The story of the Dorels is a familiar Villages’ tale about people from different backgrounds joining forces to find harmony and live out their dreams.
All it took was the combination of a retired police officer, school principal, registered nurse, computer analyst and IBM manager. Put them all together and you get The Dorels.
Toni Booker, Earl Cash, Bill Rascoe, Henry “Tres” Tresvant and Cliff Cook are all Villagers. They have been performing about five years with a blend of R&B, Motown, pop and country music, and are one of the most popular groups in the area.
“We never planned this, it just happened,” said Cash – a retired elementary school principal from Maryland, who brought the Dorels together.
Tresvant, a computer analyst, and Cook, a registered nurse, had been singing together. They then asked Cash to form a singing group. Eventually, Rascoe, a project manager with IBM, joined them. The Dorels made their first appearance at a variety show for The Way Off Broadway Players and were an immediate hit.
“We started getting calls,” Cash said. “People wanted us to perform. We just kept getting more shows.” Originally, the Dorels were an all-male act. That all changed when Cash heard Booker sing at a talent show and asked her to join the act.
“It’s so much fun singing with these guys,” said Booker, who worked as a police officer in Detroit. “We all look out for each other. And we all feel like family.
“I never expected to be singing with a group when I came to The Villages. I figured all I would be doing is playing golf and sitting in the sun.
Booker turned out to be the final piece to the musical puzzle of the Dorels.
“Toni brings a female voice and stage personality to the group,” Cash said. “She really opened things up for us.”
Another factor for success is, “our chemistry and cohesiveness,” Cash said. “We’re all in this together and we share the music we love and grew up with.”
The Dorels played a soldout gig Monday at Laurel Manor Recreation Center for The Villages Central New York Club. They stepped on stage displaying fashion style and graceful movements. The men wore red vests with white shirts and black pants. Booker looked elegant in a red dress.
It didn’t take long for the Dorels to show their versatility. They opened the set with a smooth version of the Four Seasons’ “December ’63.” Then came a Temptations’ standard, “My Girl.” Tresvant sang lead with a vocal style of David Ruffin. The group also displayed some slick choreography, in tribute to Motown.
Then Booker turned things around with a silky smooth country cover of Patsy Cline’s “Crazy.” Cash is a big doo-wop fan and during the show, the Dorels delivered street-corner harmony on such numbers as: “16 Candles,” and “A Teenager In Love.” A highlight was the exquisite harmony on the Stylistics’ classic: “Betcha By Golly Wow.”
Watch video from the group’s performance here:
Ray Mellone, from Syracuse, is president of the Central New York Club and wasn’t surprised by the packed turnout. The club has 460 members, he said.
“We have a lot of loyal members and they love the Dorels,” Mellone said. “They don’t just sing; they put on a great performance and get people dancing. The Dorels have great harmony. They sing the songs we all grew up and they sing those songs the way we remember them.”
Such authenticity makes the Dorels special.
“We grew up with doo-wop, R&B and Motown,” Cash said. But the Dorels’ songbook extends far beyond those styles. Tresvant is a huge Johnny Mathis fan. Rascoe likes Marvin Gaye and the Delfonics. Cook, however, favors the music of James Taylor and Eric Clapton. Booker lists Gladys Knight, Etta James and Smokey Robinson among her favorites. Cash’s musical taste goes back to vintage doo-wop acts like the Orioles and the Spaniels.
When the Dorels step on stage, all those influences mesh in a unique and powerful sound. The Dorels are also a family affair. Joyce Cash, Earl’s wife, acts as hostess and caretaker for the group. Ronald Booker, Toni’s husband, operates the sound board.
“All the singers in this group identify with the songs they perform,” Ronald Booker said. “They have the feel and soul to make that music of the ‘50s and ‘60s come alive again.”
A sign of their growing popularity is that the Dorels will be hosting their first cruise for AAA in November. They keep a busy schedule, singing, performing and rehearsing at least six hours a week.
But the hard work and frequent gigs are part of the joy of the Dorels. Cash put it this way: “It’s a blessing for all of us to be singing together.”
