bergenPAC to Present Beatles Tribute 1964, 8/8

Since the early 80's, 1964...THE TRIBUTE has been thrilling audiences all over the globe with what Rolling Stone Magazine has called the "Best Beatles Tribute on Earth ". 1964 ...THE TRIBUTE takes their audiences on a musical journey to an era in rock history that will live in all of our hearts forever. They are hailed by critics and fans alike as the most authentic and endearing Beatles tribute in the world. Choosing songs from the pre-Sgt. Pepper era, 1964 astonishingly recreates an early 60's live Beatles concert, with period instruments, clothing, hairstyles, and onstage banter. Over 25 years of researching and performing have made 1964 masters of their craft. Come see why 1964...THE TRIBUTE is the definitive Beatle show! 1964 will perform at bergenPAC on Thursday August 8, 2103 at 8:00 p.m.

Tickets cost between $29-69 and are available by calling (201) 227-1030 or online at www.ticketmaster.com. For more information, visit www.bergenpac.org.

Mark Benson as John Lennon: Mark Benson was introduced to music playing drums and piano at age eight. At age 17 he started playing guitar. Interested in becoming a luthier, Mark began his internship at Lay's Guitar Repair in Akron, Ohio where he learned to build, repair, and restore guitars as well as other stringed instruments. He went on to make guitars for Eddie Van Halen and Jackson Browne and continues to rebuild, repair, and restore all of the instruments for 1964. Mark has sold vintage instruments to The Rolling Stones, The Who, Bad Company, Hall and Oates, Ted Nugent, ZZ Top, The Eagles, The Allman Brothers, The Cars, David Lindley, Cheap Trick, and the Doobie Brothers.

Mark played guitar in the local Ohio bands Ashes, Raintree, Coconut, Mr. French and Bock (with Gary Grimes). In 1984 Mark, with Gary, started 1964. He currently produces all aspects of the show and produced the 1964 CDs, ALL YOU NEED IS LIVE, NIN HOURS IN NOVEMBER, and BOOTLET VOL. 1.

Mark says, "1964 shows the audience what it was like to attend a Beatles concert in the early sixties and generates the same feeling of happiness that is still generated by the music of The Beatles. We get so much of this positive energy back from our audiences, it reassures us that for now, we are where we are supposed to be".

Graham Alexander as Paul McCartney: Graham started his career in music after seeing a video of The Beatles on THE Ed Sullivan SHOW at age 9.

Soon after he found the guitar (and eventually Bass, Drums, and Piano) and a year later started playing in bars and nightclubs.Songwriting became his main interest and with his first band The Roadrunners he toured the Philadelphia, New Jersey, and New York area for several years.After releasing two albums and gaining notoriety not only for their age, but also for the quality of music they were releasing...Graham and his band parted ways.

His love for The Beatles and their music lead him to join BEATLEMANIA NOW, a Beatles show touring company featuring broadway cast members of the Broadway hit BEATLEMANIA. Graham (a right handed guitarist) taught himself to play bass guitar left handed for the Paul McCartney role and toured the U.S., Canada, U.K., and The Netherlands for more than 4 years.

During this time Graham continued to write and record his own music for publishing by other artists, even contributing a batch of music to a film by 10 time Emmy award winning director Kenneth Sheil. He also made cameo appearances in films (e.g., Splinterheads 2009), television, and even video games (e.g., Motion Capture Actor for THE BEATLES: ROCK BAND), to name a few...

In 2008, Graham joined the Broadway show RAIN for its pre-broadway tour. With Graham onboard the show opened on Broadway in 2010 at the Neil Simon theatre (eventually moving to the Brooks Atkinson Theatre in 2011). The cast accepted the Broadway Drama Desk Award for Best Musical Revue and a few months later the show closed on Broadway with Graham having performed 150 shows in both theaters.

Tom Work as George Harrison: Tom Work (George) is a co-founder of 1964 THE TRIBUTE, and is the act's first George. Tom began playing guitar at the age of 7, and following high school he studied music at the University of Akron. Since the late 1960s Tom has played and sung in a variety of ensembles. During high school and college he played flute, sousaphone and bassoon in the marching and symphony bands; professionally, Tom has worked in well over a dozen "cover bands," most notably Dogs 'n Kids, The Lou Ciriano Combo, My Old School and The Jerry Bruno Orchestra. Tom even sang Lead for 8 years in a barbershop quartet (believe it or not, it's true!).

Tom also worked in over 20 musical theatre productions, both onstage in leading roles, and behind the scenes as Producer and Music Director. "Performing onstage in a band is really where I belong," Tom says, "although conducting the pit orchestra, for me, is every bit as exciting-and even more challenging! It's a very rewarding experience to help extract top-notch performances from people, to guide performers to their pinnacle. There's nothing quite like sitting in the orchestra pit on opening night and hearing an actor deliver his or her best-ever performance!"

In 2006 Tom returned to 1964 THE TRIBUTE, ending a 12-year sabbatical. "During my time away from 1964 I worked with a few of the other Beatles shows," he notes. "I learned a great deal and forged close friendships with some great people, but there's nowhere I'd rather be, no group of performers I'd rather work with than 1964. It's great to be back!"

Tom lives in Ohio with his two youngest children, and in his free time, he enjoys cooking, boating and listening to his muses. "A 28-year songwriting-block ended in 2008," he says, "and I've been trying my best to let out whatever the muses pour in." Tom is fond of the water and told us, "Whether an ocean, river or pond, water doesn't ask anything of you, it listens to you without judging, and it never lets you down." As for his cooking, we'll sit at his table again, but we think he's a better musician than cook!

Bobby Potter as Ringo Star: Bobby was born in Indiana. He started taking snare drum lessons in the 5th grade and got his first set of drums in the 7th. Later, when The Beatles arrived on the music scene, he made it a personal goal to be like Ringo. He played in 3 bands through high school - a Tijuana Brass band, high school pep band and a top 40 band. He helped form a popular local band that performed in his home town and surrounding area teen clubs. He later moved to Champaign, Illinois and joined a band that performed in and around the tri-state area.

Wanting to spread his wings he then set his sights on the west coast and moved to Los Angeles where he helped form The Finders, then Shake, Rattle N' Roll and played the nightclubs there for 10 years. He then moved to Las Vegas and played the Nevada casino circuit. Capitalizing on his experience he backed such greats as Chris Montez, Billy Swan, Jewel Akens, Al Wilson, J.J. Jackson, The Coasters, The Drifters, The Dell Vikings, 7 show/lounge acts and too many Elvis impersonators to mention.

Still wanting to achieve his personal "Ringo" goal he joined two Beatle tributes, spending 8 years in this endeavor. His personality shines onstage as he authentically reproduces every beat and moves his head to the music portraying Ringo with precision and style. This accomplished artist transports the audience to the carefree magical era with his voice when he performs "Yellow Submarine" and "Act Naturally". Bobby is thrilled to be a member of 1964..THE TRIBUTE! He states in his own words, "In the tribute world, you can't get any closer or higher up than this for authenticity, style and sound in the same way The Beatles performed live".

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