A few years ago, Susan DeLuca of Pittsburgh’s Pure Gold felt a tap on her shoulder after performing at a gathering of vocal groups in New Jersey.
Turning around, she acknowledged a man who stood to only about her shoulder in height.
Small in stature but a giant in music, she immediately realized who he was — perhaps America’s greatest living contemporary songwriter, Paul Simon, who has a deep respect for the sound of the early vocal groups, to which Pure Gold pays homage in its repertoire.
“We each met him personally as he came up to every Pure Gold singer and told each one individually how much he enjoyed our performance,” DeLuca recalls. “That was a thrill, especially considering the source.”
Many admirers
Simon certainly is not alone in his admiration for Pure Gold, celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, and headlining at the Lamp Theatre, Irwin, at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 3.
Thirty million viewers watched this vocal/instrumental group provide accompaniment for the nationally televised PBS specials “Doo Wop 50,” “Doo Wop 51,” “Rock, Rhythm Doo Wop,” “Soul Spectacular,” “Rhythm Love Soul,” “Red, White & Rock” and “Rock Roll 50.”
Members opened for Chuck Berry, The Temptations and Smokey Robinson, and were on stage with Aretha Franklin, Frankie Valli, Chuck Berry, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson, The Four Tops and The Isley Brothers.
Pure Gold’s musicians also performed on the entire “American Soundtrack” series.
Honored to be first
Pure Gold members were the first non-inductees to play at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the overwhelming response prompted an invitation to return as the first group to perform there on New Year’s Eve.
The group has entertained for the National Football and Hockey leagues and shared the golden age of American vocal group harmony in performances at such classy digs as Radio City Music Hall and The Waldorf Astoria in New York.
“The time has passed so quickly during this wonderful journey. There’s still so much music to be made and we feel we’re all still in good form,” DeLuca says.
All about good music
The group is all about good music, especially preserving the music from the earliest days of rock ’n’ roll, she explains. “We are most proud that new fans tell us that they are transported to a happy, carefree musical journey down memory lane.”
She believes Pure Gold’s strengths are true appreciation of the audience, musicianship, vocal acumen, and the cohesive nature as a group, with harmony both on and off the stage.
The band’s audience, she says, is anyone who appreciates good music, especially ’50s, ’60s and ’70s rock ’n’ roll.
Praise for the Lamp
“We’re thrilled to be returning to the Lamp Theatre. It is a beautifully restored venue, which is large enough to accommodate our fans, but intimate enough to provide each audience member a good vantage point to see and hear the show,” DeLuca says.
“Pure Gold has always been popular in Irwin and the surrounding area. We feel at home there.”
It is vital the repertoire the band performs is preserved, she says.
“This music was such a major departure from the music of our parents’ generation, which we also loved. It would not be an exaggeration to say that it was a musical revolution,” DeLuca says. “It is the very foundation of the broad genre that is called rock ’n’ roll. For this reason, it must be preserved. We hope that our audience always takes with them a feeling of joy and that they have been truly entertained.”
Rex Rutkoski is a Tribune-Review contributing writer.
