“Very Happy!” The Buckinghams and Cowsills Star in Cousin Brucie’s Rock and Roll Yearbook Vol. 2 LIVE!
By Spotlight Central. Photos by Love Imagery
Fall is in the air at Homdel, NJ’s PNC Bank Arts Center this Friday, September 28, 2018 evening as thousands of ’60s music lovers ready themselves for Cousin Brucie’s Rock and Roll Yearbook Vol. 2! The show — produced by Cousin Brucie, along with Rob Albanese and the Garden State Arts Center Foundation — features four fab acts from the 1960s: The Buckinghams, The Cowsills, Freddy “Boom Boom” Cannon, and The Orlons!
Making our way backstage, we come across Carl Giammarese, founding member and current front man of The Buckinghams.
Explains Giammarese, “Originally, I was the lead guitar player in the group, but when Dennis Tufano left, I became the lead singer,” commenting, “I’m happy the way things worked out, though — because taking over that role brought something out in me that I didn’t know I had.”
Going forward, Giammarese is excited to reveal, “The Buckinghams will be doing the 2019 Happy Together Tour along with The Cowsills, The Classics IV, and Ron Dante and The Turtles, among others,” recounting that this is the sixth time the group will participate in the long-running tour, having first joined it in 1985 and most recently participating in it in 2015.
In addition, Giammarese tells us that he and The Bucks will also be performing at Daryl’s House, which is a venue in Pawling, NY, run by Hall and Oates’ Daryl Hall, explaining, “It’s a small venue — like playing in someone’s living room,” and that many of the performances there can be seen on TV on Live from Daryl’s House which airs on the music network, Palladia.
When asked how he and the band enjoy performing here in the Garden State, Giammarese replies, “We’ve been here so much, it feels like a second home!” going on to explain, “Of course, Chicago is our real home, but every time we come here, we get a little more familiar with places in Jersey — like Newark Airport!”
With the show just about to begin, we take our seats in the spacious PNC Bank amphitheater along with 8000 other music fans. Here, Ron Gravino, Vice President of the Garden State Arts Foundation’s Board of Trustees, takes the stage to welcome the crowd to tonight’s free concert. Reminding the audience that “no federal, state, local, or Garden State Parkway toll money” is used to fund any GSAF presentations, he acknowledges that the programs are presented by donations from various community partners such as PNC Bank and Live Nation Entertainment, in addition to contributions from the general public.
Following the singing of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” Gravino introduces the crowd to tonight’s emcee — beloved Sirius FM Radio DJ Bruce “Cousin Brucie” Morrow — who, back in the ’60’s, was on the air locally at New York City’s AM radio superstation, 77 WABC.
Shaking hands with members of the crowd, Cousin Brucie makes his entrance strolling down the amphitheater’s center aisle as people in the audience sing and sway to Frankie Valli’s recording of Brucie’s theme song in which he sings, “Let’s go, go, go to a groovy show with Cousin Brucie!”
Arriving on stage acknowledging, “I wish there was a way to greet everyone personally,” Brucie takes a moment to show his appreciation to the entire PNC Bank audience by rolling up his pant leg and revealing his “happy socks” — replete with autumn leaves — which he wore especially to celebrate the beginning of Fall.
Introducing tonight’s first group “from Philadelphia — The City of Brotherly Love” and featuring original member, Stephen Caldwell, Brucie welcomes The Orlons.
The audience claps along on the trio’s opening number, a cover version of Shirley and Lee’s 1956 smash, “Let the Good Times Roll,” which they deliver in three-part harmony.
Following appreciative applause, Caldwell informs the crowd that “In 1962, this next song hit the charts at #2.” Here, The Orlons perform their lively shuffle, “Don’t Hang Up,” the group’s female singers accompanied by Caldwell’s low and rumbling bass voice.
Additional highlights of The Orlons’ set include their 1962 smash, “The Wah-Watusi” — which was also featured on the American Graffiti film soundtrack — and their 1963 hit about “the hippest street in town,” “South Street,” a million-seller that earned them a gold record.
The audience gives the group a rousing standing ovation for their nostalgic performance!
After thanking the crowd for their support of such classic music over the years, Cousin Brucie invites Arlene Sullivan, an original dancer on TV’s American Bandstand, up to the stage.
Revealing that following her appearances on Bandstand, she went on to spend the next 31 years as a blackjack dealer in Atlantic City, Sullivan talks about a book she co-authored about “the kids who danced on American Bandstand,” entitled Bandstand Diaries. After presenting Cousin Brucie with a copy of the book, the two dance together!
Cousin Brucie introduces the evening’s next artist as that “perennial teenager,” Freddy “Boom Boom” Cannon, who takes the stage with a lively rendition of a song he co-wrote with his mother — “Talahassee Lassie.”
Following audience cheers, Cannon inquires, “Are the good rockers here tonight?” before performing his 1960 hit single, the rockin’ blues, “Way Down Yonder in New Orleans.”
