"Memories Are Made of This" starring The Four Aces and The Four Lads

Have you caught the ultra-successful play “Forever Plaid,” the musical story of four clean-cut young men who form a harmony singing group and wrap their velvety voices around the smooth hits of the 1950s? Change a few names, put the hit songs in perspective, and “Forever Plaid” could be about The Four Aces and The Four Lads. Together, that’s eight voices, and one incredibly smooth and deeply nostalgic sound that goes down easy. Originally from Chester, Pennsylvania, The Four Aces made their mark in the same time frame as The Four Lads from the north. Al Alberts, Dave Mahoney, Lou Silvestri, and Rosario “Sod” Vaccaro put a number of songs in the upper charts, including “Three Coins in the Fountain,” “Mr. Sandman,” “Heart of My Heart” and “Love is a Many-Splendored Thing.” Ultimately, the group had 30 Top 40 hits. Today’s Aces are Frank Diodati, Joe Giglio, Harry Heisler and Danny Colingo. Diodati is almost an original Ace — he replaced founder Al Alberts in 1958. The pride of 1950s Toronto, The Four Lads — Corrado “Connie” Codarini, John Bernard “Bernie” Toorish, James F. “Jimmy” Arnold and Frank Busseri — rose to immense (but brief) national stardom with the smash hit “Moments to Remember.” These were innocent times, when Doris Day and Patti Page ruled the airwaves, and sweet, harmonious pop tunes were the order of the day. The Lads’ other best-known songs include “Istanbul (Not Constantinople),” “No, Not Much” and “Standin’ on the Corner.” Both The Four Aces and The Four Lads have been inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.