When the vocal group The Duprees perform at the Loew’s Jersey Theatre in Jersey City this coming Friday, March 12, at 8 p.m., it will be one of those feel-good coming-back-home moments for the group, who got their start singing harmonies at Dickinson High School in Jersey City.
The twist is: these are not your parents’ Duprees. In the 1960s, the members were Michael Arnone, Joe Santollo, John Salvato, Tom Bialoglow, and lead singer Mike Kelly. They had several major hits including “You Belong to Me,” “My Own True Love,” “Have You Heard?” and “Why Don’t You Believe Me?”
Instead, the new Duprees – Tony Testa, Phil Granito, Tommy Petillo, and Jimmy Spinelli – have been together for over 20 years, yet are immersed in the music of their predecessors, and enjoy every moment of it. Though they were put together by original member Arnone, he’s now deceased, and his family is in court challenging the right of the current lineup to perform under the Duprees name.
“We like to think ourselves as the evolution of the Duprees.” – Tony Testa
________
The current Duprees will be performing with opening act Kenny Vance & The Planotones, a New-York based vocal group, whom Testa called “great friends and great performers.” The event is presented by Provident Bank and Jersey City Magazine.
Not quite doo-wop but still singing
Testa, who performed as a backup guitarist with the original Duprees in the 1960s, likes to say that the Duprees of today are not a “doo-wop” group but a “contemporary vocal group.”
“Not to take away from doo-wop, but it is a three-chord harmony, whereas many of the songs the Duprees recorded are standards from the 1940s and 1950s,” Testa said.
And the standards will be heard by the audience coming to the Loew’s and not just the four major hits but also a dozen or so minor hits. And on stage performing are the four vocalists as well as two keyboards, drums and saxophone, although that configuration could be larger.
Testa said the group is looking forward to performing in the Loew’s for the first time even though the Duprees have entertained in Jersey City before, nearly three years ago in Liberty State Park. But the group will not have to anticipate a whole new audience
“I have to say we are blessed to have the most wonderful fans who also give the best comments,” Testa said. “I had one tell us recently ‘I seen you guys five times and I didn’t think you can get any better.’”
Meet the performers
There will be a pre-show “Meet & Greet” Buffet with The Duprees from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., presented in cooperation with nearby Hudson County Community College at the college’s Culinary Conference Center’s 1st Floor Banquet Room, 161 Newkirk St. In addition to meeting band members, the $15 ticket also covers an “American Boardwalk Buffet.”
Tickets for the show are available in advance (Preferred Seats $27.50; General Admission $22.50) and at the door (Preferred Seats $35; General Admission $30). Advance tickets can be purchased at the Loew’s Box Office, 54 Journal Square, on Saturdays from noon to 3:00 p.m., and at the Journal Square Operations Office, 4 PATH Plaza, Mondays through Fridays from 11 a.m. till 3 p.m. Tickets are also available online at www.thenewjournalsquare.com and www.loewsjersey.org and by calling (800) 440-7654.
The cost of parking for ticket holders will be reduced for the event to just $5 at Square Ramp Parking, located directly behind the theatre.
For more information about the concert series, call the Journal Square Restoration Corporation at (201) 795-1854 or visit thenewjournalsquare.com. For more information on the Loew’s Jersey Theatre call (201) 798-6055 or visit loewsjersey.org.
Ricardo Kaulessar can be reached at rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com.