“I’M BACK” – that classic film tag line fits here. This is the second column and thank you so much for giving me this opportunity. Me, a Las Vegas columnist – well, kinda like that a lot. That’s one of the things I love about the entertainment industry. Only in America -- so, it’s me Little Anthony and here we go with “numero dos”.

“Doo Wop” To That

One of the things that bugs me is how Little Anthony & The Imperials is perceived to be “a doo wop group”. Our group is so much more and historically our biggest hits were in the ‘60s. We did shows that included all of the early British invasion groups. We did shows with The Dave Clark Five, The Zombies, Herman’s Hermits, and others. Yet, Little Anthony & The Imperials’ name, by perception, is tagged to “doo wop”.

Little Anthony & The Imperials is a contemporary pop/rhythm and blues vocal group and I feel that fact we were even nominated into the Rock And Roll HOF validates our contribution to that music we love -- “rock and roll”. Paul Shaffer saw that and our performance of “Hurt So Bad” with that orchestra on Letterman also showed what this group is made of.

They are my friends. Clarence and I go back to the Ft. Greene projects – grammar school and so does Ernest.

“Tears On My Pillow” is not a “doo wop song” and “Outside Looking In” isn’t either. “Hurt So Bad”, “Take Me Back”, “Goin Out Of My Head” are love songs. A “doo wop group” sings only one style – New York in the mid-50s. Groups like The Elegants, The Duprees, The Jesters immediately come to mind – they’re my definition of “doo wop”.

“Tears On My Pillow” was written by Al Lewis and Sylvester Bradford, who recently passed, and their memory always echoes for us when we sing it. “Going Out Of My Head” is one of the most prolific songs of the 20^th century, written by Teddy Randazzo and Bobby Weinstein and it’s much more universal than “doo wop”. I could go on and on but if you think about (and listen to) the song and the lyrics, you’ll get the message.

If you need a little “doo wop” though “Just Two Kinds Of People” is our salute to “New York doo wop”. It was written in 1958 by Ernest Wright and we were all of 18 at the time. Little Anthony & The Imperials’ records in the ‘60s and into the ‘70s represent our ongoing testimony and our body of hits contribution. That is why we continue performing live shows, launching our new CD and marvel at our ability to now do downloads on iTunes. We’ve gone from “45 rpms to digital downloads” – that’s Little Anthony & The Imperials and the music business in a nutshell.

Thank You William Paterson University

Last week I was able to do a Q&A at William Paterson University in Wayne, NJ and one of the students asked about my cooking. I’ve developed quite a rep for cooking of late, especially for cooking creole style and my home baking. At home in Vegas, off-the-road, cooking allows me to create. You could say, I get to get my cake and eat it too. I’ll betcha my PR guy tipped that student off.

Another student asked how has Little Anthony & The Imperials survived and I always say, by the grace of God first. Second, we learned to adapt and adjust. Many of the singing groups of the 60s-70s were the recording stars of their day.

They are not recording stars any more and they did no change-over to becoming performers. Usher is a recording star and Christina Aquilera, Mariah Carey, Madonna, Jay Z are too. Little Anthony & The Imperials are performers and the recent show at the Tropicana here in Vegas was a prime example – it was one of our best performances in years.  

Why “Little Agony” Means So Much – Goodbye Levi

I was saddened to hear of the passing of Levi Stubbs of The Four Tops. He was one of my friends and one of the great lead voices of any singing group I can think of. Levi gave me a nickname which I more than likely earned, “Little Agony”. I wear that nickname with honor Levi – you’ll be missed. God’s got one great singer now in the choir. Man, he could sing something fierce.

Beach Award – Nov. 8^th – South Carolina

Little Anthony & The Imperials are headed to the Coastal Carolina Fair on Saturday, Nov. 8^th to be presented with their regional “Beach Award”. In the 60s and 70s, we played the bar circuit which started at Virginia Beach and went south along the coast. Jerry Butler, The Temptations and all the Motown groups did that circuit playing to all the clubs the frat houses frequented. The dance “The Shag” was created there and that was big with the frats. They are presenting us with “The Beach Award 2009”. Thank you South Carolina we appreciate you appreciating (and remembering) us.

CBS Sunday Morning Interview – Airs In Dec.

I mentioned Ft. Greene earlier – well Clarence and I went back this summer to do a walk-through interview for CBS Sunday Morning with Jeff Greenfield. I understand that they are going to air it in December. It was a great interview since Jeff was so knowledgeable about the particulars of New York rock ‘n roll and its evolution. He knew his stuff. I can’t wait until it airs on one of the Sundays in Dec. Ironically we talked about “doo wop” and our Brooklyn musical heritage in depth. We even wound up singing with Jeff at the projects on the old street corner. Cool, huh? You know what? The old concrete park bench near the projects that we used to rehearse on 50 years ago, is still there.

Tour Dates

Date City Venue

Sat Nov 8 '08 Ladson SC Coastal Carolina Fair

Fri Nov 28 '08 Laughlin NV Tropicana Express

Sat Nov 29 '08 Laughlin NV Tropicana Express

Fri Dec 12 '08 Pittsburgh PA Mellon Arena

Fri Dec 19 '08 Friant CA Table Mountain Casino

Sat Jan 3 '09 Stateline NV Harrah's Hotel Casino Lake Tahoe

Sat Jan 31 '09 Cerritos CA Cerritos Center For The Performing Arts

Sat Feb 7 '09 Red Bank NJ Count Basie Theatre

Thu Feb 12 '09 North Tampa FL. Ford Amphitheater

Fri Feb 13 '09 Cleveland OH Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Sat Feb 14 '09 Nashville TN Grand Ole Opry House

Sun Feb 15 '09 Schenectady NY Proctor's Theatre

Sat Mar 7 '09 Clearwater FL Ruth Eckerd Hall

Sun Mar 8 '09 Ft. Lauderdale FL Broward Center For The Perf. Arts

Sat Mar 21 '09 Jacksonville FL Moran Theatre

Sat Mar 28 '09 Portland OR Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall

Sat Apr 4 '09 Rochester NY Auditorium Theatre

Sun Apr 19 '09 Baltimore MD Lyric Opera House

Sat May 23 '09 Airway Heights WA Northern Quest Casino

Sun May 24 '09 Airway Heights WA Northern Quest Casino

Fri May 29 '09 Bow WA Skagit Valley Casino Resort

Sat Jun 13 '09 East Rutherford NJ Izod Center

Sat Jul 11 '09 N. Las Vegas NV The Cannery Casino & hotel

Sat Sep 12 '09 Williamsburg VA Busch Gardens

Sun Sep 13 '09 Williamsburg VA Busch Gardens