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Relive the timeless hits of ABBA

By Gary Bennett

The Concert: A tribute to ABBA will come to Frederick Oct 13

This article appears in the October 10, 2024 edition of Frederick News-Post’s “72 Hours” entertainment magazine.

I remember ABBA so well. Like a shooting star, the Swedish pop group came and went quickly. They burst on the scene in 1974 with a unique sound that featured rich female harmonies with backing vocals from a couple of satisfied-to-be-in-the-background males. But by the early ‘80s, they were finished as big hit makers.

But for those six or seven years, they were a group to be reckoned with — a global phenomenon of epic proportions and Sweden’s biggest “export” to the world.

On Oct. 13, we can relive the timeless hits of the ‘70s and early ‘80s as The Concert: A Tribute to ABBA takes center stage at the Weinberg Center for the Arts in Frederick.

Their music was bubblegum “poppy,” decidedly up-tempo and definitely “feminine.” As a male teenager in the ’70s, I couldn’t really admit to liking them, as I could with female rockers like, say, the band Heart. More than once, I had to quickly turn the radio down as pals piled into my car.

To say ABBA’s sound was unique would be an understatement. They are still immediately recognizable on certain Sirius XM channels and streaming services today.

The band was comprised of four members, and that’s how they got their name. Benney Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus (the two B’s in ABBA) wrote and produced all the songs and played piano and guitar. Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad (the two A’s) sang the rich vocals while wearing very short mini-skirts and other dazzling costumes.

Like most bands, ABBA was no overnight success. The ABBA story began in Sweden in 1966 when Bjorn and Benny, who were playing for different bands, met and wrote their first songs together. In 1969 they met the women who would become their wives and musical partners.

After a few years of toiling and achieving modest success in Sweden, they entered a singing contest with the song “Waterloo” and won. Soon, “Waterloo” was No. 1 all over Europe and reached the top 10 in the U.S in 1974. About 18 months later in 1976, they hit it big again on the U.S. charts with “SOS” taken off their third album.

Later that year, “Mamma Mia,” perhaps their most widely known song because of the musical and movie, was released and spent time at No. 1 in the U.K. and amazingly, 10 weeks at No. 1 in Australia. Crikey! In the U.S., “Mamma Mia” peaked only at number 63. This song, however, established them as reliable hit makers and one of the most popular groups in the world.

Then, 1977 brought hits like “Fernando” and the ever popular “Dancing Queen,” the latter being ABBA’s only No. 1 U.S. single. That one will get you up and onto the dance floor even today.

In 1978, ABBA’s fourth original album “Arrival” was released and spawned hits “Money, Money, Money” and “Knowing Me, Knowing You.” Later that year, they completed a sold-out, worldwide tour, completed a feature film called “ABBA: The Movie” and their newest album called, naturally, “ABBA: The Album.”

The hits began to wane in 1979 as one of the married couples announced their divorce. This did not mean the complete end to ABBA, however. They completed their final tour in Japan in 1980 but also found the time and geniality to complete the “Super Trouper” album. In 1981 the other married couple divorced, effectively ending ABBA’s reign as one of the most unlikely top pop groups in the world.

A revival of sorts came in 1999 when the musical “Mamma Mia” premiered in London. It opened on Broadway two years later and became a cultural phenomenon. To date, more than 60 million people have seen it in over 400 cities. A successful movie version starring Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan was released in July 2008.

Today, ABBA is regarded as one of the all-time classic pop acts, acknowledged by their 2010 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. All four group members are still alive, doing well and living in Sweden.

IF YOU GO:
The Concert: A Tribute to ABBA will start at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 13 at the Weinberg Center, 20 W. Patrick St., Frederick. Tickets start at $40 and are available at weinbercenter.org, by calling the box office at 301-600-2828, or in person.

Gary Bennett is a longtime Frederick resident who spends his time hiking, biking, volunteering and providing childcare for grandchildren. He is married and retired from his career as a nonprofit marketing executive.

The Everly Brothers Experience brings the nostalgia and harmonies of the famed duo to Frederick

By Gary Bennett

This article appears in the Frederick News-Post’s “72 Hours” entertainment insert, April 18, 2024.

Since 2016, brothers Zachary and Dylan Zmed, along with their partner and drummer Burleigh Drummond, have celebrated the pivotal music of the Everly Brothers with a heartfelt tribute.

That tribute, the Everly Brothers Experience, featuring the Zmed Brothers as the Everlys, plays at the Weinberg Center for the Arts at 8 p.m. April 20.

Presented by Key West Productions, the Everly Brothers Experience promises to be a trip down memory lane, revisiting the rich vocals and gorgeous harmonies popularized by the Everlys in the late ’50s and early ’60s.

“The music of the ’50s and ’60s are nostalgic for us,” they said in a press release. “Our parents raised us on it, and we feel that the Everlys’ contribution is greatly overlooked, especially by younger generations.”

The Zmed brothers do not try to impersonate the Everlys but honor their iconic sound by recreating the music as close to the original as possible.

I’m a little too young to remember the heyday of the Everly Brothers and other founders of rock ‘n roll as they came on the scene in the 1950s. However, it is no secret, for my generation at least, that the Everly Brothers had an outsized influence on the Beatles and many other iconic acts that came later. John Lennon and Paul McCartney made no secret of their admiration, patterning their unmistakable harmonies on the ones from “Don And Phil.”

Before the Beatles, Lennon and McCartney referred to themselves as “the British Everly Brothers” when hitchhiking to talent contests in England.

