Gerry “Rocky” Seader and his big band took a long ride on the time machine Thursday in Savannah Center.
A broken foot wasn’t going to stop this drummer from keeping the beat.
“I’m not old; I’ve got a broken foot,” Rocky said, as he hobbled from behind his drum kit to the front of the stage. He then lifted his pant leg to display a walking boot.
On this remarkable night, boots were made for rocking and reminiscing in a thoroughly entertaining concert.
It featured a jam-packed stage filled with a couple dozen musicians, including two horn sections and three female back-up singers. Rocky and the boys were dressed in glittering sequined sport coats that sparkled almost as much as the music.
“You need sunglasses to watch these guys,” cracked DJ Al Brady, who hosted the show.
The music stretched back to the 1930s with Cab Calloway and the 1940s with Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman. It jumped to the ‘50s and ‘60s, with guest vocalists Peggy March and Dennis Tufano of the Buckinghams. Steve Santo of the Rollers also hit some high notes.
Put it all together and there was plenty of history, as well as emotions.
“Today is December 7, and that’s when America was attacked (in 1941) at Pearl Harbor,” Rocky said, while introducing a set of Glenn Miller songs.
“This is the music that those young men and women were listening to back then,” Rocky added. “I dedicate these songs to the men and women who fought and died for our country in World War II.” Sadly, Glenn Miller was one of them as he lost his life in an airplane crash while entertaining troops overseas.
The band opened with “In the Mood,” and the set included Miller’s theme song, “Moonlight Serenade,” along with “Little Brown Jug” and “String of Pearls.”
Next came a personal song for Rocky.
“I’m from Philadelphia, and my grandfather played, for a short time, in the Glenn Miller band. He loved this song, and I got to play it with him when I was 13 years old.”
Rocky and the band jumped into the famed Miller standard: “Pennsylvania 6-500.”
The Rolletts — featuring Dawn DiNome, Mary Jo Vitale and Kathleen Kane – came out in bright red dresses. They were cooking on the old Andrews Sisters classic “Boogie-Woogie Bugle Boy.” They brought more energy to “New York, New York.”
“I’m from Philly,” Rocky cracked, “so I’m not crazy about that song title.”
Peggy March reminisced about her all-time classic, “I Will Follow Him.”
“I was 15 when I sang that song on American Bandstand,” March said. “That was 1963, and this is the 60th anniversary of the song.”
March showed plenty of power singing “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” and flashed her rock roots with a mashup of “Bandstand Boogie” and “Rock Around the Clock.”
Al Morse brought down the house when he came out in a white tux, cane, and top hat. The singer then turned in a heart-pumping version of Cab Calloway’s “Minnie the Moocher.”
When Al urged the crowd to sing-a-long with “hi-de-hi-de-hi…ho-ho-ho” people loudly responded with appreciative jubilation.
Dennis Tufano brought some of Buckingham’s’ 60s’ hits to life. They included “Don’t You Care,” “Hey Baby (They’re Playing Our Song)” and “Mercy Mercy Mercy.”
But the biggest moments of his set came with a couple of Bobby Darin covers: “Beyond the Sea,” and “Mack the Knife.” Hearing those songs with Tufano’s swinging vocal backed by a huge orchestra, made Bobby Darin seem alive once more.
It was that kind of concert. “I love doing these shows,” Rocky said, and the feeling in the audience was mutual.
Tony Violanti covers music and entertainment for Villages-News.com. He was inducted into The Buffalo Music Hall of Fame as a music journalist.
