SPN: Jazz/Pop, Rat Pack: Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, Dean Martin, Martin Luther King, John F Kennedy

PHILLY/SOUTH JERSEY: THE RAT PACK IS COMING IN OCTOBER @ STARDUST BALLROOM 363 WEST BROWNING ROAD, BELLMAWR, NJ

Stardust Ballroom
363 West Browning Road, Bellmawr, NJ 08031, (856) 931-4000
(Close to interstate 295, and easy to get to from anywhere in the Philly/New Jersey/Delaware/ areas)

For tickets and information call 215-747-2431

I fully realize that there may be a few of you out there who are asking, why Soul-Patrol.com would be interested in this type of tribute show?

Back in the early days of Soul-Patrol.com, back when we had a huge daily interactive mailing list of about 5,000 people we used to have some pretty fierce discussions. One of the most memorable ones that we had was all about Sammy Davis Jr. and Frank Sinatra. There were probably about 100 people involved in the discussion and it went on for over 2 weeks.

The conversation got started when someone posted a news story about a planned statue for Frank Sinatra, which was to be placed in Times Square. What happened next was a comment from someone else stating their position that "if Frank is getting one, then Sammy deserves one also." As I stated earlier this conversation went back & forth and took many turns over the ensuing two week period. And as a result I learned a great deal not only about the two men, but also about the public perception of them.

When I was growing up, Sammy Davis Jr in my eyes was nothing less than the world's greatest entertainer. Sammy was also seen as perhaps the ultimate "pioneer/door opener" for the next generation of Black artists. For doing so, he paid the ultimate price, he was also thought of as an "Uncle Tom."

During this period, we also knew that Frank Sinatra was the person who "opened the doors" for Sammy. We knew that he was kinda like Sammy's "sponsor" and we all knew that Sammy needed Frank to do this simply because we all knew "nobody ever said no to Frank." So of course we all thought that Frank was a pretty cool guy, because he was doing this. However what we didn't know at the time was that because of Sammy's influence, Frank Sinatra practically bankrolled the activities of Dr. King. Therefore making Sammy far from being an "Uncle Tom" and of course making Frank even cooler than we had ever imagined. On top of that, the "Rat Pack" played a signifigant role in the election of John F. Kennedy in 1960. They are one of the most signifigant American cultural icons of the 20th Century.

If you are too young to remember Sammy or simply don't know, please read up on him at the following link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sammy_Davis,_Jr.

Sammy was something like Micheal Jackson, Prince, James Brown, Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy, Denzel Washington and Oprah all rolled into one.

--Although I am indeed old enough to have seen Frank, Dean & Sammy both individually and together many times on TV when I was a kid, I never got a chance to see the RAT PACK perform live, this tribute show is the closest that I will ever come to that.

--I go to tribute shows all of the time anyhow and they are usually fantastic. For example, over the past year I have seen some GREAT Sly & the Family Stone, Barry White, Jimi Hendrix, Teddy P, Michael Jackson, P-Funk tribute shows.

--Soon (unfortunately) if you want to see "old music" performed live, you will ONLY be able to see it at a "tribute show." (given the current "death rate" of the original artists)

So I am really interested in checking out "THE RAT PACK" for both historical and for entertainment purposes. If you are going to be in the Philadelphia area, you should also put it on your list of entertainment options for that weekend, and if you do come, be sure to say hello to me!!

PS - If you are a Soul, Funk, Blues, Jazz, Hip Hop, etc "tribute artist," please contact me. I just might want to come and see YOUR show!!!

.....and if you come out for this event, please do stop by and say hello to me, I'd love to have a conversation and perhaps share a toast to Sammy Davis Jr. with you!!!

Stardust Ballroom
363 West Browning Road, Bellmawr, NJ 08031, (856) 931-4000
(Close to interstate 295, and easy to get to from anywhere in the Philly/New Jersey/Delaware/ areas)

For tickets and information call 215-747-2431

--Bob Davis
609-351-0154
earthjuice@prodigy.net
Co-Founder www.soul-patrol.com
Blues, Hip Hop and Soul Music Director www.radioio.com