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

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


