Surf Ballroom announces 2018 Winter Dance Party entertainment

Advance tickets on sale starting at 8 a.m. Nov. 8

Brenda Lee and Bobby Rydell will headline the 2018 Winter Dance Party Jan. 31- Feb. 3 at the legendary Surf Ballroom® in Clear Lake.

“The 2018 lineup promises energetic performances, moments of remembrance, and a continued celebration of the rock ‘n roll history that our annual Winter Dance Party event has become synonymous with,” stated Surf Ballroom & Museum President, Jeff Nicholas.  “We are honored to have so many artists on the schedule who truly want to play at the Surf to carry on the many traditions and pay homage to the legendary performers that changed rock ‘n roll forever.”

Things start rockin’ Wednesday, Jan. 31, with the Winter Dance Party Family Sock Hop featuring Johnny Rogers’ “History of Rock ’N’ Roll Show.”  Rogers’ show includes portrayals of Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly, Single-night tickets for the Family Sock Hop are available for $10 in advance, $13 at the door.

Thursday night’s lineup features Freddy “Boom Boom” Cannon, who lit up the charts with such hits as “Tallahassee Lassie,” “Way Down Yonder In New Orleans,” Palisades Park” and “Action!”  He was such a hit with Dick Clark that he became the most frequent guest star on “American Bandstand.”

Also featured Thursday will be Jay Siegel’s Tokens.  Siegel is best known for his falsetto on the classic hit  “The Lion

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Sleeps Tonight.”  Siegel has also produced numerous pop classics including The Chiffons’ “One Fine Day” and “He’s So Fine,” Randy and the Rainbows’ “Denise,” Tony Orlando and Dawn’s “Candida,” “Knock Three Times” and “Tie a Yellow Ribbon” as well as The Happenings’ “See You in September.”

Other performers featured Thursday will be Austin Allsup, son of Surf Ballroom legend Tommy Allsup, and Rosie & The Rivets.  “We are so pleased to have Austin (Allsup) return to the Surf,” said Event Producer, Shane Cooney.  “It is our hope that he can be a Winter Dance Party regular, much as his father was.  His exceptional performance last year represented a continuation of the legacy of Tommy Allusp’s music, and was delivered with amazing energy and authenticity,” he concluded.

Austin Allsup was recently a top-10 finalist on NBC’s “The Voice” and was a hit at the 2017 Winter Dance Party.  His father, Tommy, played guitar with Buddy Holly during the 1959 Winter Dance Party Tour and was a regular Surf Ballroom favorite until his death just before the 2017 event.

Rosie & The Rivets play some of the top dance music of the 1950s and ‘60s.

Friday’s program features The Holly Rocka Rollaz, Bobby Cochran, Vito Picone’s The Elegants and The Tailfins.

The Holy Rocka Rollaz became instant Winter Dance Party favorites several years ago when they thrilled a Winter Dance Party luncheon. The high-energy trio performs classics from the 1950s and ‘60s, and has become a main-stage favorite at the annual event.

Bobby Cochran is the nephew of the late rock legend Eddie Cochran, and they were inducted into the International Rockabilly Hall of Fame together in 2017, the first time two family members have achieved that honor. Bobby Cochran has performed with numerous bands, including Steppenwolf, the Flying Burrito Brothers and Leon Russell.

The Elegants were formed in 1956 by Vito Picone, who co-wrote their No. 1 single, “Little Star.” The group was named the number one R&B and number one Pop artists of the year in 1958 and was the first doo-wop group to perform at the Lincoln Center.  The Elegants toured with Buddy Holly and asked to appear at this years’ event to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of “Little Star.”

The Tailfins, from the Quad-Cities area, also features doo-wop vocals as they play music from the 1950s, ‘60s and beyond.

Saturday’s grand finale will feature two of the more dynamic performers in rock ’n’ roll history, Brenda Lee and Bobby Rydell, along with Winter Dance Party favorite Albert Lee & Friends; Linda Gail Lewis, sister of legendary rocker Jerry Lee Lewis; and Danny B. Harvey & Annie Marie Lewis.

“Brenda Lee and Bobby Rydell will both be performing at the Surf Ballroom for the first time during a Winter Dance Party event,” noted Surf Ballroom & Museum Executive Director, Laurie Lietz.  “We have tried for years to include them in our lineup and are thrilled to finally have them play on our stage,” she concluded.

Brenda Lee had 47 U.S. chart hits during the 1960s, surpassed only by Elvis Presley, the Beatles and Ray Charles. She is perhaps best known in the United States for her 1960 hit “I’m Sorry” and the holiday standard “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.”  Other major hits were “Jambalaya,” “Sweet Nothin’s” and many others.

Rydell, a polished performer by the age 19, was the youngest headliner ever at the famous Copacabana in New York City. He had 34 Top 40 hits, placing him in the top five artists of his era, according to Billboard Magazine. Among them were “Volare,” “Wild One,” “We Got Love” and “Forget Him,” accounting for over 25 million records sold. In 1963 he starred with Ann-Margret in the iconic movie, “Bye Bye Birdie.”

Albert Lee is a native of England and was greatly influenced by recordings of Buddy Holly and the Crickets, Gene Vincent and the Everly Brothers. In 1978 he met Eric Clapton, who called him his favorite guitar player, and was invited to join his band and play on Clapton’s live album, “Just One Night.”  He went on to work with Clapton for five years and would tour with the Everly Brothers off and on for 20 years.  He won two Grammy Awards, in 2002 for his contribution to “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” featured on “Earl Scruggs and Friends,” and in 2009 for his performance on Brad Paisley’s instrumental, “Cluster Pluck.”

Linda Gail Lewis, like her brother Jerry Lee Lewis, is a singer and pianist. She has recorded with her brother as well as Stephen Ackles, Van Morrison and her daughters in a group called the Lewis 3.

Annie Marie Lewis is Linda Gail’s daughter, Jerry Lee’s niece and cousin of Mickey Gilley.  She has opened shows for Jerry Lee with her mama since she was a teenager. She recently hooked up with Texas Rockabilly star Danny B. Harvey and toured with him as a duo and guest singer in his band, The 69 Cats.  Harvey is best known as the guitarist for the super group HeadCat (a band he formed with the late Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead and Slim Jim Phantom of Stray Cats). Advance tickets for the 2018 event will be sold for $115 each, and are valid for the evenings of Thursday, Feb. 1, through Saturday, Feb. 3.  Both tickets and seating for the event will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis.  Seating for the event is priced at $100 for a four-person booth, $150 for a six-person booth and $250 for a table which seats 10 people. A minimum of four tickets must be purchased to reserve a four-person booth, six tickets to reserve a six-person booth and 10 tickets to reserve a 10-person table on the floor.  The booths and tables will be reserved for all three evenings of entertainment (Thursday through Saturday evenings). Tickets for the event are non-refundable and the entertainment lineup is subject to change.  Tickets and seating reservations may be purchased online at the Surf Ballroom’s website (www.surfballroom.com) or by calling the Surf’s box office at 641-357-6151 beginning at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 8.

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