Six Act Oldies Show Headlined By The Lettermen
SCHENECTADY – An incredible six act Golden Oldies Spectacular will perform at Proctor’s Theatre, 432 State Street, Schenectady on Saturday, October 20th. Headlining the show are a legendary act, The Lettermen. Formed by Tony Butala, who still leads them on stage, in 1959, the group is comprised of three singers (Butala, Donovan Tea and Bobby Poynton) who combine incredible vocal prowess as lead singers and heavenly harmonies melded together in their beautiful love songs.
They signed with Capitol Records in 1961, and their first single, “The Way you Look Tonight,” went to #13 on the charts and was followed by “When I Fall in Love,” which was top 10 and a #1 smash on the Adult Contemporary chart. A long string of hits followed throughout the 1960s, including “Theme from a Summer Place,” “Goin out of My Head/Can’t Take my Eyes off You” (1967), “Up, Up and Away,“ “Put your Head on my Shoulder” and “Hurt so Bad, which was on the charts for 21 weeks. In their amazing career, The Letterman have enjoyed 16 top 10 singles, 11 gold singles, 32 consecutive albums on the Billboard Magazine album charts, 18 gold albums and five Grammy nominations. They still perform close to 200 shows a year throughout the world. The music of these true entertainers transcends all language barriers as it romances the soul and warms the hearts of adoring fans.
Co-headlining the show is a Proctors’ audience favorite, “Lighting” Lou Christie. Renowned for his soaring falsetto vocal process, which has not diminished with age, Lou is a charismatic showman. He became a bona-fide teen idol, appearing many times on “Where the Action Is” and “American Bandstand” and toured with Dick Clark’s Cavalcade of Stars.
After two years in the Army, Lou signed with MGM and released his signature #1 hit, “Lightning Strikes,” which reached the top of the charts in the US, Canada, and was a UK hit on his 23rd birthday.
Dolores “La La” Brooks is a multi-talented singer, actress, songwriter and radio dj. The second youngest of 11 children born to a native American mother and an Afro American father, at age 7 she sang with her siblings in the Little Gospel Tears gospel group. While attending high school in Brooklyn, she was convinced by classmate Dee Dee Kenniebrew to join her group, “The Crystals,” who became one of the most successful “Girl Groups” in pop history.
Jimmy Clanton, born in Baton Rouge, was known as the “swamp pop R+B teenage idol.” Jimmy’s 7 top 40 hits were all recorded on ACE records, including top ten hits and gold records “Just a Dream,” written by Jimmy, peaked at #4 on the charts, “Go Jimmy Go (#5), “Venus in Blue Jeans” (#7) and “A Letter to an Angel.”
Two of the next generation of golden oldies singers round out the lineup, giving the audience a peak into the future of the music beloved by all. Bobby Brooks Wilson is the son of the legendary Jackie Wilson, and he recreates the on-stage persona of his father because of his uncanny resemblance, voice and moves that are virtually identical to Jackie’s. Bobby is a three-time Grammy Balloted Artist and has had 4 top 10 hits on the AC charts. Jackie Wilson was known world-wide as “Mr. Excitement.” Like father – like son – guaranteed. Don’t be surprised when Bobby steals the show.
Opening the show is Ladd Vance, son of Kenny Vance. Most recently featured on PBS’ “Doo Wop Generations” special which combined legendary performers with the new generation of Doo Wop singers, Ladd has been singing duets with his dad and featured songs with the Planatones since 2010. All the great acts performing at Proctors share the history of
“looking for an echo” throughout their illustrious careers, and the audience will enjoy the best of the old and the new performers all dedicated to keeping our great music alive.
It all adds up to one great night of music at Proctors Theatre on Saturday, October 20 at 7 pm. Tickets are available now at Proctors box office, by phone at (518) 346-6204 or on line at proctors.org. There is also a special $75 ticket that includes the best seats and a pre-show backstage meet and greet with the artists. For more information, contact Jim Anderson at (518) 526-8145.
