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August 4, 2005

Classics, Passions and Mystics blend music, friendship on stage and off

The glory days of rock 'n' roll return to Woodbridge Aug. 15 as the Mayor's Summer Concert Series presents BrooklynReunion featuring The Classics, Passions and Mystics, three groups that have combined for a score of top hits during nearly a half century of music-making.

The free concerts occur Monday nights from July 11-August 29 on the grass fields behind Woodbridge High School. Woodbridge Center and ShopRite are the prime series sponsors. The Brooklyn Reunion show is sponsored by Comcast.

Festivities begin with a disc jockey at 6 p.m. and a 7:30 p.m. start for the concerts. Audience members are urged to bring blankets and lawn chairs, and refreshments are available in the food court.

"We are thrilled to have Brooklyn Reunion back once again," said Mayor Frank G. Pelzman. "This is a show that covers the full range of doo-wop artistry in its prime."

The Brooklyn Reunion Show consists of the Classics, Passions and Mystics each performing selected material and highlights from their individual shows. They then join each other as one powerful vocal assembly, sharing their songs and back-in-the-day teen idol experiences with the audience.

The three Brooklyn-bred groups have enjoyed a four-decade musical bond cemented by loyal friendship and a promise of lasting unity. In 1959, the Mystics were the first of the three groups to receive a record contract and cut their million-selling hit "Hushabye" on Laurie Records. The Mystics introduced the Passions to their manager, who secured a deal for the Passions on Audicon Records; the Passions' debut disc "Just To Be With You" went straight to the top of the charts.

Could lightning strike a third time? The Mystics and the Passions set up an audition for the Classics with Dart Records. The Classics were indeed signed but struggled until their 1963 Musicnote recording of the Mills' Brothers chestnut "Till Then" zoomed to the top of the charts and established them as bonafide stars in the doo-wop universe.

Over the past 46 years the Classics, Passions and Mystics have remained close friends, often working in each other's ensembles. In 1989, the groups celebrated their 30-year recording anniversary by performing the first Brooklyn Reunion concert at Radio City Music Hall. The show was a smashing success and has been a staple part of the groups' schedules ever since.

The Mystics came together in 1956 in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn, practicing in member Bob Ferrante's basement because it had a flattering echo. The group's sound evolved through gigs at candy stores, pool rooms, drive-ins, movie theatres and the infamous Bop House tavern before attracting attention from the owners of Laurie Records, a label that had produced several hits for Dion and The Belmonts.

"Hushabye", the Mystics' first effort for Laurie, was written by legendary pop hitsmiths Doc Pomus and Mort Schuman. Released in May, 1959, "Hushabye" became a national top-seller, even receiving major airplay on deejay Alan Freed’s Big Beat Show. For the next year the Mystics toured the U.S. in the Cavalcade of Stars rock 'n' roll package show alongside artists like Johnny and the Hurricanes, Freddy Cannon, Frankie Ford, Barbara Evans and Connie Francis.

The group went through some personnel changes and, for five months in 1960, featured a young lead singer named Jerry Landis, who would later claim pop stardom under his given name of Paul Simon; "All Through The Night" and "Don't Tell the Stars" were two Mystics 45s that display Simon's prime, pre-Simon & Garfunkel doo-wop form.

The Passions started out as the Sinceres, one of several vocal groups whose sound was forged in the alley alongside Loew's Oriental Theatre in Bensonhurst while waiting to participate in talent contests. Their debut Audicon record, "Just to Be With You", was released in August, 1959, and enjoyed a ten-week run on the charts. Both sides of the Passions' followup effort – "I Only Want You/This Is My Love" – became instant doo-wop standards. The group solidified their popularity with tours alongside some of the industry's top talent, including Frankie Avalon, Del Shannon, Chubby Checker, Fats Domino, Freddie Cannon, Jackie Wilson, Frankie Ford and Jimmy Clanton.

Inspired by hearing Jersey City's popular Duprees, the Classics began musical life in 1958 as the Perennials, changing their name after the MC in a Brooklyn night club had difficulty pronouncing their name and simply introduced them as the Classics. Signed to Dart Records in 1959, the Classics hit their stride in 1963 with "Till Then", followed by "P.S. I Love You" and "You'll Never Know". Their latest CDs are Intimate Reflections and Gold Dust. The

Mayor’s Summer Concert Series not only nourishes musical appetites but helps sustain the coffers at the Woodbridge Food Bank. Concertgoers bringing non-perishable food items receive a chance to win special prizes, one chance for every item donated. “Summer months always put a strain on local food pantries,” says Mayor Pelzman. “Last year, the generous people of Woodbridge donated an incredible amount of food during the series.”

The 2005 Mayor’s Summer Concert Series schedule:

August 15 – Brooklyn Reunion Show featuring Classics, Passions & Mystics

August 22 – Kenny Vance’s Planotones

August 29 – The Greaseband