“Back by popular demand.”
That could well be the theme of the ninth annual Valentine's Day dinner dance and show to be presented by the New Eagle Volunteer Fire Department at its social center on Feb. 15.
Open to the public, the event, which is one of the most successful of its kind in the Pittsburgh region, again will feature Pure Gold, one of the nation's premier vocal groups.
“We are very pleased that Pure Gold will be returning to New Eagle for the dance,” said Dorothea Pemberton, executive director of the Monongahela Area Chamber of Commerce and president of the fire department's Women's Auxiliary. “They were certainly a hit last year, to say the least, and people were asking us that night to bring them back.”
Doors for the show will open at 5 p.m., dinner will be at 6 and dancing will begin at 7.
Tickets for the BYOB affair are $30 per person if purchased in advance and include dinner and beverages (beer or pop). Tickets also will be available at the door the night of the dance at $35 each, provided the event is not sold out in advance, which it has been in previous years.
A Chinese auction and a half-the-take prize also will be featured.
Additional information is available at 724-258-6530 and www.neweaglevfd.org.
With distinct a cappella vocals and four-part harmonies, Pure Gold will bring to the New Eagle dance diverse sounds and musical styles with a stage presence that transcends audience ages and backgrounds.
“Pure Gold is synonymous with quality,” Pemberton said. “The highly polished band orchestrates the perfect mood with its music and adds ambiance to any affair.”
Pure Gold, which has been performing throughout the United States for some 30 years, comprises vocalists Ron Crawley, Susan DeLuca, Jimmie Ross, Sidney Hill and Tony Impavido sharing leads and background harmony. Ross is a founder and lead singer of The Jaggerz, another Pittsburgh group that enjoyed national acclaim with its 1970 hit, “The Rapper.”
Impavido also is the bass guitarist with the group. The other multitalented musicians are Garvin on lead guitar, Nick Gimiliano on drums/percussion and Larry Siefers on keyboard, saxophone, flute and harmonica.
The band has performed at such venues as Radio City Music Hall and The Waldorf Astoria in New York City and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. As the first non-inductees to play at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Pure Gold's success there prompted an invitation to return for a New Year's Eve concert.
They also have worked countless engagements and wedding receptions, birthday parties and anniversary celebrations, and events for the National Football League, National Hockey League and Heinz USA.
Also featured on such nationally televised PBS specials as “Doo Wop 50,” “Rock, Rhythm & Doo Wop,” “Soul Spectacular,” “Red, White and Rock” and “Rock & Roll 50,” Pure Gold has worked with some of the music's biggest legends including Aretha Franklin, Frankie Valli, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson, The Four Tops and The Isley Brothers. The group has released several of its own CDs and the musicians preformed on the entire American Soundtrack Series.
Pure Gold's repertoire includes music from the 1950s, '60s and '70s with a blend of blues, standards and original material to highlight their unique talents and range.
“They present music that transcends time and a show that is directed at dancing and listening pleasure,” Pemberton said. “That was evident with the response they received last year and it's why they're coming back — they are professionals and crowd pleasers in every sense of the word.”