After turning off the spotlight and bringing up the houselights, Cannon makes a direct connection with the audience on what he refers to as “the original version” of a song made famous in 1954 by Bill Haley and his Comets — “Shake, Rattle and Roll.” The crowd sings and claps along on this slowed-down and bluesy interpretation, enjoying every moment of Cannon’s dynamic performance.
Another highlight of Cannon’s set is his performance of his 1962 smash, “Palisades Park.” Singing, “Down like a roller coaster/Back like a loop the loop/And around like a merry go round,” the years melt away for the fans of classic pop here at the PNC Bank Arts Center as they leap to their feet cheering!
Dividing the audience into three sections, Cannon has the crowd happily joining him in singing along on his 1965 TV theme song, “Action,” from the show, Where the Action Is. Cannon finishes his set with a bang by performing Chuck Berry’s “Roll Over Beethoven” with audience members singing, dancing, and clapping their hands over their heads to the tune’s infectious rhythm!
Thanking Cannon for his energetic performance, Cousin Brucie tells the crowd, “I told ‘Boom Boom’ earlier, ‘You’re gonna love these people in Jersey — there’s nothing like a Jersey audience!” before Cannon responds with an emphatic “I love you!”
Next, Brucie invites two audience members — “Cousins Pam and Don from Kentucky” — to the stage. Wearing T-shirts proclaiming their love for Cousin Brucie and bearing gifts — a “Kentucky” T-shirt with Brucie’s name on the back and a bobble head water tower from the mayor of the couple’s hometown in Kentucky — the pair prove why they are two of Cousin Brucie’s biggest radio fans.
And since today is Cousin Don’s birthday, Brucie takes a moment to turn the concert into Don’s biggest birthday party ever by having the entire audience of 8000 music fans sing “Happy Birthday” to Don!
Calling the next group, “An all-American sunshine band — they make you feel good,” Morrow introduces the audience to a group of musicians who, he says, “came out of Chicago in 1966 and became one of the nation’s most-listened-to bands — The Buckinghams.”
Here, The Buckinghams — Dave Zane on guitar, Carl Giammarese on lead vocals, Nick Fortuna on bass, Bruce (Rocky) Penn on drums, and Bruce Soboroff on keyboards — hit the stage running with a brisk and lively version of their 1967 Top Ten hit, “Don’t You Care.”
With Carl’s smooth vocals taking the lead, the instrumentalists sturdily back him up with their sunshiny sound, making everyone feel great!
Following huge applause, Giammarese and The Buckinghams perform their 1967 hit, “Hey Baby (They’re Playing our Song),” as audience members joyfully clap along to this catchy pop classic.
Greeting the crowd, Giammarese says, “We came from Chicago — and this is the first song we ever had played on the radio.” Here, he picks up his guitar while Dave Zane take over the lead vocals on their blue-eyed soul interpretation of the James Brown classic, “I’ll Go Crazy.” On this energetic number, the boys happily “live for themselves and nobody else” as guitarist Zane rocks out with a wild electric guitar solo!
Bassist Nick Fortuna has his moment in the spotlight taking over the lead vocal on a rockin’ rendition of The Outsiders’ 1966 Top 5 hit, “Time Won’t Let Me.” Audience members dance in the aisles to this upbeat and happy song while Dave Zane throws his guitar pick in the air and catches it as he plays!
After informing the audience that The Buckinghams will be a part of the 2019 Happy Together Tour, Giammarese and Co. perform a tribute to “some of the great music from the Happy Together Tour” featuring a medley of tunes which includes Gary Puckett and The Union Gap’s “Young Girl,” The Grass Roots’ “Temptation Eyes” and “Midnight Confession,” Tommy James’ “I Think We’re Alone Now” and “Crystal Blue Persuasion,” and a joyous rendition of The Turtles’ “Happy Together.”
The audience cheers with approval before The Bucks perform a song which Giammarese describes as the band’s “second biggest-selling hit,” which made its debut on TV’s The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour — a fun and funky version of their 1967 Top 5 smash, “Mercy Mercy Mercy.”
After revealing that their next song also debuted on television — on The Ed Sullivan Show — bassist Nick Fortuna does his humorous impression of Sullivan, and then Giammarese dedicates this next number to “all the Susans out there,” coming down into the audience to sing a lovely rendition of 1967’s “Susan.”
Captivating vocal harmonies delight the crowd as Giammarese, Dave Zane, and Nick Fortuna are featured on The Beatles’ “This Boy,” accompanied solely by Dave Zane’s expert guitar playing. The entire band follows this up with their knock-your-socks-off rendition of the 1967 Gamble and Huff-penned Survivors’ hit, “Expressway to Your Heart,” featuring Nick Fortuna on vocals!
At this point, Giammarese introduces the band’s final song for the evening, recalling, “It knocked The Monkees’ ‘I’m A Believer’ off the #1 slot.” Launching into a riveting version of their 1966 #1 hit, “Kind of a Drag,” The Buckinghams leave this elated Jersey audience standing on its feet!
