CLASSIC SOUL, RHYTHM’N BLUES AND DOO-WOP

Vocalist Ryan “B” Shaw, 1st Tenor — J-NYSE, 1st Tenor/Soprano — Craig “Suga” Stagg, 2nd Tenor — Bryant “Sparrow” Washington, 2nd Tenor/Baritone — Terelle “Flyguy” Tipton, Baritone Musicians Paul Beaudry, Upright/Electric bass — Nick Palumbo, Electric guitar — Danny Mixon, Piano/Organ — Brian Grice, Drums — Sal Giorgianni, Tenor Sax — Mike Lewis, Trumpet — Alex “Junkyard Dog” Harding, Baritone Sax http://www.myspace.com/thefabuloussoulshakers

The vocal group the Fabulous Soul Shakers was created by Peter Rosenbaum, an American fan and collector of 50’s doo-wop and 60’s Rhythm ‘n Blues music. Many collectors spend their time listening to old records and boasting about their collections but not Peter Rosenbaum. He decided he wanted to hear the music live but not as sung by semi-retired musicians trying to re-create what they sang as teenagers but by young singers able to pump fresh vitality into the music. In fact, the effect that the Fabulous Soul Shakers create in one of time travel rather than nostalgia and their repertory avoids numbers that have been sung to death in favour of ballads like Jackie Wilson’s “Lonely Teardrops”, the Falcons’ “I Found a Love” and up-tempo pieces like the Sharpees’ “Do The 45″, Major Lance’s “Monkey Time” and Bill Pinkney’s “I Do the Jerk”. While the repertory is old the singers are not; none of them is yet 30 and only a couple vaguely remember their grandparents listening to some of the songs they now sing. All of them come from church and singing backgrounds and all of them have won awards at the legendary Apollo theatre in Harlem. With five singers and seven accompanying musicians The Fabulous Soul Shakers is the biggest group ever to appear at Blues to Bop and the festival to proud to present their first appearance outside America.