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June 29th & 30th were 2 Hot and Hairy nights in Ft Lauderdale. In July of ’06 a few of my friends went to see
a Las Vegas-based show band called “Fab Forever,” playing
on the North Haven (Connecticut) Town Green as part of their Summer
“Concerts on the Green” series. I don’t recall who portrayed Lennon in the band
at the time, but the McCartney was Todd Rainey (who has also played
with “1964,” “Yesterday” and others), while
Glenn McCallum (“Fab Four Live”) handled the Harrison
part and we were amazed to see that their drummer was Ringo clone
Greg George (“1964”).
“Fab Forever” had a great strong sound
and looked very well. It’s always nice when you get both
the sound and look in a Beatles tribute band. I hadn’t kept
tabs on the group, but about a year and a month later I got a
call from Jerry Peluso through Charles inquiring if I would be
available to do some select dates with the act, replacing Greg
George on drums. The first date was at Gulf Stream Park in Ft.
Lauderdale, FL. Although it was a little while since I last played
all Beatles music, I didn’t hesitate accepting the offer.
After all, what could be better than being a Beatle? At home in Connecticut, a state which has spawned
its share of Beatle bands and great musicians through the years,
I got very excited because I heard about the “Fab Forever”
show mentioned on Joe Johnson’s BeatleBrunch, which I listen
to faithfully every Sunday morning on our FM oldies station, WDRC. Before boarding the plane for the engagement, there
were reports of heavy thunderstorms in Florida that weekend, so
we were worried about a rain-out. But fortunately it didn’t
rain either night (the booking was for two consecutive evening
appearances). Friday night’s crowd was huge, and the show
was a gas! It was hot and steamy in Florida that day, and our
opening act was a Miss Latina and Teen Latina modeling show, who
for some reason wound up wearing our Sgt. Pepper outfits. It was
the 40th Anniversary of Pepper, so that must have been the connection.
But Saturday night’s show was even better – a complete
sell-out of some 3,000 fans, most of who heard about it on BeatleBrunch. It was great not only having my first concert with
“Fab Forever” promoted on BeatleBrunch, but it was ever
more of an honor having Joe Johnson as the MC for the host. As
a long-time fan of the show and of Joe, I couldn’t have asked
for a better host. He MCd and hung out with the band, and there
are pictures of the band members with him on the website. I don’t
know if the other guys in the group knew who Joe was or how many
true fans listen to his show, but this was and is a special treat
for someone like me, who has been a part of Beatledom for nearly
30 years. Along with playing drums in Beatle tribute acts over
the years, I had the privilege of co-producing “Beatles Expo”
and the “New England Beatles Conventions” for many years.
Throughout the 80’s, I was the news editor of what was recognized
as one of the foremost (and one of the most beloved) fan magazines
ever, “Good Day Sunshine.” In later years, after the
demise of GDS, I contributed to “The Harrison Alliance,”
a publication for George, and “We All Stand Together,”
a smaller fanzine. At conventions, I was very lucky in that I
either interviewed or spent quality time with many people related
or associated with The Beatles, including Pete Best, Julia Baird,
Allan Williams, Sid Bernstein, Steve Holley and many other notables. Getting back to the gig at the Gulf Stream Casino,
for a concert-goer, it’s a great place to see a rock show,
and for a musician, it’s a perfect venue to perform. Set
in a fab entertainment center with Vegas-style slot machines,
there’s a really great vibe to the place. Looking back, this
was more than likely the biggest show to date I had played with
a Beatles tribute band. We moved on to Vegas, and then I moved
on to another tribute show in Atlantic City and Tahoe, but we’ll
get to that next time. My band-members in this line-up really welcomed me and we got along wonderfully. Todd Rainey was still playing bass, Glenn McCallum was our “guitar George” and legendary Lennon impersonator Gary Gibson rounded out the quartet with yours truly as Ringo. Everyone should do a YouTube search for Gary Gibson if you’ve never seen or heard him. As both a musician and fan, I only wish I had some video footage of the show. If anyone out there in BeatleLand has any footage of the “Fab Forever” in CT or Florida (aside from the few clips on You Tube – which we’ll also talk about next time), please write in and let us know!
After I stopped playing in “Fab Forever,”
my friend and fellow Connecticut drummer Carmine Grippo (“Moptops,”
“Twist & Shout,” “Classical Mystery Tour,”
“She Loves You”) took the role of Ringo, while Jimmy
Poe (“Beatlemania,” “1964,” “Beatlemania
Now,” “An Evening With George”) moved in the lead
guitar part. The new line-up looked great but never sounded as
good as it should have. Peace & Love,
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