Events

Our celebration of doo wop acappella harmony at the Pollak Theatre is back by popular demand. Born on the street corners of urban America, rhythm & blues and doo wop singing reached its peak in the 1950’s, but still has a strong following today. While doo wop singing began as an African American art form, by the late 1950’s it was enjoyed by singers of all races. Doo wop harmony in its purist form is acappella (without instruments or musical tracks).

We’ve again assembled some of the top acappella doo wop vocal groups from NYC to Washington DC. Headlining the concert will be R&B and Doo Wop favorites, Pookie Hudson’s Spaniels along with Vito & the Salutations. The Spaniels are known for the 1956 million seller, “Goodnight Sweetheart Goodnight,” a song that defined the whole doo wop era. The current group backed lead singer Pookie Hudson before his passing in 2006 and continues the Spaniels’ tradition of superb doo wop harmony. Originating on the streets of Brooklyn, Vito & the Salutations scored regional hits in the early 1960’s with their recordings of “Gloria,” “Unchained Melody” and “Your Way”. Rick Anthony has been handling most of the group’s leads for the past 15 years, as the original Vito is no longer with them. The group also contains long time member, Shelly Buchansky, who sang on “Unchained Melody” and many of their other hits. While both Pookie Hudson’s Spaniels and Vito & the Salutations almost always sing with bands, we’ve persuaded both to do this concert acappella, harking back to their early days singing on the street corners. Returning from our last acappella concert are two of the groups that excel every time they perform. The Philadelphia acappella group Quiet Storm remains one of the areas’ top vocal groups. Re-MemberThen did a fabulous job last time, on their own set and backing Larry Chance. New to the concert this year are A Perfect Blend and the Copians. A Perfect Blend is a great acappella group from Philadelphia who have been singing since 1990, and had previously won the talent contest on the nationally syndicated “Showtime At The Apollo” TV show. The Copians are made up of former members of other standout Philly acappella groups. Enjoy another night of Doo Wop Acappella Harmony. A “Meet & Greet” Reception will be held prior to the concert for those holding Golden Seat Tickets.