Bowzer fights against musical imposters

Former Sha Na Na frontman  Jon Bauman

lobbies states for ?Truth in Music? bill

 

Ohio jumps on the Truth in Music bandwagon

Truth In Music Bill - Vocal Group Hall of Fame Foundation.

 

Imposter Bands

are a dime a dozen -and there are dozens in Las Vegas

Read Article By  DAVID MCKEE

Spinning Platters, drifting Drifters, coasting Coasters

Read Article By  DAVID MCKE

PAST  EVENTS

 

   

 

 

Three Rivers Resort & Casino

Siuslaw News 

Story By: Shawn Penrod       January 28,2009

       

A chat with Rock "N" Roll history
The Three Rivers Casino and Hotel, in celebration of its one-year anniversary, hosted a series of concerts over the weekend, including a performance by the Original Cornell Gunters Coasters.
Gunter was an original member of legendary 1950s doo-wop and R&B group, The Coasters. Throughout the 1950s and ?60s, the Coasters had more hit songs than most people know. Searchin, C harlie Brown, Poison Ivy, Little Egypt, Love Potion No. 9?and Yakity Yak are some of the most recognizable songs in all of music history as catchy as they are timeless.
The Coasters smooth vocals and comedic timing, paired with the songwriting of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, turned them into music heavyweights and earned them the nickname the Clown Princes of Rock"N" Roll. This band, with Gunter at its head, was inducted and it was the first band to be inducted  into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.
Gunter left the Coasters in 1963 and formed his own group, Cornell Gunters Coasters. This band toured the world until Gunters tragic murder in Las Vegas in 1990.
The 2009 incarnation of the Original Cornell Gunters Coasters features Charlie Duncan (Charlie-D), Lionel Pope (Z-Man) and Eddie Tarver (Eddie-T).
Duncan started out as the drummer for the Cornell Gunters Coasters. He was elevated to singer when the bass singer failed to show for a performance. He soon became known as the Charlie Brown of the group, delivering the classic line,            "Why's everybody always pickin on me"
The Z-Man took over for Gunter shortly after his death. He and Duncan have been carrying on Gunters legacy ever since.
Number-one hits, platinum albums, the tragic deaths of former members, along with legal battles over who should be allowed to call themselves Coasters, sounds on the surface as about as Rock "N" Roll as it gets.
Talking with the current members of the Original Cornell Gunters Coasters for the Siuslaw News before Saturday's show, however, one gets the sense the Original Cornell Gunters Coasters are weary of court battles and controversy.
We just want to entertain,? said the Z-man.
It is the dirty little secret? of the lucrative 1950s oldies circuit. Groups passing themselves off as  the real versions of name bands with little to no connection to the originals. At any one time, various incarnations of the Drifters, Platters, Coasters and other oldies acts tour the country.
In 1993, Duncan won a court decision allowing him to continue using the name Cornell Gunters Coasters. Yet that has not stopped groups from trying to capitalize on Gunters name.
Jon Bauman, famous as Bowzer of the doo-wop group Sha-Na-Na, has helped lead a fight against what he calls musical imposters.Bauman helped get the Truth in Music law passed in several states. Basically, if a group has no members who were in the original group, or no legal claim to the name, they must bill themselves as a tribute act.
While audiences might not care, the issue is important to people like Duncan and the Z-Man. Repeatedly in this conversation, the topic returned to the importance of the Truth in Music law. At times, it felt like the Original Cornell Gunters Coasters were defending who they were. Years of groups profiting from their name can do that to a person.
The bottom line for audience members, however, is about entertainment, and that is what the Original Cornell Gunters Coasters do best.
While the majority of the show consists of the hits that made the Coasters music icons, the Original Cornell Gunters Coasters also have a healthy dose of a Vegas comedy act in them, while displaying a surprising sampling of originality and range.
Before the show, Z-Man spoke proudly of a new song  he wrote, "What Happens in Vegas Gets E-mailed Home" Now, it is common knowledge that when classic groups stray from their greatest hits, audiences generally head for bathroom breaks. Not so with "What Happens in Vegas" The band and Z-Man delivered a modern, Coasters-inspired ditty that seemed to energize the group.
Newcomer Eddie-T, who before the show joked about how long he would last in the band, need not worry. Eddie's Motown-smooth version of The Penguins  "Earth Angel" was one of the highlights of the show, his Detroit roots on full display.
Charlie D's many audience interactions were genuinely funny and at times sweet, hugging members of the audience and keeping everyone engaged.
The Z-Man is the consummate performer, obviously comfortable on a stage and always smiling.
Not satisfied with R&B and Rock"N" Roll, the Original Cornell Gunters Coasters showed off some pretty substantial country chops as well. Their performance of Searchin morphed naturally into the Oakridge Boys classic Elvira.
Charlie Duncan showed his versatility by singing an almost flawless version of George Strait's "The Chair"
the Original Cornell Gunters Coasters saved the best for last, however, with a rousing version of "Yakity Yak" that had the sold-out crowd in the casinos event center clapping happily in unison. JC Johnson's saxophone solo sent audience members back in time and reminded many why these songs will always find an audience.

More photos of Saturday's concert can be viewed in Shawn Penrod's blog in the Talkback section of the Siuslaw News Web site at www.thesiuslawnews.com.

COASTERS STILL GOT IT

JIM THOMPSON 10/8/08
The Original Cornell Gunter?s Coasters took out the papers and the trash. And they didn't talk back. The group, from left, Charlie Duncan, Lionel Z and Bobby Rose, gave two performances at the Santa Ana Star Casino on Wednesday. They sang a few of their classic songs such as "Yakkety Yak"     "Charlie Brown" and "Poison Ivy" as well as some newer material.

Santa Ana Star Casino Honors Music Legends with

New Concert Series