Long before Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly and “American Bandstand,” there was Glenn Miller, Louis Prima and “Bandstand Boogie.”
Rocky and the Rollers, with the help of a Godzilla-sized horn section, took a rollicking and entertaining look at rock and roll’s DNA Wednesday at Savannah Center.
It was called “Legendary Groups of Rock and Doo Wop Meet Big Band” and drew a pair of sold-out shows. The Capris, Jay Siegel’s Tokens and Vito Picone & The Elegants supplied the vocals, while Rocky’s crew took care of the musical backing.
“We’re going to take a look at where doo-wop and rock and roll came from,” said DJ Al Brady, who hosted the show. “It all goes back to the big band sound.”
That’s why the Rollers were beefed up into an 18-piece orchestra that featured a horn section that included four trumpets, three trombones and five saxophones. There was more brass on stage than at the Pentagon. And the sound was rich and full, straight out of the 1940s and early ’50s.
The first number was “Bandstand Boogie,” best known as the theme song for Dick Clark’s “American Bandstand.”
“But I bet you didn’t know that ‘Bandstand Boogie’ was released by Larry Elgart’s big-band (a few years before “American Bandstand” was nationally televised),” Brady said.
Gerry “Rocky” Seader had a blast playing drums with the big band below him, filling up the Savannah Stage.
“I grew up in Philadelphia,” Rocky said. “My grandfather used to listen to Glenn Miller records all the time. This was one of his favorites.”
Rocky and the Band tore into “Pennsylvania 6-5000” and the musicians on stage where joined by the audience in the gleeful chorus: “Pennsylvania six-five-oh-oh-oh.”
The music turned into a more rocking style when singer Al Morse shook his tail feather to a big-band arrangement of Sam Cooke’s “Shake.” Morse gave the concert a jolt of energy, as he came off stage and danced with members of the audience while displaying soulful vocals and slick dance moves.
The Capris were best known for their doo-wop hit, “There’s A Moon Out Tonight.” Lead singer Mike D’Amore hit all the high notes and
Frank Reina, an original Capri, added to the power of the music.
The group paid tribute to Louis Prima, a big influence on rock music, when they covered his hit version of “Just A Gigolo.” The Capris also shined doing one of their own hits, “Morse Code of Love.”
Jay Siegel’s Tokens are best known for “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” while Vito Picone & The Elegants went way back to the doo-wop era for “Little Star.”
The finale featured all the singers and the big band combining for a rousing version of James Brown’s “Living In America.”
Tony Violanti is a veteran journalist and writes for Villages-News.com.