Concert promoter Rich Engler to share memories at Stockdale oldies dance
A legendary Pittsburgh concert promoter will be a special guest at an upcoming Stockdale oldies dance.
Rich Engler will enhance the “All Oldies, Only Oldies” dance April 5 at the Stockdale Volunteer Fire Department's community social center. Engler, of Sewickley Heights, is an author and the first inductee into the Pittsburgh Rock ‘N Roll Hall of Fame.
“We are very pleased that Rich will be at the dance, he is truly an icon of the entertainment business in Pittsburgh and beyond,” said Al Marcy, first assistant chief and entertainment chairman of the Stockdale Volunteer Fire Department.
“He was a pioneer in presenting concerts that featured major performers to our region and created so many memorable moments for us in the process.”
Engler will present a pre-dance program at 7:30 p.m. and will be available for autographs and pictures. Copies of his autobiography, “Behind The Stage Door: A Promoter's Life Behind The Scenes,” (Music Works, $24.95) will be on sale (cash or credit card), with portions of the proceeds going to the Cancer Caring Center, which provides free services to cancer patients.
Memorabilia from Engler's 40-plus years in the business will be on display at the oldies dance and will include his collection of classic guitars from such artists as The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, the Everly Brothers, Bo Diddley, Bob Dylan, Chuck Berry, Bon Jovi, James Brown and Smokey Robinson.
“It's a magnificent collection filled with unparalleled history of the entertainers and the music that has transcended time as a special part of our lives,” Marcy said.
The April 5 dance will run from 8 p.m. to midnight and will feature disc jockey Ralph Trilli, co-host of Cruisin' Sunday on WJPA in Washington, with music from the 1950s and early 1960s.
Tickets for the BYOE (Bring Your Own Everything – food and beverages) affair are $10 per person and tables of eight or more are available. Seating will be limited to 600 and reservations can be made by calling 724-330-5002.
The fire department will provide free refreshments (not pop).
“Judging from the inquiries we've been receiving, this is going to be another sellout,” Marcy said. “We are deeply grateful to those Oldies aficionados from throughout the Mon Valley, western Pennsylvania and out of state who support the dances.”
The original Stockdlae record hops for teenagers ran from Dec. 21, 1957 through 1964 and, in their heyday, regularly drew crowds of 1,000. Live performances by such artists as The Flamingos, The Skyliners, Lou Christie, The Stereos, The McGuire Sisters, Sonny and the Premiers and Gary U.S. Bonds were a mainstay of those dances.
A belated 50th anniversary dance on Feb. 16, 2008 attracted some 1,100 people from western Pennsylvania as well as California, Florida, Virginia, Iowa, Ohio and other states. In the interest of comfort, seating has been limited to 600 since then and attendance of 500 or more has been the norm.
“I'm looking forward to being at Stockdale,” Engler said. “I've heard so many good things about the history of the dances there and of course the music and people that perpetuate that legacy today.”
Engler's appearance at the April 5 dance is symbolic because he was influenced by music of the 1950s during his formative years in Creighton, a quiet suburb of New Kensington, and as a student in the former East Deer Frazier School District.
“The last half of the 20th century was a time of great change in the United States,” he recalls in his autobiography. “The Vietnam War, women's liberation and the civil rights movement were part of this upheaval of American society. All of these things coincided with the birth of a cultural phenomenon, an art form the world had never seen or heard before – Rock and Roll.
“I was fortunate to be there at that time. As a young kid in the 1950s, I was amazed at the music being made by Bill Haley and the Comets, Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley.”
Engler joined a band (The Royals) when he was a junior in high school in 1963.
“I fancied myself as a hip young guy,” he said. “Then, The Beatles came along and redefined the essence of cool. Everything changed, especially my course in life. I loved rock and roll, but not only because of the music. It was of, for and by my generation. It as ours and with all my heart I believed this new form of expression was going to change the world. I wanted to be part of it.
“Maybe I could have made it as a musician, maybe not. Instead, I became a promoter in Pittsburgh.”
And he never looked back.
By the late 1960s, Engler was booking concerts at theaters and colleges in Pennsylvania, New York and Ohio.
In a move to graduate to bigger venues in 1973, he joined forces with another Pittsburgh promoter, Pat DiCesare, to form DiCesare-Engler Productions, which became one of the most respected and successful concert promotion teams in the United States.
They promoted some of the best and most popular acts in the world including The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Bon Jovi, Fleetwood Mac, The Beach Boys, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Madonna, Aerosmith and Genesis.
DiCesare-Engler Productions was sold in 1998 but Engler, remains busy, on a limited basis, as a promoter and music producer.
Engler's autobiography offers a personal and poignant reminiscence of his career.
Engler's success and influence on the entertainment industry will be recognized Jan. 23 when he becomes the first inductee into the Pittsburgh Rock ‘N Roll Hall of Fame, created by the Hard Rock Café and the Cancer Caring Center.
The award will be presented at a gala at the Hard Rock Café in Pittsburgh by Joel Peresman, president and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Foundation.
A video retrospective of Engler's career will be shown. It was produced by Dunlevy native and Charleroi Area High School graduate Ed Traversari, a longtime employee of DiCesare-Engler, who remains active in the industry.
Traversari is an associate professor of sports, arts and entertainment management at Point Park University, Pittsburgh.
