Pittsburgh Doo-Wop Big Band to headline benefit concert for Franklin Regional Panther Foundation
It’s easy to see why Bill Reicher of Butler wants to keep the tradition of doo-wop music alive.
Reicher has certainly done his part over the years to popularize it, having performed at Madison Square Garden back in the day with doo-wop group The Mystics. Their song, “Hushabye,” was a Top 20 hit.
These days, Reicher is the male vocalist for the Pittsburgh Doo-Wop Big Band, whose members will headline the Panther Groove Festival on Oct. 28 at Franklin Regional Senior High School. The concert will also feature collaborative performances between the band and FR student musicians.
The Pittsburgh Doo-Wop Big Band brings a stage show of music from the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s.
“We mostly focus on doo-wop, but a lot of lead singers from those groups kind of broke away and became R&B artists over the years, so we play some of that as well,” Reicher said.
The concert will be hosted by the FR Panther Foundation to benefit its Innovation Grants program.
In addition to its annual doo-wop and Christmas concerts, Reicher said the band also tries to do a couple of fundraisers each year for nonprofits like the foundation.
Bringing FR students onstage is part of the band’s goal of keeping the sound of doo-wop music alive.
“It’s important to keep it around for future generations to enjoy,” Reicher said. “I grew up with it — we lived our lives with those songs as the background.”
Reicher recalled the first time he got onstage with the full 16-piece band backing him, during a performance of Ben E. King’s “Spanish Harlem.”
“I died and went to heaven,” he said. “It gave me goosebumps. By allowing the music department to pick some students to come onstage, it gives them the same opportunity to get those goosebumps, and it’s a way of keeping the sound alive.’”
Reserved seating is available with tickets ranging from $15 to $25. The evening will also include a basket raffle and 50/50 drawing. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the show starts at 7 p.m. at the senior high school, 3200 School Road in Murrysville.
Proceeds will benefit the foundation’s Innovation Grants Program for students. Event sponsorships are also available. For more, call 724-327-5456, ext. 7617 or email fprovenzano@frsdk12.org.
Tickets are on sale at GoFan.co by entering “Franklin Regional Panther Foundation” in the search bar. Only student tickets will be sold at the door.
Patrick Varine is a TribLive reporter covering Delmont, Export and Murrysville. He is a Western Pennsylvania native and joined the Trib in 2010 after working as a reporter and editor with the former Dover Post Co. in Delaware. He can be reached at pvarine@triblive.com.
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