R&R and Rockabilly Hall of Fame's Charlie Gracie performed at Penn Treaty Park on July 26. His performance was non-stop musical fun for everyone.
Charlie who was born on May 14, 1936 sang with a clear strong voice and ripped the guitar like a young man. He paid tribute to an old friend, Eddie Cochran in song and also Patsy Kline. The higher highlight of this evening was when he sang "Butterfly", "Fabulous" and performed an incredible version of "Guitar Boogie."
Young and old found themselves standing and dancing soon as the show got rolling.
A musician in his twenties approached me and asked who was this old dude. He kept saying this man is really good before I could answer him. He exploded with words upon finding out that it was in fact Charlie Gracie. He ran and got his friends over to stage front explaining until nearly running out of breath just who they were watching perform. This young man's moment came after the show when he got his picture taken with Charlie. Such sentiments prevailed through the crowd because they knew the talent and influence Charlie Gracie had on those who followed.
Charlie tells a story of how Paul McCartney idolized him and influenced him and those other boys in that band, the Beatles. It's one thing to read about it, but a whole different thing to hear it in conversation.
It was such a pleasure to meet and talk with Charlie. Heck, it was like watching my own private show too.
Charlie pulled me aside before his performance to thank me for arranging this show. We went to his car were he gave me a two CD collection of his songs and best of all wrote out an autographed picture. We both had a good laugh over what various wording he could use to sign the picture.
We also had a quiet moment of his reminiscence when I said to him, "Charlie you'll understand this." "We're having more fun than most kids our age."
We also had a quiet moment of his reminiscence when I said to him, "Charlie you'll understand this." "We're having more fun than most kids our age."
The Su Teears Band was the opening act. They performed a smooth jazz styling of standards that made you want to hear more. This is an excellent band to relax in their groove and even kick off your shoes.
You know how good this night was if you were there.
story and photos by roman blazic_all rights reserved
Penn Treaty Park in the city of Philadelphia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penn_Treaty_Park & http://penntreatypark.org/ & http://charliegracie.com/ & http://www.reverbnation.com/susanteears
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