Spank, a Doo-Wop Quartet, Returns to Montclair
Posted Courtesy of The MontClair Times(http://www.montclairtimes.com)
Published on 07/21/05
Spank, an a cappella doo-wop quartet based in New York City, will bring an evening of vocal harmony to Montclair on Thursday, July 28, at 7 p.m., in Kaveny Field, at the corner of Grove and Walnut streets. The group performed to sold-out audiences last New Year’s Eve at First Night Montclair.
The quartet consists of Bernard "BT" Taylor, Herman "Pee Wee" Seay, Reginald "Buddah" Rowson, and Harvey "Raisin" Cain. They apply their superb talents to perform songs of the great R&B vocal groups like The Temptations, The Miracles and The Four Tops.
In the summer of 1993, in New York’s West Village, these four singers met in Washington Square Park at a corner called the Doo-Wop Spot. It’s a section near the Washington Square Arch, which was a gathering place for many street performers, jugglers, comedians and singers.
Seay and Rowson were members of Perfect Touch, while Cain was a member of Hot Ice. Bernard Taylor sang with The Chords, the group that recorded "Shaboom." There was always something afoot when these singers showed up at the Doo-Wop Spot.
As bands came and went, all four exchanged notes, joined together in gigs, shook hands and made plans to get together and form Spank — which became known as the group that shot from the hip. Although doo-wop has been around for a good many years, Spank has made many old-timers take a second look because of their arrangements.
With the absence of music, Spank saw the need to fill in the gap with some rhythmic extras. Thus, NuWop was born — doo-wop with a twist of "Spandomism."
Spank recently performed with Cousin Brucie at Manhattan Center, the U.S. Open Tennis Tournament with Andre Agassi, and at the Hard Rock Café in Los Angeles. They were an intricate part of a stage show in Las Vegas called "Madhattan," composed of street performers. They were also part of "Pomp, Duck and Circumstance," a high-energy dinner theater show held at the ’96 Olympics in Atlanta, Ga. Spank also has a long-standing arrangement with many fundraisers such as The Hedge Fun, From Darkness to Light, Light Up a Life, and the United Way, and performs at corporate events, bar mitzvahs and weddings as well.
"As long as we bring smiles to the faces of our audience, we feel our work is productive. Our goal is to keep doo-wop alive," stated Harvey Cain, the group’s spokesman.
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