Pam & Charlie Horner's 5th
Anniversary Celebration
Part 1 - Behind the Scenes
How it all began:
In 2007 we (Charlie & Pamela Horner) decided to take a field trip to
Memphis, TN. After visiting all the music tourist attractions we
picked up our hotel's newsletter that listed weekly entertainment in
Memphis. One of the items listed was "The Masqueraders: Doo Wop With A
Twist," playing at the Blues City Cafe on Beale Street.
I (Charlie) was very familiar with the soul
music of a Masqueraders group from the 1960's and 1970's that had songs like
"I Ain't Got To Love Nobody Else," "I'm Just An Average Guy" and "They Call
Me The Traveling Man".
The R&B vocal group was very big in Philly
where I grew up and I had always been their biggest fan. But I doubted
that the group appearing on Beale Street had any relation to the
Masqueraders I remembered. Pam was more optimistic than I was and
insisted we go see them anyway.
Blues City Cafe, Beale Street, Memphis,
2007
That evening we were treated to some great harmony by a trio
that indeed included three original members of the group I remembered from
the sixties. Between sets we met Harold "Sundance" Thomas, Robert
"Tex" Wrightsil and Sammie Hutchins. When I asked them if they were
the group that recorded "One More Chance" and "I'm Just An Average Guy," the
group was surprise I knew of them. The group really impressed us with
their version of the Sam Cooke song, "A Change Is Gonna Come," done in blow
harmony. We went back the next night and got to know the Masqueraders
a little better. The wanted to come to New Jersey and we started
thinking about the possibility.
Left to right: Harold "Sundance" Thomas,
Pam Horner,
Robert "Tex" Wrightsil and Sammie Hutchins
Sundance, Pam & Charlie
Sam, Pam & Charlie
Tex, Sundance and Sam at the Blues City
Cafe, 2007
Some time had passed and we decided celebrate our 5th wedding
anniversary with a gala celebration. Our first concern was to decide
on entertainment. It was Pam who remembered the Masqueraders. We
called Sundance and told him we wanted to bring the Masqueraders to New
Jersey, but they were a trio and we were quartet people. Sundance
contacted two original members of the Masqueraders who were living in
Dallas, TX, including David "Cowboy" Sanders and original lead, Abdur Rahman
"Lee" Hatim. They were both very happy to reunite for the occasion.
At this point we were thrilled that we would have five original members of
the Masqueraders that had not sung together as a quintet since 1980.
We also started looking into other groups to perform with the Masqueraders
at the celebration.
Ten months of preparation went into this
celebration. We decided to hold the event at the Palace at Somerset
Park (Somerset, NJ) because it was luxurious and close to Classic Urban
Harmony Headquarters.
The Palace at Somerset Park, Somerset, NJ
We drew up our initial guest list from our
family and closest friends. We selected and had invitations sent out
with personally designed postage stamps.
We decided to name each table for a record
label. We selected and scanned labels from the Classic Urban Harmony
Archives. These were framed and turned into table names.
Record labels selected
Record labels framed for each table
We printed, cut and folded place cards withy the names of
guests to match the tables guests sat at.
Table cards on the computer screen
Printing the table cards
Cutting the table cards
Cutting the table cards
Cutting the table cards
Pam folding the table cards
Table cards in alphabetical order
Table cards
Table cards
No vocal group event is complete without a unique take home
favor for guests. We decide to give each guest a home made chocolate
figure of a doo wop singing group. This was no easy task since there
were no molds existing of doo wop figures. We had to design our own
molds, order metal stampers to be made from our design and then have plastic
molds made from the stampers. We then had to melt more than fifty
pounds of chocolate in our microwave, one pound at a time, and pour it into
molds. Molds had to be filled, tapped to remove bubbles and put into
the freezer for 15 minutes. They then had to be separated from the
molds and placed in gift bags, tied by ribbons. Extra doo wop figures
had to be made from dietetic chocolate.
Molds before being filled with chocolate
Preparing to melt chocolate
One pound of chocolate made 6 to 8
chocolate doo wop figures
Pam mixing molten chocolate
Pam filling the molds
Charlie filling the molds
Tapping the molds to remove bubbles
Two molds filled with molten chocolate
Chocolate hardens in the freezer.
Only 161 more to go and we can start on the dietetic ones!
Charlie cleaning up after finishing the
dietetic chocolates.
All imperfect figures had to be eaten.
Pam wrapping each and every doo wop figure.
Color of the ribbon signified regular or sugar-free chocolate.
In addition to the Masqueraders, we also asked the fine
acappella group, the Sheps to sing at our anniversary. We chose the
Sheps because they were not only one of the finer vocal groups around, but
they had previously demonstrated a talent for backing other celebrity
singers. We envisioned our friend Bobby Thomas, formerly of the
Vibranaires and Orioles, singing his 1954 classic, "Doll Face". We
also wanted the Sheps to back Sammy Campbell and Ron Taylor of the Del Larks
on "I Never Will Forget." On August 29, 2010, the Sheps performed in
our community and we invited them back to Classic Urban Harmony Headquarters
to rehearse with Bobby Thomas. Our friends Vic Donna and Bill Keith,
who would also sing at our anniversary were also there.
L to R: Sheps' Johnnie Barlow, Tommy
Lockhart, Charlie Coleman along with Bill Keith.
Pam, Bobby Thomas and Sheps' Tommie Shider
at CUH Headquarters
Bobby Thomas, Pam & Charlie
Bill Keith, formerly of the Blendtones, A
Moments Pleasure
& the (Phila.) Students and Dell Larks' Ron Taylor
Vic Donna hitting some notes with the Sheps
at CUH Headquarters
while Del Larks' Ron Taylor looks on.
The Sheps rehearsing
Bobby Thomas (with guitar) rehearsing "Doll
Face" with the Sheps
Angelo Pompeo & Pam watch the rehearsal
Bobby Thomas
The months of September and October kept us quite busy
preparing for the anniversary. We had to select a florist, purchases
dresses for Pam and rent a tux for Charlie. We met with our planner
from the Palace regularly to taste menu items, work out a floor plan and
discuss every aspect of the event. Most aspects of our celebration were
kept as surprises from our guests. The final lineup of entertainment
would turn out to be the Sheps doing their own set and then backing
Vibranaires' Bobby Thomas on "Doll Face", backing Sam Campbell and Ron
Taylor of the Del Larks on "I Never Will Forget" and backing Cornerstone's
"Golden Voice Harry" Schmitt on "When We Get Married." Then Vic Donna
would debut his new vocal group on three songs. The Vic Donna Group
would also back Vito & the Salutations' original, Shelly Buchansky.
Bill Keith would lead an all star group on one number and Frankie Lafaro and
Little Isidore would each sing a song. The Masqueraders would close
the celebration in a grand and spectacular way.
At this point we were almost ready for
singers and guests to begin arriving. Gift bags were prepared for out
of town hotel guests.
Gift bags for out of town guests at the
hotel.
To see photos of the arrival of the Masqueraders, their rehearsals and Pam's
birthday dinner the night before the anniversary celebration, click
Part 2.
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