It’s the Christmas season and what better time for Jon “Bowzer” Bauman to roll over and tell Chopin the news. The man called Bowzer showed up Sunday evening for two shows in the Savannah Center.
He along with his singing group, the Stingrays; Rocky and the Rollers band and former Sha Na Na singer Johnny Contardo threw a joyous family holiday party. Bowzer’s Christmas musical stew was flavored with oldies, doo-wop, classical piano, spirituals and some good old-fashioned carols. If that wasn’t enough there was also a dance contest and enough grease for peace to slick up the fireplace for Santa’s annual slide down the chimney.
“This is the best time of year and I love coming to The Villages for the holidays,” Bowzer said from the stage. “We consider Villagers part of our family and Rocky and the Rollers is our family band. “This holiday season is a time to be with the people we love. And we want to also remember the people we love who we’ve lost.”
With those words Bowzer paid tribute to the late Bill Pinkney, bass singer with the Drifters. Bowzer and the Stingrays offered the Drifters’ version of “White Christmas.”
“That’s the best doo-wop Christmas song ever,” Bowzer said. “It’s an honor to sing it for Bill.” Earlier, Bowzer, 67, opened with a couple of off-the-wall classics: “Popa-oom-mow-mow” and “Blue Moon.” Bowzer’s booming bass voice dominated the songs and he looked straight out of the ‘50s, dressed in his trademark black tee-shirt, with the sleeves rolled up near his shoulder, and black pants and slick hair. “Can you believe I’ve been making a living doing this for 45 years,” said the former Sha Na Na member. He then mentioned he attended Columbia University and Juilliard School of Music to study classical music. Bowzer suddenly turned into Mr. Bauman. All he needed was a coat and tails as he sat at the piano and played Chopin as if the Savannah Center was the Lincoln Center.
Another moving moment came when the Stingrays – Monty Arnold, Anthony Moore and Peter Kalivas — sang a couple of spirituals, including “Mary Did You Know” that earned a standing ovation.
This night had just about everything including a dance contest. Vivian Rogers, 67, of the Village of Gilchrist, was the winner and earned it by whirling and twirling across the stage like a kid at a sock hop. “
I’ve always loved dancing,” Rogers said. “I like the way Bowzer and these guys make music. I grew up during that era and I can still rock and roll.”
So can Buddy Groves of Chatham. Bowzer ran into the audience during a raucous version of the Isley Brothers’ shout. He happened to stop in the first row where Groves was sitting. “Now you sing, a little bit softer now,” Bowzer said putting a microphone in Groves’ face. Groves shouted a bit too loud and Bowzer tried to calm him by placing a hand on Groves’ head. “Hey, I didn’t mind, that’s what Bowzer does during the show,” Groves said later. “I loved the show. This music puts me back in the ‘50s.”
“We were high school sweethearts and we’ve been together 50 years,” said Groves’ wife, Diane. “We danced to this music when we were kids.” Another stirring moment came when Johnny Contardo took the stage. He was part of Sha Na Na for nearly 14 years with Bowzer until the group disbanded in the late 1970s.
“He had the best voice of anyone in Sha Na Na,” Bowzer said.
He and Contardo sang some Christmas carols, including “Silent Night” and “Joy to the World.” Then Contardo rocked out on Del Shannon’s “Runaway” as Bowzer hit all the right notes playing keyboards. Bowzer was also in top oldies form on “Hand Jive,” which almost turned into an aerobics class. All the performers joined on stage to sing “Goodnight Sweetheart,” which was a fitting end to a holiday musical feast.
Tony Violanti covers entertainment for Villages-News.com. He can be reached at [email protected]
