9/14/06 - The (Ocala) Royal Guardsmen performed at the Savannah Center in the Villages of Lady Lake and what a performance it was.  This show was in conjunction with the benefit for Wayne Youngblood with all net proceeds going to assist in Wayne's medical expenses.

Unlike the other bands, The (Ocala) Royal Guardsmen received a standing ovation at the conclusion of their performances.  And what a fantastic job they did!  Since there was such a big line-up of groups, they performed only 6 tunes at each show.  The group sounded as strong as ever and the crowd loved them.  Chris' rendition of "Baby Let's Wait" was outstanding and "Searching For the Good Times" was a top-shelf performance.  When it came time for "Snoopy vs. the Red Baron" the room thundered with applause.  Great job, guys!

There were a lot of groups there and memories came flooding back as Bill Pascali (original member of the Vanilla Fudge) cranked out "You Keep Me Hanging On" which was among my most favorite tunes in the '60's.  Gene Cornish's performance (original lead guitarist for the Young Rascals) was less remarkable, not because of poor performance...that was very good...but it would only impress you if you were into guitar solos.  Overall, the performance by the New Rascals was wonderful with Bill Pascali as the lead singer and organist for the group.

Mercy's performance was top-notch, too.  I had not heard or at least I don't recall hearing their song "Forever" before last night.  My guess is if I had heard it as a teen or young adult, I most likely would not have been partial to it, but as an "older" adult I find it beautiful and soothing and liked it very much.  I will look around on the net for its availability and buy that one.  It is THAT good.

Original Broadway cast member of Hair, Robin McNamara performed his hit single "Lay A Little Lovin' On Me" and the Broadway version of "Aquarius."  The only negative I can give his performance is he opened his show with a song he has written in tribute to Elvis Presley and John Lennon.  Maybe is was the wrong place, wrong crowd, or wrong venue, but I would say it didn't go over well.   If the crowd is expecting oldies, give them oldies, not some long drawn-out poem set to slow music.

The opening act, Donn Jett, could belt out the tunes and I was pleasantly surprised by his performance.  From Roy Orbison to Jay and the Americans to Elvis Presley, this guy was right on the money.  His Elvis was especially impressive.

If you didn't catch this benefit show, you missed a jewel.  It was well worth attending and for a worthy cause.  A special thank you to all the bands that gave their time to perform at this concert.  I tip my hat to you.

Be sure to check out the photos of the benefit show on the Photos page of this site.  Pardon the darkness of some of the snapshots, but I had no control over the stage lighting.  Enjoy.

9/14/06 - The (Ocala) Royal Guardsmen performed at the Savannah Center in the Villages of Lady Lake and what a performance it was.  This show was in conjunction with the benefit for Wayne Youngblood with all net proceeds going to assist in Wayne's medical expenses.

Unlike the other bands, The (Ocala) Royal Guardsmen received a standing ovation at the conclusion of their performances.  And what a fantastic job they did!  Since there was such a big line-up of groups, they performed only 6 tunes at each show.  The group sounded as strong as ever and the crowd loved them.  Chris' rendition of "Baby Let's Wait" was outstanding and "Searching For the Good Times" was a top-shelf performance.  When it came time for "Snoopy vs. the Red Baron" the room thundered with applause.  Great job, guys!

There were a lot of groups there and memories came flooding back as Bill Pascali (original member of the Vanilla Fudge) cranked out "You Keep Me Hanging On" which was among my most favorite tunes in the '60's.  Gene Cornish's performance (original lead guitarist for the Young Rascals) was less remarkable, not because of poor performance...that was very good...but it would only impress you if you were into guitar solos.  Overall, the performance by the New Rascals was wonderful with Bill Pascali as the lead singer and organist for the group.

Mercy's performance was top-notch, too.  I had not heard or at least I don't recall hearing their song "Forever" before last night.  My guess is if I had heard it as a teen or young adult, I most likely would not have been partial to it, but as an "older" adult I find it beautiful and soothing and liked it very much.  I will look around on the net for its availability and buy that one.  It is THAT good.

Original Broadway cast member of Hair, Robin McNamara performed his hit single "Lay A Little Lovin' On Me" and the Broadway version of "Aquarius."  The only negative I can give his performance is he opened his show with a song he has written in tribute to Elvis Presley and John Lennon.  Maybe is was the wrong place, wrong crowd, or wrong venue, but I would say it didn't go over well.   If the crowd is expecting oldies, give them oldies, not some long drawn-out poem set to slow music.

The opening act, Donn Jett, could belt out the tunes and I was pleasantly surprised by his performance.  From Roy Orbison to Jay and the Americans to Elvis Presley, this guy was right on the money.  His Elvis was especially impressive.

If you didn't catch this benefit show, you missed a jewel.  It was well worth attending and for a worthy cause.  A special thank you to all the bands that gave their time to perform at this concert.  I tip my hat to you.

Be sure to check out the photos of the benefit show on the Photos page of this site.  Pardon the darkness of some of the snapshots, but I had no control over the stage lighting.  Enjoy.