“Thank you New Jersey — you’ve been a great audience!” exclaims Giammarese!
Following a short intermission, Cousin Brucie returns to the stage to introduce the ’60s family band, The Cowsills.
Announcing to the crowd, “This is for all the flower girls out there!” the group — siblings Susan, Paul, and Bob Cowsill, and accompanied by other family members including Brendan Cowsill on guitar, Ryan Cowsill on keyboards, Russ Broussard on drums, and Mary Lasseigne on bass — performs a high-energy rendition of their catchy ’67 hit, “The Rain, The Park, and Other Things” (aka “The Flower Girl”).
The audience cheers, and the family band launches into We Five’s 1964 hit, “You Were On My Mind.” Singing in three-part harmony, “I got troubles, whoa/ I got worries, whoa,” Susan, Paul, and Bob’s vocals are supported by Russ Broussard’s driving drums and Brendan Cowsill’s rhythmic guitar playing.
A highlight of The Cowsills’ set is the group’s rendition of Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Boxer.” With a grandiose arrangement which sounds practically symphonic in nature, the audience reacts with enthusiasm for this impressive vocal and instrumental performance.
Bob Cowsill introduces the group’s next song stating, “It went to #14, and was also recorded by other artists like Al Hirt and even Lawrence Welk!”
Here, the group performs their 1967 Top 40 hit, “We Can Fly.” The audience taps their toes and claps along to the song’s snappy melody, in addition to Susan, Paul, and Bob’s tight vocal harmonies.
Following up with their own version of The Hollies’ “Bus Stop,” the band moves on to another of their own hits — a bouncy version of their 1967 Top Ten tune, “Indian Lake,” a number on which Paul harmonizes with his siblings.
Taking a moment to introduce the members of their band, the audience cheers for Paul’s son, Brendan, on guitar; Bob’s son, Ryan, on keyboards; Susan’s husband, Russ, on drums, and their so-called “sister from another mister,” Mary, on bass.
Then, Susan is featured on a stunning rendition of Lulu’s “To Sir With Love” — a performance she dedicates to Cousin Brucie.
Following huge applause, The Cowsills perform a stellar version of Crosby, Stills, and Nash’s 1969 recording, “Helplessly Hoping,” the siblings’ voices blending beautifully together.
They follow that up with a high-energy rendition of a TV theme they, themselves, recorded in 1969— the theme song from Love, American Style, and then they perform their tribute to Motown with a rendition of the Four Tops’ “I’ll Be There.”
The group ends their nostalgic set with a dynamic rendition of their 1969 smash, “Hair,” which leaves audience members standing on their feet!
Wrapping up this Rock and Roll Yearbook Vol. 2 performance, Cousin Brucie takes the stage, revealing to the audience that at the end of most of his live shows, he says to his wife, “Come on, Jodie, let’s go home.” This time, however, he invites Jodie up to the stage and asks her to say, “Come on, Brucie, let’s go home,” which she does, to great applause from the crowd!
As audience members make their way out of the PNC Bank Arts Center amphitheater, we take a moment to chat with several in attendance who share their opinions of tonight’s performance.
Comments Barbara from New City, NY, “This entire show was great! It’s music that is right in my wheelhouse — I still have The Buckingham’s album on vinyl,” before adding, “Cousin Brucie brings it all together — he always creates shows that are just perfect for people my age!”
Likewise, Dorothy from Middletown declares, “Cousin Brucie’s show was very enjoyable — all of the acts were great. This music brings back great memories from my youth and my teenage years — I knew all the songs, and even all of the TV shows, like American Bandstand and The Ed Sullivan Show, they talked about!”
Kim from Westfield remarks, “I loved this show — especially Freddy ‘Boom Boom’ Cannon and The Cowsills — they were so high energy, they were great!”
We also chat with three men from Bradley Beach who only refer to themselves as “The Beach Bums.” According to the first, “The show was very entertaining,” before adding, “and Freddy ‘Boom Boom’ Cannon has a great Jersey connection with his song, ‘Palisades Park.’”
Whereas the second “Beach Bum” exclaims, “I liked the whole show — Cousin Brucie always gets good people for his live shows!, Beach Bum #3 reveals, “This entire show was great — I especially liked The Buckinghams; they are one great band!”
As we prepare to exit the PNC Bank Arts Center ourselves, we happen to catch up with Cousin Brucie and ask him a single question: “How did you feel the concert went tonight?”
Replies Brucie with a smile, “This show was one of the best! It was eclectic and rock and roll — sweet, folksy, and popsy,” before concluding, “and Cousin Brucie is walking away very happy!”
To learn more about Cousin Brucie and his Sirius XM 60’s on 6: ’60s Pop Hits with Cousin Brucie radio program, please to siriusxm.com/60son6. For more information about Freddy “Boom Boom” Cannon, please click on freddycannon.com. To find our more about The Buckinghams, go to thebuckinghams.com. For more about The Cowsills, please click on cowsill.com. For information on upcoming free Garden State Arts Foundation performances, please click on gsafoundation.org.
