Reports on the death of ‘60s music in The Villages have been greatly exaggerated.
On Thursday evening, a couple of ‘80s bands –The Spazmatics and Fancy Reagan — played the town squares to The Villages’ ever-growing younger demographic. But a couple of acts from the ‘60s “grooveyard” also performed nearly two shows of packed houses in Savannah Center.
The Vogues and The Duprees will never be confused with Michael Jackson or Bruce Springsteen, but the music of those ‘60’s groups still matters.
“We’re here to bring back the time and memories of the ‘60s,” said Tommy Petillo, lead singer of the Duprees. “So sit back, relax and enjoy these songs and these memories.”
Rocky and the Rollers were also on the bill, and Gerry “Rocky” Seader set the tone for the night when he said it would be filled with 60s’ romantic tunes.
Blue-eyed soul man Steve Santo fronts the Rollers and turned up hot power on such numbers as: “The Love I Lost,” and “Always and Forever.” Santo really hit his stride covering Mel Carter’s “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me.”
DJ Al Brady hosted the show on stage and introduced The Vogues and Duprees. Brady said that “sometimes these kinds of songs can get lost in the musical shuffle. But these groups sold millions of records.”
The Vogues came out rocking with their mid-60s’ anthem, “Five O’clock World.” That was one of their faster paced hits. It was the towering ballads that turned the Vogues into hitmakers.
Lead singer Troy Elich was in vintage form on such numbers as: “Earth Angel,” “Magic Town,” and “The Land of Milk and Honey.” He earned a huge ovation with the ballad, “Till.”
Elich and his two singing sidekicks closed the set with a stirring three song medley: “(You Are My) Special Angel,” “Turn Around Look at Me” and the jumping, “You’re the One.”
The Duprees had a string of hits in the early ‘60s, and were kind of a throwback to the ‘50s’ doo-wop and big band singers.
They opened with one of their biggest hits, “Have You Heard.” The Duprees harked back to the 1940s’ with their take on the “Casablanca,” movie song, “As Time Goes By.”
Some of the Duprees most recognizable numbers include: “You Belong To Me,” “My Own True Love,” and “Why Don’t You Believe Me.”
Put them all together with the Vogues music, and you have a night to fondly remember what Rocky Seader called, “all those great ‘60s’ love songs.”
Tony Violanti covers music and entertainment for Villages-News.com. He was inducted into The Buffalo Music Hall of Fame as a music journalist.