Rock & Roll Stars of the 1960's Come to the Schuster Center

Some of the biggest rock and roll stars of the sixties will appear in concert at the Mead Theatre of The Benjamin & Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center on Friday, October 27th at 7:30 p.m. The show features Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees and original lead singers of some of the best pop rock acts of the era. Stars include The Lovin' Spoonful, Gary Lewis & The Playboys, The Buckinghams' original lead singer Dennis Tufano and The Happenings' original lead singer Bob Miranda. Tickets can be purchased at Ticket Center Stage, by calling 937-228-3630, (toll-free) 888-228-3630 and online at www.ticketcenterstage.com.

Headlining the concert will be one of the biggest American hit-makers of the era, The Lovin' Spoonful. The group holds the distinction of being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000 and they just celebrated 50 years since their first hit, "Do You Believe in Magic?", topped the charts. The string of feel-good hits that followed includes "Did You Ever Have to Make up Your Mind?", "You Didn't Have to Be So Nice", "Darling Be Home Soon", "Daydream", and "Summer in the City". The band still contains three of the original members from their heyday as chart-toppers.

Every one of the "support" acts could easily headline a concert on their own, as each features an enviable catalog of hits. Gary Lewis & The Playboys had 8 gold singles and 4 gold albums including a long list of pop classics: "This Diamond Ring", "She's Just My Style", "Save Your Heart for Me", "Count Me In", "Everybody Loves a Clown" and the list goes on. The band also made the transition to the silver screen, having appeared in several movies of the era. (It didn't hurt that Gary's father is comedy legend Jerry Lewis.) Gary and his group were one of the few acts that were able to sustain a career through the onslaught of the British Invasion. Their songs frequently went toe-to-toe with chart-toppers issued by the boys from Liverpool. Some U.S. bands hoping to chart during the U.K. deluge even changed their names to British-sounding monikers in order to blend in.

One of the more successful of that ilk was Chicago's Buckinghams, fronted by the inimitable signature voice of Dennis Tufano. The Buckinghams' music was so ubiquitous in their heyday, that Billboard Magazine named them "The Most Listened-To Band in America" in 1967. They appeared on every music television program of the day including the Ed Sullivan Show and American Bandstand. Tufano's Buckingham classics include "Don't You Care", "Kind of a Drag", "Hey Baby! They're Playing Our Song", "Susan" and "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy".

The Happenings' original lead Bob Miranda can still hit those high notes just like he did in the sixties and he'll sing all the hits including "I Got Rhythm", "Go Away Little Girl" and "See You in September". The latter was a #1 hit not only in the United States but in several other countries around the globe. Originally from New Jersey, their original records were produced by their childhood friends The Tokens (of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" fame) and featured soaring falsetto notes and lush arrangements, not unlike that "other" group of Jersey boys. The Happenings are still in demand in South America, touring there frequently, and their popularity in the Philippines has exploded in recent years.

The Sixties Spectacular hits the Schuster Center for one night only on Friday, October 27th at 7:30 PM. Tickets are reasonably priced from $35 to $65 and can be purchased at Ticket Center Stage, by calling 937-228-3630, (toll-free) 888-228-3630 and online at www.ticketcenterstage.com.

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