Other super groups, like the Beach Boys, Bee Gees, and Simon and Garfunkel, credit the Everlys as having a huge influence on their music.

I vividly remember my father was an avid Everly Brothers fan. He mostly enjoyed country music, especially Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings, but he made an exception for the Everlys.

It was no wonder. The Everlys embraced elements of country in their music with some twangy vocals and steel-string acoustic guitars. Today, their music might be categorized as country rock. Along with Elvis, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry and others, the Everly Brothers were among the pioneers of rock ‘n’ roll.

As with many stars, the Everlys were raised in a musical family. They sang with their parents on the radio during their high school years. As they gained attention, they began writing and recording their own music. Their first hit song came in 1957, the hugely popular “Bye Bye Love.” It hit No. 1 in the spring, shortly after I was born, and stayed there for four weeks. You know the chorus: “Bye-bye love/ Bye-bye happiness/ Hello loneliness/ I think I’m-a gonna cry-y.”

Huge hits would follow, like “Wake Up Little Susie,” “All I Have To Do Is Dream” (my No. 1 all-time favorite song about dreaming!), “When Will I Be Loved” (perhaps made more famous by Linda Ronstadt in 1974), “So Sad,” “Crying in the Rain” and “Problems.” Their biggest-selling single of all time, “Cathy’s Clown,” came in 1960. You know this one, too: “Here he co-o-o-omes: That’s Cathy’s clown.”

In a move that would be unheard of today, the brothers enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve in 1961. Elvis did the very same thing. There were very few military exemptions back then, and it beat being drafted and sent to Vietnam.

But, unfortunately, unlike Elvis, the Everlys’ output and fame fell off upon their return. Their last big hit came in 1962 with “That’s Old Fashioned (That’s the Way Love Should Be).” The British Invasion took hold shortly thereafter, curtailing or ending the careers of many rock ‘n’ roll pioneers. They did, however, launch a successful touring career in the ’60s. In the ’70s, the brothers began releasing solo recordings — but no hits — and officially broke up in 1973.

They got back together for a while in the ’80s, performing periodically until Phil’s death in 2014. Don died seven years later in 2021.

In 2015, Rolling Stone ranked the Everlys as the No. 1 greatest musical duo of all time. They were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in the inaugural class of 1986, along with such first-name luminaries as Elvis, Chuck, Buddy and Jerry Lee. The Everlys were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Musician’s Hall of Fame and Museum in 2019.

By all accounts, they were unaffected by their meteoric stardom. They said in 1960 at the height of their popularity, “We’re not Grand Ole Opry … we’re obviously not Perry Como … we’re just pop music.”

Gary Bennett is a longtime Frederick resident who spends his time hiking, biking, volunteering and providing childcare for grandchildren. He is married and retired from his career as a nonprofit marketing executive.

Neil Berg and his merry band of performers revive the psychedelic ’60s for a night

By Gary Bennett

This article appears in the April 20, 2023, edition of Frederick News-Post’s “72 Hours” magazine.

Relive the powerhouse music that shaped a generation with Neil Berg’s The 60’s: Peace, Love & Rock N’ Roll, rolling into Frederick’s Weinberg Center on April 21 at 8:00 pm. Tickets are still available.

Composer/producer/arranger/musician Neil Berg returns to Frederick with his new production that takes us on a musical trip to the stormy, counterculture 60’s. Berg and his talented troupe of musicians last wowed Frederick audiences in October 2021 with his show 50 Years of Rock N’ Roll.

In this new production, Berg recounts the 60’s through music and stories, culminating with a celebration of the historic Woodstock concert in 1969. If you didn’t make it to Woodstock like me (I was only 12) but remember all the wonderful music wafting down the hall from your big sister’s jukebox, you’ll not want to miss this rollicking evening.

Berg is privy to many behind-the-scenes stories from Woodstock due to his personal friendship with Michael Lang, the original organizer and producer of the iconic event.

“Michael brought me into his New York City office about 15 years ago to discuss the possibility of writing a Broadway musical about Woodstock—stories about unknown artists like Bert Sommer, who was in the Broadway musical Hair, and who was a solo artist at Woodstock and got the first standing ovation.”

That idea morphed into The 60’s: Peace, Love & Rock N’ Roll when Berg realized there are many more stories to tell and music to play that had nothing to do with Woodstock. Berg is not shy about sharing these tales.

Berg promises we’ll hear the story of Joni Mitchell’s song Woodstock, and her relationship to Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, who were famously playing only their second concert ever in public. We’ll learn about the famous bands that were invited to play, but did not. We’ll hear about Carlos Santana playing his entire Woodstock set tripping on LSD given to him by Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead.

And don’t forget the music! Berg and his merry band of Broadway performers will cover the music of Woodstock acts Richie Havens, Country Joe McDonald, The Band, Canned Heat, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Jefferson Airplane, Santana, Sly and the Family Stone, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Joe Cocker. (Lineup is subject to change.)

A who’s who of 60’s rockers who did not perform at Woodstock will be covered too: Bob Dylan, Four Seasons, Beach Boys, Beatles, Rolling Stones, James Brown, Tom Jones, Aretha Franklin, Monkees, Neil Diamond, Cream, Mamas and the Papas, Otis Redding, Doors, Shirelles, Tina Turner, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Led Zeppelin and more.

For everyone who wanted to be at Woodstock but wasn’t, The 60’s: Peace, Love and Rock N’ Roll will make you feel like you are there.