on, but I’m glad The Villages does this, and I speak for all musicians.”
Billie Thatcher found herself singing in the Savannah Center lobby with longtime musical partner Joel Heckman. They are known as the Billie-Joel’s Time Travels.
“The lobby is a fun place to play, people are coming and going all the time,” Thatcher said. Among the songs were “You Don’t Send Me Flowers” and “Islands in the Stream.”
“Joel and I have been singing in The Villages a long time and this is always a special day,” Thatcher said of the Fourth Annual Savannah showcase. “I love the festival atmosphere. People come and go and can listen to all styles of music. It brings all of us together.”
About the only drawback is setting up and tearing down the amps, speakers and instruments.
“You only get 15 minutes and you have to hustle,” Heckman said, while pushing a speaker on a rug near a microphone after the set. Thatcher just watched.
“My job is to schmooze,” she cracked. “Joel packs everything up.”
Carol Wiltman was singing a country-flavored “Blue Bayou” with The Ambassadors Dance Band in the Ashley Wilkes Room. Later she performed an old 1930s’ hit, “Paper Moon.”
“I love performing and being in front of people,” Wiltman said. “Maybe, for a few minutes, you can bring music into their lives and help them forget their troubles.”
Bobby Jones is the leader of The Ambassadors Dance Band, which played a lively version of the Marvin Gaye standard, “I Heard It Through the Grapevine.” Also, vocalist Donna Francis brought the spirit of Patsy Cline to “I Fall To Pieces.”
Dodie Fisher is another big band singer with the Savoys, and she brought, a swinging, jazzy style to “Taking A Chance On Love.”
The Savoys appeared on the Savannah Center main stage and made the crowd happy with a rousing, instrumental version of “My Way.”
The Rock It band has been playing for a few months and already making a mark with a classic rock sound.
“A lot of bands in The Villages, we’re a garage band; we want to have fun and play music people remember,” said Ernie Weslow of the group. It also features Elaine Rego, Alan Rego, Mark Prater, with Ted Skolits sitting in on drums.
Jill Marrese, vocals, Joe Mankowski, keyboards and Rich Roeske on drums make up the Palm Trio. The group showed its versatility, covering everything from The Turtles’ “Happy Together” to Dave Brubeck’s instrumental standard, “Take Five.”
“Today is a great opportunity for our group and all the musicians here,” Mankowski said. “It gives us a chance to play in front of people, but it also gives us a chance to see and learn from what other groups are doing. There’s a lot of talent in The Villages.”
Here is a list of those who performed Friday:
The Villages Jazz Workshop, The Savoys, Dawn DiNome and the Flashback Band, RockUS! Band, Beatlemaniacs of The Villages.
Bob Fowler, Georgianne Hill, Broadway and Beyond, Forever Young, Butterbean Band, Rock It, The Fergies, Off Broadway Traveling Show, Ukulele Players Club, Driving Miss Dodie, Babalou’s Oldies But Goodies, Shades of Blue Octet.
Goodrich Folk Singers, The Jazz Connection, Remember When, Kevin O’Connell Trio with Billie Thatcher; Old Tyme Jazz Dance Band, The Villages Harmonica Band.
Vinyl Recall, Just Jazz, All Gold, Red Garter Jazz Band, Cabaret Showcase Performance Group and Mr. Blue Skies.
