On the Town with Buddy Beaverhausen: Matt Beckoff Brings Sixties Girls to NYC's Metropolitan Room

Me & La La Brooks of the original Crystals

What an awesome afternoon delight this Saturday when three of the great girl-group divas of the 1960s appeared together at the Metropolitan Room. I met with La La Brooks in the lobby, ahead of her being onstage. I've interviewed La La and also reviewed her album from late last year. I was so happy she remembered Buddy Beaverhausen and showed such love! "Buddy Beaverhausen! I really enjoy your little sarcasms and that your blog has an edge to it," La La said to me. I can die happy now.

My friend Ron Giles and I went inside and were seated at one of the comfy booths at the back of the room. Matt Beckoff was a wonderful host to Ms Brooks (original lead singer of Phil Spector's The Crystals), Barbara Harris (of The Toys) and Margaret Ross Williams (lead singer of The Cookies). All were native New Yorkers. The Chantels' Arlene Smith was to be part of this but had to cancel over purported safety issues. Ms Smith uses a motorized wheelchair and thunderstorms were predicted (though failed to develop, gratefully, until much, much later) that could possibly spell danger. May-aybe.

with Barbara Harris and Margaret Ross Williams

What incredible true recollections were discussed by the ladies who lived through it all, however. Racism and segregation -- especially when touring in the South -- was a major focus, most of it harrowing and tragic, as well as the conditions under which the girls had to change and do their make-up and hair during that era.

Influences for this trio? Frankie Lyman and Brenda Lee were cited. Gospel music was a huge part of these women's early foundations and singing. Of course, the backstage stories were especially fabulous. The ladies talked about Phil Spector, Carole King, Neil Sedaka, Sam Cooke, Dick Clark, Little Eva, the Mob, Tony Orlando, Eydie Gorme among others.

Am I a pygmy? Is Matt a giant?

La La was, if nothing else, very outspoken. Our Ms Brooks is from Brooklyn, after all, and has the attitude and outspokenness to prove it. She referred to Darlene Love as a "sicko" (i.e., pathological liar and phony). In my Q&A with La La on this blog, I intentionally avoided asking her about Ms. Love. But Matt was fearless; he went there! "If she were here," the soft-spoken Books added tersely, "I'd tell her that to her face." Thankfully, the fellow Phil Spector alumnus wasn't present.

But La La really brought down the house when she gossiped about being on tour with Diana Ross (then of the Supremes) and how Miss Ross' diva attitude and prissiness pissed the young singer of The Crystals off. She also mentioned how today's divas, like Beyonce and Rihanna, don't know what girls in the Sixties went through, paving the way. "If it weren't for us, there wouldn't be them."

Matt, thank you so much for getting these ladies to talk. Brilliant work! We all loved hearing these amazing backstage stories. When the three women sang "Da Doo Ron Ron" at finale, it brought down the house. Can the Metropolitan Room take any more authentic girl-group power? We shall see.

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The Girl Group Sound Spectacular

Girls no more, these women still rock out! What a night it was at BB King's NYC!

Nine women took to the stage with a full orchestra (keyboards, guitars, sax, trumpets, percussion), a bevy of back-up girls and, against that full-volume background, belted out their songs as powerfully as ever in an electrifying evening of great music and memories. It wasn't just a night of nostalgia, however, but a reminder of what solid songwriting, arrangements, instrumentation and vibrant vocals are capable of. These women need no auto-tuning to say the very least. And they have long mastered the art of the diva hand gestures!

Barbara Harris of The Toys opened the act, still able to energetically shake a tail feather. She opened with the group's top-ten pop hit, "Attack," followed by "Can't Get Enough of You, Baby." Ms Harris explained this cult phenom was not a '60s hit for The Toys but was later one for ? and the Mysterians. Harris moved on, then, to "May My Heart Be Cast into Stone" before ending her set with The Toys' smash sensation, "Lover's Concerto."



Beverly Warren wonderfully took over lead vocal from the late Ellie Greenwich, whom she praised as "manager, mentor and friend." Her set included classics "What a Guy" and "He's the Kind of Boy You Can't Forget."

Described by the dj/announcer with the words "There's nothing scarier than a Catholic school girl from Brooklyn," Nanette Licari appeared to belt out "Whenever a Teenager Cries." What? No "Captain of the Ship"?! I was hoping Ms Reparata and the Delrons would do a little more.

But, no, we were off with Louise Murray of The Jaynettes, electrifying with "perhaps the first girl-group song," "Lonely Nights" (1955, recorded under the girl-group name The Hearts) before she got to the group's biggest hit in 1963, "Sally Go Round the Roses." This lovely, lanky woman, now age 74, appeared in eyeglasses, a shimmery flapper-style gown, giant daisy in her hair and chandelier earrings! What a voice!

Baby Washington performed "That's How Heartaches Are Made," Toni Wine mesmerized with her rendition of "A Groovy Kind of Love" (which she co-wrote with Carole Bayer Sager; a hit for The Mindbenders). Lillian Walker appeared in a sleek white gown with black-beaded design to deliver The Exciters' "Doo Wah Diddy Diddy," "He's Got the Power" and "Tell him."

Margaret Ross-Williams of The Cookies ("four fabulous girls who rocked the world," this Miss Ross said proudly) performed "I Never Dreamed," "Chains," "Don't Say Nothing Bad About My Baby" and "Baby Baby I Still Love You" (which was recorded by The Cookies under the name The Cinderellas).

The show culminated in the divine performance of the still soulful Ms Maxine Brown, her crimson pants suit as vibrant as her voice. She began with her self-penned classic, "Maybe It's All in My Mind."  She continued with a couple of Carole King tunes, including Brown's hit, "Oh, No, Not My Baby."

For a finale, the other divas joined Maxine for the joyous, Cajun-styled soul-stomper, "Cuz of My Sin."

It was a packed house with an adoring audience. Multitudes of bouqets were handed to the divas whose voices were remarkably undiminished by time. Although many of the recorded versions of the songs ended in the classic pop fade-out, these live performances gave us boffo vocal endings all. It was pure heaven re-living this golden era of music at BB King's.

John Clemente, author of Girl Groups: Fabulous Females Who Rocked the World was in the audience, as pointed out by Margaret Ross-Williams. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Girl-Groups-Fabulous-Females-Rocked/dp/0873418166  It's now on my must-read list. Meanwhile, the nine women performing tonight certainly rocked my world. And more "girl"-power to them!