Jazz Connection Magazine

Hit Maker Don Cherry Makes Sweet Memories At Jukebox Saturday Night Gala At PPAC

Don Cherry and jukeboxes have always been good friends as seen from

this picture taken at the Paradise Performing Arts Center in Paradise,

CA, on May 26, 2007, after Cherry gave a thrilling performance head-

lining the annual "Jukebox Saturday Night " concert over Memorial

Day weekend. At age 83, Cherry still remains a jukebox favorite.

© Copyright photos by Stephen Fratallone/Jazz Connection Magazine

It may have been "Jukebox Saturday Night" this Memorial Day weekend at the Paradise Performing Arts Center, but it definitely was an evening of "Sweet Memories" thanks to 1950s hit maker Don Cherry who headlined the fourth annual concert extravaganza. (See Jukebox Saturday Night With Don Cherry) Cherry and jukeboxes go together like a wink and a smile. That fact has been evident for the past 55-plus years as Cherry has chalked up numerous hits in his illustrious career including Vanity, Thinking Of You, Band Of Gold, Ghost Town, I Love You Drops, Between Winston-Salem And Nashville, Tennessee, and Take A Message To Mary, thus being a jukebox favorite. Also sharing the concert bill was the eighteen-piece Skyliners Big Band from nearby Chico, led by the husband and wife team of John and Joey Mahoney.

Prior to Cherry taking the stage, a seven-minute video retrospective of some of the timeless Texas Troubadour's memorable moments on television was shown to pique the interest of the over 500 audience members that were in attendance. Backed by an augmented Skyliners cast of twelve, "Mr. Band of Gold" launched into a moving rendition of Without A Song, a light-hearted, jaunty version of Country Roads, and the reverie-filled Bob Thiele composition, What A Wonderful World.

In keeping with the tenor of Memorial Day, the 83-year-old Cherry paid homage to his late son, Stephen, a victim of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center Buildings, and to his late pal and baseball great Mickey Mantle, by singing a moving interpretation of the Country standard, Green, Green Grass Of Home.

"This was the only song that Mickey ever sang in public and he did it with me," Cherry told the audience.

Cherry's versions of two powerful Country tunes - Between Winston-Salem And Nashville, Tennessee, a hit for the Mills Brothers, and Streets Of Laredo - garnered enthusiastic applause from the crowd. But it was in the tender love ballads of Sweet Memories, Sometimes When We Touch, And I Love Her So that Cherry's expressiveness as a song stylist came through without reservation. His voice remained effortless and simplistic, yet full of warmth, verve and amazing control. In short, his pipes belie his age.

In a move that took everyone off guard, Cherry took a pause in his performance and called for Joey Mahoney, the Skyliners' chanteuse and MC, to come back out on stage as he sang Happy Birthday to her. Mahoney's birthday is May 25.

In a surprise move during his performance, Don Cherry sings Happy Birthday to Joey Mahoney, above. Cherry and

Mahoney's Skyliners Big Band were featured in the annual Jukebox Saturday Night concert at the Paradise Performing

Arts Center in Paradise, CA, on May 26, 2007.

In the moment every one was waiting for, Cherry then broke out with his signature smash hit, Band of Gold. Recorded in October 1955, and released two months later, Band Of Gold shot up to the Number 5 spot on Billboard's Top 20 Chart in January 1956, staying in the Top 20 until March where it peaked at Number 12.

While the audience was under the impression that Band Of Gold was Cherry's biggest hit, it wasn't, he said, correcting his listeners.

"I had a bigger hit which lasted ten years and earned me over $300,000," Cherry said.

That "hit" was the "Mr. Clean jingle" heard from 1956 to 1966 on every household television and radio in America. Having said that, Cherry briefly sang the catchy ditty much to everyone's amusement and remembrance.

Cherry closed his show with Augusta, a pensive song about the renown Masters Golf Tournament to which Cherry is no stranger, and the exhilarating My Way, a song often associated with Frank Sinatra. The audience gave Cherry a standing ovation for his efforts thus leaving this listener with goose bumps down his back.

As an encore, and in salute to America, Cherry led the audience in singing America The Beautiful, a capella style.

Don Cherry has got to be the best-kept secret in the music arena. He is no secret, really. He is, however, a timeless and priceless treasure. Such a treasure as he should not be kept hidden and forgotten about, but rather, be esteemed and proudly and majestically showcased over and over and over again. Don Cherry is Americana and his colors should never fade but always remain bright.

The Skyliners kicked off the evening's celebration with their own 45-minute set of sweet memories of Big Band Era chestnuts including Bandstand Boogie, Little Brown Jug, Begin The Beguine (featuring some fine Artie Shaw-like clarinet work by lead alto saxophonist Tanner Johns), and Satin Doll (spotlighting Grant Levin at the piano).

No Skyliners' performance would be complete without vocal presentations by the Mahoney's. John Mahoney, who helps drive the band's rhythm section on guitar, was featured on a pair of swinging Cole Porter tunes: I've Got You Under My Skin and Night And Day. Joey Mahoney shined on a medley of World War II gems: I've Heard That Song Before, I'll Be Seeing You, I'm Beginning To See The Light.

Daughter Molly Mahoney, a featured vocalist with the Skyliners since they first organized in the North State seven years ago, and a 2007 graduate from California State University, Chico, was featured on the sultry 1954 Jo Stafford hit, Teach Me Tonight, and later on Boogie Blues, a 1945 hit for drummer Gene Krupa and his celebrated song stylist Anita O'Day. The junior Mahoney also demonstrated her ability to "cut a rug" doing a brief jitterbug routine with a college dance partner during the interlude of the latter tune.

A Mahoney vocalese triad was also organized as father, mother, and daughter teamed up for a smooth version of Blue Moon, a favorite of local political conservative and KPAY (1290 AM) Talk Radio host Bruce Sessions, who earlier led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance with assistance from a color guard from the Paradise Chapter of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion.

Rounding out the Skyliners personnel are: Trumpets: Jim Metroka, Jeff Daub, Don Poetker, and Claire Cooper; Trombones: Dave Chollet, Mark Gouvea, Laura Antonaisus, and Lloyd Roby; Saxophones: Steve Margolin, Eric Seiler, and Loren Parks; Electric Bass: Warren Haskell; and Drums: Dan Kinkle.

The Skyliners are slated to perform next on June 8 as part of the Friday Night Concert series in downtown Chico's City Plaza beginning at 7 p.m. The concert is free.

Jukebox Saturday Night 2008 is slated for May 24. For more information about next year's performance contact the Paradise Performing Arts Center at (530) 872-8454 or log on to the PPAC website at: http://www.paradisedirect.com/ppac/

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