The Oldies Are Goodies For East End Audiences - 27 East

Arts & Living

Arts & Living / 1953976

The Oldies Are Goodies For East End Audiences

icon 6 Photos
WLNG 92.1 FM morning deejay and general manager Gary Sapiane at the board playing the oldies.

WLNG 92.1 FM morning deejay and general manager Gary Sapiane at the board playing the oldies. COURTESY WLNG RADIO

WLNG 92.1 FM deejay and general manager Gary Sapiane with Bill Evans, the station's owner, and a couple of their awards. COURTESY WLNG RADIO

WLNG 92.1 FM deejay and general manager Gary Sapiane with Bill Evans, the station's owner, and a couple of their awards. COURTESY WLNG RADIO

Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits packed the Suffolk Theater house when he played there in early April. COURTESY THE ARTIST

Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits packed the Suffolk Theater house when he played there in early April. COURTESY THE ARTIST

In late April, The Zombies had the crowd at Suffolk Theater singing along to '60s hits like

In late April, The Zombies had the crowd at Suffolk Theater singing along to '60s hits like "She’s Not There." COURTESY THE ARTISTS

The Moondogs performing a Beatles show at Bay Street Theater in December. On June 18, The Moondogs will be at Suffolk Theater in Riverhead to pay tribute to Paul McCartney's 80th birthday. MICHAEL HELLER

The Moondogs performing a Beatles show at Bay Street Theater in December. On June 18, The Moondogs will be at Suffolk Theater in Riverhead to pay tribute to Paul McCartney's 80th birthday. MICHAEL HELLER

WLNG 91.1 FM's program director Bill Evans in the station's mobile broadcasting truck with deejay and general manager Gary Sapiane who has been playing  oldies for decades. COURTESY WLNG RADIO

WLNG 91.1 FM's program director Bill Evans in the station's mobile broadcasting truck with deejay and general manager Gary Sapiane who has been playing oldies for decades. COURTESY WLNG RADIO

authorDebbie Tuma on May 19, 2022

There’s a saying, “If you remember the ’60s, you weren’t there.”

But there are still plenty of die-hard fans of the music of the 1950s and 1960s who have never forgotten that oldies era, and they still know the words to all the songs, as evidenced by the large turnouts packing the 700-seat Suffolk Theater these days.

In recent months, the theater has brought back many of the favorite oldies bands and singers, including Frankie Avalon, the Zombies, Herman’s Hermits, and John Lodge and the Moody Blues. After months of being closed during the pandemic, the Suffolk Theater reopened early last fall, and like other theaters around the country, was about 30 percent down in attendance, but has been working its way back up. Now the lights are on, the bar is hopping and the seats are filling up once again at this historic theater, located in the heart of Main Street in Riverhead.

And bringing back these favorite oldies shows has helped, according to Suffolk Theater’s new executive director, Gary Hygom.

“I think the ’50s kind of set the stage for the toddler years of rock and roll, which came into its own in the ’60s, and defined a generation,” he said. “To me, the ’60s was really the birth of rock and roll. It was about living and loving, about peace, and having a good time. There’s something magical about that decade — it was an age of creation, exploring new musical sounds and a more simplistic time.”

Hygom said one of the theater’s most popular shows to date was Herman’s Hermits starring singer/songwriter Peter Noone, who performed there for the first time on April 2. Among Noone’s hits are songs like “I’m into Something Good,” “There’s a Kind of Hush,” and “Mrs. Brown, You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter.” Even though he wrote many of these songs in the early 1960s, and made them famous during the British Invasion, they are still so popular that his Suffolk Theater show drew about 600 people.

When asked why he thought his and other 1960s music has endured so long, in a recent interview, Noone, 74, said he feels it’s because his music represents the real experiences of his generation.

“It was a period in time when young people’s parents dropped them off at the cinema,” Noone said. “They went on dates, went dancing to the twist, and met under the boardwalk and under the roof.

“It’s a live music adventure, and it hasn’t been replaced,” he added. “Nothing came along as fun and as real. It’s been replaced by robots — computer generated sound from electronics — they’re not using instruments anymore.”

Henry Uihlein, 72, of Amagansett, his wife, and some friends were among the fans who attend the Herman’s Hermits April show in Riverhead.

“These songs take you back to all the places you went and all your old girlfriends in grade school and high school,” he said. “I knew the words to every song, which were mostly love songs. It was a more simple and romantic time.”

When The Zombies performed at Suffolk Theater in late April, they also had their devotees in the house, cheering from the balcony to the front rows, when the band sang its hit songs, including “She’s Not There,” “Time of the Season,” and “I Love You.” And in February, Frankie Avalon, at 81 but looking 60, drew the crowd back to the fun and sun beach days with his sentimental love songs like “Venus” and “Why.”

In addition to live shows at Suffolk Theater, many East End fans of the genre know where they can go to find their favorite music locally — on WLNG 92.1 FM radio station in Sag Harbor, which started in 1963 in an effort to keep the oldies alive. Today the station has a devoted following of oldies fans from not just the East End, but around the world, who call in requests for their favorite songs.

Bill Evans, a former ABC meteorologist and radio announcer who took over the station in 2018 with his wife, Sandra Foschi, said the oldies songs are catchy and “never get boring — everyone can relate to them no matter what your age.”

Evans, the station’s program director and chief meteorologist, co-hosts “The Bill and Gary Show” at WLNG with general manager Gary Sapiane, who has been spinning the oldies for 47 years.

“Catchy songs are more fun and they bring us together,” Evans added. “When ‘I Feel Good’ by James Brown comes on, we all dance together at parties, weddings and gatherings because it’s one of those older songs everyone knows.”

He explained that originality is what makes the music of the era unique.

