Take a Musical Journey with the Dovells at Camden County College

With hits like the Bristol Stomp, Hully Gully Baby, and You Can’t Sit Down, the Dovells reigned as kings of 1960’s dance music. Original members Jerry Gross and Mark Stevens are still going strong, getting audiences up on their feet with their nostalgic sound. They look forward to their upcoming concert, presented by Mainstage Center for the Arts, at Camden County’s Dennis Flyer Theatre, Saturday, March 15.

            “Our show takes people on a musical journey back in time. Of course we’ll be performing our hits, as well as numbers from a CD of rare tracks we released in 2012. It’s a lot of fun, especially with the way people react to our music. It brings them great memories of wonderful times,” said Gross.

            For the Dovells, originally known as the Brooktones when they formed the band as students at Overbook High School in Philadelphia, those were also crazy times. They went from practicing in homes, to being played on the radio, to playing on American Bandstand. Their hit, The Bristol Stomp, written after they learned about a dance called “the Stomp” that kids were doing at a fire hall in Bristol, PA, set them on their way. On October 23rd of 1961, it was the number two seller in America, according to Billboard, and the number one seller according to Cash Box. Throughout the years, as music has changed, Dovells’ fans have held true.

            “The Philly, Jersey, northeast region fans are great. And that includes people of all ages. Music from this era has such a wide appeal,” said Gross.

            Lights Out, another popular Philadelphia-based vocal group that performs music from the sixties will open for the Dovells. Lights Out focuses on harmonies made famous by Frankie Vallie and the Four Seasons, including hits such as Who Loves You, Sherry, and Oh What A Night.

            “Lights Out is just phenomenal. The best vocal group I’ve heard in my career,” said Gross.

            Also making a guest appearance is Mainstage Center for the Arts’ Harmony Show Choir, a professionally-choreographed, audition-only group of high school students from throughout southern New Jersey. Their high energy performances contain a great mix of styles including oldies and swing.

           Join Mainstage Center for the Arts on this trip down memory lane with the Dovells, Lights Out, and Harmony Show Choir – one night only, Saturday, March 15, 7:30 p.m., in the newly-renovated, fully-accessible Dennis Flyer Theatre, Camden County College, Blackwood. For tickets, visit www.mainstage.org, or call (855) 936, 2467, ext. 3. The performance is sponsored by Comegno Law Group, P.C.