Nostalgia has its place but Terry Johnson relishes living – and singing — in the present.
Johnson, 79, made it to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the pioneering doo-wop group The Flamingos. He also worked at Motown with Smokey Robinson, The Four Tops, The Temptations and the Supremes.
Johnson wrote and produced The Flamingos’ all-time hits, “Lovers Never Say Goodbye” and sang harmony and arranged “I Only Have Eyes For You.”
But that’s history.
On Sunday, Terry Johnson and the Flamingos played the SeaBreeze Recreation Center and he was able to do what he has done for over six decades — sing.
“For me to be still doing this now is like putting ice cream on top of the cake,” Johnson said before performing at the Paisans Club with Rocky and the Rollers. “I’m still singing, and I’m still happy.”
So is Jerry Vicenti, head of the Paisans Club.
“We’ve never had a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer before,” Vicenti said. “Terry Johnson is an amazing singer and important person in the history of rock and roll. He showed why tonight.”
One reason is the classic song, “Lovers Never Say Goodbye.”
“That song changed everything,” Johnson said, adding it moved the Flamingos from just an R&B group to a much wider pop audience.
Johnson, along with Starling Newsome Jr. and Stan Prinston, delivered the song with glistening, soulful harmony.
Their slick stage mannerisms and classy moves enhanced the vocals.
Johnson still possesses songwriting and production skills.
Johnson and the Flamingos released a couple of Top Ten hits on the European charts in the past year. He and his musical director – Theresa Trigg — recently produced an album for Boys II Men.”
It’s nice to be contemporary but Johnson owned up to the Flamingos glorious history on Sunday night.
They opened with “Mio Amore,” another doo-wop classic that showcased Johnson’s songwriting and arranging skills.
“Terry Johnson and the Flamingos are one of the most influential acts in music history,” said DJ Al Brady, who hosted the concert. “It wasn’t just the singing, it was the orchestration and the harmony.
“That was in the mid-1950s. All the groups that came later, were influenced by that sound.”
Johnson and the Flamingos showed their versatility singing the Latin-flavored “Besame Mucho” and a glossy “Begin the Beguine.” Then Johnson added spiritual power to “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”
It was back to R&B with “Nobody Loves Me Like You.”
“Sam Cooke wrote that one for us in 1960,” Johnson said. The most famous song Johnson arranged, “I Only Have Eyes For You,” still sounds as fresh as ever.
“Of course I remember those songs,” said Villager Joe Voss. “I love the sound, you can really feel it.”
Villager Lucille Favaro agreed.
“That’s our music,” she said, “it makes you want to get up and dance.”
Rocky and the Rollers opened the show in lively style. The group was a bit waterlogged after getting off the boat Sunday, ending a two-week cruise.
But they still rocked, especially lead singer Al Morse on “Land of 1,000 Dances” and “Shout.” Gerry “Rocky” Seader, played the drums on a cardboard box to Buddy Holly’s “Peggy Sue.”
Another highlight came when Rocky’s horn section took center stage and sang Herb Alpert’s “This Guy’s In Love With You.”
Rick Abbott (trombone), Bruce Nardi (sax) and Steve Falkner (trumpet) took turns singing the song. Then they back to their horns for a medley of Albert’s instrumental hits with the Tijuana Brass.