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Woodbridge News
The Fabulous COASTERS!!! |
August 18, 2004
WHEN: 7:30 p.m., Monday, Aug. 23 – Absolutely Free!
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One of the pioneer groups of American Pop comes to Woodbridge August 23 as the Mayor’s Summer Concert Series presents Cornell Gunter’s Coasters, the group that made rock ’n’ roll fun.
The free concert takes place at 7:30 p.m. on the grass fields behind Woodbridge High School. Sansone’s Route 1 Auto Mall is the prime series sponsor, with secondary sponsorship by ShopRite. Sponsor for the Cornell Gunter’s Coasters concert is Comfort Suites.
“We are thrilled to have Cornell Gunter’s Coasters,” said Mayor Frank G. Pelzman. “This is a band with a truly original sound that helped define the essence of classic rock ’n’ roll.”
The Coasters are widely regarded as the pre-eminent vocal group of the original rock ´n´ roll era, creating some of the best doo-wop harmonies ever waxed. Their million-selling records include: “Poison Ivy”, “Charlie Brown”, “Along Came Jones”, “Yakety Yak”, “Smokey Joe's Café”, “Love Potion #9” and “Down In Mexico”.
The first group to be introduced into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Coasters have appeared in six major movies, more than 100 TV shows and have amassed sales of over 100 million records.
The Coasters were created in 1955 from the nucleus of the Los Angeles vocal sextet The Robins. It was the young and soon-to-be-legendary-in-their-own-right songwriting team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller who persuaded Bobby Nunn and Carl Gardner to leave The Robins and launch the Coasters with Billy Guy and Leon Hughes.
A year later the group’s debut release, “Down in Mexico”, swept the R&B charts, followed by “Young Blood” and “Searching”. Will Jones and Cornell Gunter replaced Hughes and Nunn, but the Coasters’ hit-making formula of hot R&B and outrageous comedy remained unchanged, producing a string of solid-gold hits that still delight audiences throughout the world.
The Mayor’s Summer Concert Series not only nourishes musical appetites but helps sustain the coffers at the Woodbridge Food Bank. Concertgoers are asked to bring non-perishable food items for deposit in special collection bins. “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.”
Festivities begin with disc jockey Bruce Banko & Night Moves 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.
The 2004 Mayor’s Summer Concert Series schedule concludes August 30 with The Party Dolls.
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MIS Department
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