Review: Doo Wop Show At Arcada Theatre In St. Charles

Jul 21, 2018 James Currie Features, Music News, Reviews 0

By Angela Urban

The Arcada Theatre in downtown St. Charles, IL presented a great combination of Freddy “Boom Boom” Cannon, Jay Siegel’s Tokens, Larry Chance and the Earls and Ladd Vance – Son of Kenny Vance and the Planotones. Doo Wop originated in the 1940’s and continued to remain popular into the 1950’s and 1960’s.

Ladd Vance was the first act of the evening and he reminisced about how the doo wop groups had to go into the subway system to work on their sound because there was no where else with that acoustic sound.

Ladd performed Denise, Let’s Start all over again, Daddy’s Home and What Time is it.

Larry Chance and the Earls performed Never, It’s You, Remember Then, and Acapella with my friends.

Larry talked about how in 1989 they wound up working with Chazz Palminteri on The Bronx tale.

Larry Chance and the Earls closed out their portion of the show with I Believe as a tribute to Larry Palumbo, who was an early member of the Earls, who went into the army in 1961 and died in a training exercise.

When Jay Siegel and the Tokens performed their hit The Lion Sleeps tonight, I was taken back to a much loved memory of me at an early age with family in a little diner in Chicago’s southside, with a tabletop jukeboxes and I would play the Lion Sleeps tonight, over and over again, because I loved the harmonies.

Jay talked about his grand daughter telling her kindergarten class that her grandfather was the one who originally sang The Lion Sleeps tonight, and no one believed her, until her grandfather showed up at Show and Tell and sang to the class.

Jay talked about how they became record producers for such groups as the Chiffons, Randy and the Rainbows, and the Happenings. Hank Medress even produced Tony Orlando and Dawn.

Jay Siegel and the Tokens also performed the hits Portrait of my love, See you in September, One Fine day, and Please Write.

Freddy came out and sang the song that his mother co-wrote with him, Tallahasee Lassie, then continues to energize the crowd by singing Way Down in New Orleans. The crowd was on their feet by the time Freddy got to Shake, Rattle, and Roll and Palisades Park.

Freddy presented his newest hit the “ The Svengoolie Stomp” which included a special appearance by Rich “Svengoolie”Koz during the set.

Freddy kept the crowd on their feet and Rockin’ and ended the evening with a encore of Tallahassee Lassie.