Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Band keeps Beatles and Wings vibe alive

The leader of a tribute band says he's not trying to channel his idol, Paul McCartney; he's trying to "capture the essence of the music.''

By LOGAN NEILL
Published July 21, 2006

Eddie Toye remembers well the first glimpse he caught of Paul McCartney performing on a stage. It was the historic night of the Beatles' first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, and he and his family joined a throng of fellow Long Islanders at a neighborhood tavern to watch.

Of all of the mop-toppers, Toye was taken by McCartney's boyish playfulness and the way he seemed to enjoy singing in front of an audience of screaming teenagers.

By the end of the broadcast, Toye had become an instant convert. He bought every Beatles record that came out, and even after the Fab Four broke up, he kept his allegiance by closely following McCartney's solo career.

"The thing is," said the 53-year-old Spring Hill musician, "Paul's music has always spoken to me. He writes songs that are positive and fun to listen to. I decided that was the kind of music I wanted to play."

So Toye formed Live and Let Die, a band dedicated to honoring the music of the former Beatle. The band will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday at Stage West Community Playhouse, 8390 Forest Oaks Blvd. in Spring Hill.

Though Toye doesn't mind the physical comparisons between him and his idol, he swears his musical efforts are not intended to imitate McCartney's.

"We try to bring the heart and soul of the music to life," he said. "The Beatles were all about energy, and that's what our whole show is about."

Since its formation some six years ago, Live and Let Die has become one of most well-known Beatles tribute groups in the Southeast.

A bus driver for the Hernando County School District by day, Toye had a stint as a Lennon-McCartney tribute act with a friend during the late 1980s. Despite some interest from major record labels, Toye abandoned the music business and moved to Spring Hill.

In the mid 1990s he formed a rockabilly band called the Rockaways and took to the club stages in and around Tampa. But by 2000, he had tired of the bar band scene and decided to focus his energy on music that truly mattered to him.

With himself on guitar and keyboards, he recruited former Rockaways members Michael Sullivan bass, Ron Gravely (keyboards) and Carl Viola (saxophone and percussion) to create what he called "a performance-oriented group with a professional attitude."

"Anybody can stand there and play songs. What I wanted to do was capture the essence of the music. It took a lot of hard work, and there's still more to be done."

The band, which also features vocalist Gabriella Mirabella and Toye's 17-year-old son, Teddy, on drums, currently has about 40 songs in its repertoire. He says he has no particular favorite, but that audiences tend to respond the most to older Beatles songs.

"It's music that will never die," Toye said. "Not as long as there are people around that love it as much as I do."

Logan Neill can be reached at 848-1435 or lneill@sptimes.com.

[Last modified July 20, 2006, 19:38:50]