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Frankie Ford will take you on a Sea Cruise, and rock legends the Tokens, the Flamingos and the Platters take the stage Aug. 25 in a show long on nostalgia.
By BARBARA L. FREDRICKSEN
© St. Petersburg Times, published August 17, 2001
First there's the fog horn; then there's the whoosh-whoosh of splashing water; finally comes the reedy sound of several saxophones playing in unison and the unmistakable swoop of Frankie Ford's hoarse voice singing the rocking classic Sea Cruise.
To date, that song has sold more than 30-million copies worldwide, according to Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock and Roll, and it just keeps going.
Local audiences will get a chance to hear that song and scores more when Ford and rock legends the Tokens (The Lion Sleeps Tonight), the Flamingos (I Only Have Eyes for You) and the Platters (Only You) take the stage at the Center for the Arts at River Ridge on Aug. 25 for one show.
"You could ask someone, "What were you doing last Tuesday?' and nobody would know," said Eddie Morelli, who will present the show at River Ridge. "But if you ask, "What were you doing whenSixteen Candles came out?' they'll remember every detail. That music meant something. People our age do remember it as a special time in our lives."
The Platters probably provided background music for more romances in the 1950s and 60s than any other group. Besides their megahits Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, My Prayer, The Great Pretender, The Magic Touch, Only You and Twilight Time, there were also Harbor Lights, If I Didn't Care and Enchanted, staples of any junior high or high school dance. In addition, the group appeared in the movies The Girl Can't Help It and Rock Around the Clock.
The original Platters formed in 1953 but added and subtracted members over the years and finally split for good in 1967. Since then, there have been numerous lawsuits over the use of the group's name and several groups calling themselves the Platters. The group that will perform at River Ridge is one organized by the Platters' original manager, Buck Ram.
The Flamingos also had an impressive list of hits: I Only Have Eyes For You, I'll Be Home, Nobody Loves Me Like You and the rhythm and blues hits Boogaloo Party and Buffalo Soldier.
The group appearing at River Ridge is led by Terry Johnson, who joined the Flamingos in 1958 and was part of the group's biggest record, I Only Have Eyes For You.
The Tokens had several minor hits -- Tonight I Fell in Love and B'wa Nina -- but their place in pop music history was cinched with the perennial hit The Lion Sleeps Tonight. It was a 3-million seller when it was first released in 1961 and came back into prominence when it was featured in the 1994 Disney movie The Lion King.
The Tokens were hugely successful as producers, issuing the Chiffons' One Fine Day and He's So Fine, and starting their own record label, B.T. Puppy Records.
"This was music you could understand the words to and sing along with," Morelli said.
A portion of concert's proceeds will go the Survivors for Ovarian Cancer Awareness.
WHAT: The "Only You" concert
WHERE: Center for the Arts at River Ridge, Town Center Road, New Port Richey
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Aug. 25
TICKETS: Golden Circle, $35; general admission, $30. Call 843-0162 in west Pasco, toll-free 1-800-434-5776 elsewhere.