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Oldies bands with no original members raise ethics questions

Oldies bands with no original members raise ethics questions

Within a five-day span, The Palace Theatre in Greensburg is presenting four musical acts from the 1950s, '60s and '70s.

Or are they?

On Tuesday, Latshaw Productions will bring "The Valentine Bop" show to the Palace with old-time vocal groups The Platters, The Drifters and The Marvelettes, names familiar to baby-boomers. But most of the voices on the boomers' dusty vinyl 45s will be nowhere near Westmoreland County on Valentine's Day. In fact, many of today's oldies touring acts use group names with nary a core member performing on stage.

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Do ticket buyers know, or even care, what they are getting with these shows? And are promoters misrepresenting what they are putting on stage? There are mixed answers to both questions.

Latshaw Productions' Gary Latshaw was unavailable for comment, but a representative said that the promoter brings in only acts that are legally licensed to use the trademark name of the group it is imitating. There have been court battles over them in the past.

But fan John Frith is going to The Valentine Bop, and he said he is walking in with his eyes wide open.

"It really would have been great to see these groups in their heyday," Mr. Frith said, "But I'm realistic enough to realize a lot of [the original members] are already dead."

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Plus, some of the lead vocalists who are still alive are no longer able to perform.

"I don't want to see an 80-year-old singer," Mr. Frith said.

Platters lead singer, Tony Williams, whose voice is heard on all of the group's biggest hits like "The Great Pretender," and "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes," died in 1992. No original members remain with the touring act.

The Drifters had three leads on hits like, "This Magic Moment," "Up On the Roof" and "Under the Boardwalk."

Recently, as many as a dozen groups have toured as The Drifters, none with any of those lead singers, although some included one or two members who sang the "shoo-bops" and "sha-la-las" on minor recordings. Others had no relation to the hit makers except the group name.

The Latshaw representative was unable to say if any of this version of The Drifters had any background singers from those recording days.

The Latshaw representative also was unable to confirm whether The Marvelettes, who will perform Tuesday, will include original lead singer Gladys Horton, who toured with the former Motown group as recently as the mid-1990s.

For fan Charles Dominick, bands that exist in name only are of no interest.

"I won't go to see The Drifters and other bands who don't have any core members in there," he said.

Mr. Dominick does have tickets to the Feb. 19 Jefferson Starship/Jefferson Airplane Family Galactic Reunion show at the Palace.

Even though lead singer Grace Slick will not be appearing, he decided to see the concert because founding members Paul Kantner and Marty Balin are part of the lineup.

Concert promoter Mike Elko, who is presenting the Starship/Airplane show, says that, for him, participation by core band members is a big part of picking a concert.

"I don't think it's ethical and that's why I don't do those shows," Mr. Elko said in a recent phone conversation.

Ethical and legal have become two vastly different concepts when it comes to naming rights for nostalgia groups. While not breaking the law, promoters may or may not be betraying an obligation to let audiences know what they are getting.

The only answer? Caveat emptor!

First Published: February 9, 2006, 5:00 a.m.

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