“Oldies songs have a truly distinctive style, beat and voice,” Evans said. “The older songs are more unprocessed and less edited, which produces a better style of music than the overproduced modern music we have today.”

One of WLNG’s biggest oldies fans is Manorville’s Yvonne Corrao, known as “Rock on Yvonne,” who is a self-proclaimed “Beatles expert.” She calls the station daily to request Beatles songs and to point out important dates in Beatles history.

“To me, the ’60s music was the best ever, and we have to keep the Beatles music alive,” said Corrao. “They’re an important part of our history that these young kids today need to know about. The Beatles music got me through a lot of tough times in my childhood, when things were hard. I saw each of the Beatles individually at their concerts after the Beatles years.”

Corrao is excited about the celebration of Paul McCartney’s 80th birthday on June 18, when Suffolk Theater features The Moondogs, an East End Beatles cover band, performing “Paul McCartney, The Early Years.”

Ron Pollaci, 78, a maître d’ at The American Hotel in Sag Harbor, was in the audience at the April Herman’s Hermits concert. He is a musician in his own right — a former singer who made two records under the name Ron Vincent that got out in the market in the 1960s.

“They were played by smaller stations around the country, but when the Beatles came here in 1964, they took over the markets,” he said. “But I still love the oldies, because there’s a melody, with a story.”

But it’s not just people of a certain generation who love the oldies. There are younger fans of the genre as well. Kris Ambrose, 42, is a music teacher at Hampton Bays Middle School and Middle Island School District who writes his own songs and enjoys the music of Elvis, the Turtles, Bob Dylan, and Creedence Clearwater Revival. His musical group, the Kris Ambrose Band, performed at Suffolk Theater as part of an autism event in 2015.

“I think the oldies music spans generations … a lot of young people love it, because they grew up with Baby Boomer parents, who played it in the house,” he said. “There’s a beauty in it, because people still had hope that you could change the world for the better. I think we need to get back to that.”

You May Also Like:

Springs Artist Fitzhugh Karol Debuts Outdoor Sculpture Show at Duck Creek

The Arts Center at Duck Creek will present “Fitzhugh Karol: On the Grounds,” a site-specific ... 8 Jul 2025 by Staff Writer

La Goulue Sur Mer Arrives in Southampton, With a Dash of Chaos and a Side of Style

“Is it true?” said the anxious DM on my Instagram account. “Is La Goulue really ... by Steven Stolman

Art on a Line: Guild Hall’s Clothesline Sale Hangs Tough for 2025

Guild Hall’s beloved Clothesline Art Sale returns on Saturday, July 19, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The annual event, a Hamptons tradition since 1946, transforms the museum’s lawn into a sea of original artwork — hung on clotheslines — and offers visitors the chance to purchase local art at accessible prices. Jackson Pollock once sold a painting at the sale for $250, and past participants have included Lee Krasner, Alfonso Ossorio, Elaine and Willem de Kooning and other art-world icons. The event continues to offer a rare opportunity for the public to view and purchase work by East End ... by Staff Writer

The Climate-Friendly Fitness Routine

“Live simply so that others might simply live” — Mahatma Gandhi The first time I ... by Jenny Noble

Joy Behar Gets the Last Laugh in ‘My First Ex-Husband' at Bay Street Theater, July 14-19

Emmy Award-winning comedian and co-host of “The View,” Joy Behar stars in “My First Ex-Husband,” a bold, funny and heartfelt new play based on true stories from her life. The limited engagement runs July 14 through 19, at Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor. With razor-sharp wit and no filters, “My First Ex-Husband” explores the messy, hilarious truths of love, sex and relationships. Adapted from Behar’s personal experiences, the show is both deeply personal and widely relatable. Behar will appear on stage on July 14, 18 and 19. Also appearing nightly, July 14 through 19, are Veanne Cox, a Tony-nominated ... by Staff Writer

Experience the Rhythms of Brazil With Nilson Matta’s Voyage Quartet

Grammy-nominated bassist Nilson Matta will lead his Brazilian Voyage Quartet at The Church on Friday, July 25, at 6 p.m. The concert is part of Hamptons JazzFest. The group features acclaimed guitarist Chico Pinheiro and offers a rich exploration of samba, bossa nova and modern Brazilian jazz. Matta, a founding member of the renowned Trio da Paz and longtime collaborator with Yo-Yo Ma on the Grammy-winning “Obrigado Brazil” project, is known for blending traditional Brazilian rhythms with contemporary jazz. His lyrical bass playing and deep rhythmic connection have earned him international acclaim. Guitarist Chico Pinheiro, recognized as a leading voice ... by Staff Writer

At the Galleries for July 10, 2025

Montauk The Depot Art Gallery, at the Montauk railroad station at the corner of Flamingo ... by Staff Writer

Round and About for July 10, 2025

Fireworks Shelter Island Fireworks The Shelter Island fireworks will be held on Saturday, July 12, ... by Staff Writer

Curtis Institute of Music Alumni and Faculty To Perform in East Hampton on July 22

Talented alumni and faculty from the world-renowned Curtis Institute of Music will tour the East Coast this summer, with a concert scheduled for Tuesday, July 22, at 7 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church of East Hampton. The event is presented by Music for Montauk. The program features beloved melodies ranging from Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess” to works by Brahms and de Falla. Performers include mezzo-soprano Katie Trigg, violinist Elissa Lee Koljonen, pianist Hanchien Lee, and Curtis Institute President and violist Roberto Díaz. The concert program includes: Manuel de Falla’s “Suite Populaire Espagnole,” performed by Díaz (viola) and Lee (piano); ... by Staff Writer

'Bonnie & Clyde' Cast and Crew Announced for Bay Street Musical

Bay Street Theater has unveiled the complete cast and creative teams for its pulse-pounding musical ... 7 Jul 2025 by Staff Writer