The Harptones & Fred Parris & Satins Live 12/8/79

On Saturday night, December 8, 1979, eight rhythm’n’blues, rock’n’roll and doo wop vocal groups took the stage at the Beacon Theater at 74th Street and Broadway in New York City as part of the Royal New York Doo Wopp Show. On the bill were Fred Parris and the Satins, the Chords, with original lead Carl Feaster, Rudy West and his Keys, Vito and the Salutations, Randy and the Rainbows, Willie Winfield and the Harptones, Earl Lewis and the Channels, and a next generation acapella group, Yesterday’s Today, all backed by Bobby Comstock’s Band. Tickets were priced at $10.50 and $9 for the 8 PM concert. Beginning in the early 1970s, Boston-area disc jockey, concert host and producer, historian and enthusiast, Little Walter DeVenne began documenting the pioneers of vocal group harmony, rhythm and blues, and rock and roll using Super 8 movie film, reel to reel tape recorders, and whatever means were available to him. At the time, a roll of Super 8 color film with sound had a running time of just under three minutes. It was difficult to capture a complete song on film and impossible to film a complete set because of the time involved in changing the reel and reloading the camera. Consequently, we are left with only portions of performances and, on occasion, just snippets of songs. These seven minutes of video footage comprise two unmarked and undocumented reels of Super 8 film shot during the concert. The first reel contains Willie Winfield and the Harptones’ singing “The Shrine of St. Cecilia” to a very enthusiastic reception. This lineup, Willie, Linda Champion, Marlowe Murray, and Raoul J. Cita began working together as a quartet in 1972 and, with the return of original member William Dempsey James in 1994, remained intact until 1999. The video portion runs out before the conclusion of the song.
The second reel of film captures Fred Parris and the Satins on stage. In the late 1970s, the five-man Five Satins lineup that had been touring disbanded. Fred reorganized the act, adding a diverse group of singers and musicians and changing the billing to “Fred Parris and In The Still of the Night”. They consisted of Parris singing lead with vocalist Cindra Leigh Marshall, her husband, Hank Marshall (drums), Ray Crenshaw (keyboards), Michael Rey (bass guitar), and Edward Geoghegan (guitar).
“I remember Fred was having trouble finding some of the regular singers to help him do this gig,” remembers drummer Hank Marshall. “The skinny guy on Fred’s left is my brother, Nino Marshall, who was a bass player in one of my previous bands. He had a good singing voice, so I recommended my brother.” Marshall was living in Newark and rehearsed with act a few times before taking the stage at the Beacon as one of the Satins. Unfortunately, no one can remember the second male vocalist that they used for this performance, although he was not a regular member of the group.
The film begins during the “Very Precious Oldies” medley that the Satins recorded in 1973 and regularly used in their stage show. They include a contemporary version of “The Jones Girl”, the flip side of “In The Still of the Nite” in the set. Sadly, we see and hear only the first 15 seconds of “Wonderful Girl” before the film runs out. “I can’t believe this footage actually exists,” Marshall stated after seeing it for the first time in 2024, 45 years after the performance. “Fred and I played the Beacon Theater a few times during our journey together. One of those times, both Nino and I were up front singing with Fred, along with one other person, and my wife, Cindra. This brings back so many memories.”
Being that these filmed performances were incomplete, Walter simply filed them away, unmarked, undocumented, and unseen, for over 40 years. After Walter died in 2021, his close friend and longtime disc jockey, Mike Bollea ensured that these rare recordings would be preserved. Through Mike’s generosity and a desire to see Walter’s historic films shared with fans and devotees of this music, we present the Little Walter’s Time Machine Official Archives series, remixed and synched by Todd Baptista, from the original source material. For the best in “oldies but goodies” from the ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s, listen to Mike Bollea on MIXCLOUD and follow his discjockeymike page to hear new shows. To leave comments or connect with Mike, send him a friend request and visit his Facebook page Michael Bollea (Not Just Another DJ) and the Mike

[@arlenereid8919]

Thank you Little Walter RIP
and Mike & Todd for preserving the master tapes.

[@dangreenfield8384]

Man, Willie sounds great in this; the whole group does. The treats just keep on coming!
I attended the Royal New York Doo-Wop Show Volume ___ just before this one, in June 1979. I was 18 and it's a cherished memory. I've always hoped part of that one would turn up, too, one day.