BITS AND PIECES - NEWS ABOUT YOUR FAVORITE ARTISTS By Michael McDowell
PARANOIA STRIKES DEEP:
REMEMBERING
BLACK SABBATH'S
OZZY OSBOURNE
(1948 - 2025)
Doechii most assuredly knew of which she sang.
In her 2025 hit single, Anxiety, composer and vocalist Jaylah "Doechii" Hickman astutely articulated the various challenges that avail themselves in today's frantically paced society. Her observations have resonated across the board to the degree that Anxiety has become an instant classic.
However, there is one artist who made a career out of riding the emotional roller coaster for more than half a century and who lived to tell the tale. As the cofounder and long time front man of Black Sabbath, composer, vocalist and Marston Green, West Midlands native John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne personified the high intensity pespective better than most. The titles of some of the band's most celebrated songs tell the tale well: Behind The Wall Of Sleep, Hand Of Doom, Into The Void, Wheels Of Confusion, Killing Yourself To Live and of course the obvious Paranoid most assuredly speak for themselves.
This is not to say that the Black Sabbath's on stage mission statement became their personal Master Of Realty. Guitarist Toni Iommi reiterated as much in his acclaimed autobiography.
In turn, Black Sabbath had a flair for original material that reflected a penchant for a strong verse, bridge and chorus template, underscored in part by their rare venture into the world of cover material (Crow's 1969 signature single, Evil Woman). Likewise, Osbourne (who was a member of the Church Of England) made frequent references throughout his career of the priority of seeking Jesus Christ through prayer.
Charismatic in part as the result of his self-depreciating and seemingly cavalier persona, Osbourne along the way established himself as a pioneer of the concept of reality television by virtue of his MTV series, The Osbournes. Therein, he co-starred with his wife, Sharon and children Kelly and Jack.
Sadly, as Doechii astutely observed, protracted emotional stress can nonetheless take a considerable physical toll. In Osbourne's case, that physical toll availed itself via his diagnoses of Parkinson's Disease and emphysema. He performed his final live show with Black Sabbath on 05 July 2025, at which time he reaffirmed his retirement from the stage.
Osbourne had intended to continue with studio work. But sadly, his ongoing health concerns prevailed. Osbourne passed away during the morning of 22 July 2025, surrounded by his family. He was 76.
SOMEHOW I CAN'T FORGET:
REMEMBERING
DANNY AND THE JUNIORS'
FRANK MAFFEI
(1939 - 2025)
It was a typically fast paced evening in Southern California in April 1983.
Blitz Magazine - The Rock And Roll Magazine For Thinking People was en route to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to pick up Herman's Hermits. The band was in town for a show the following evening, and time spent with them was always a great joy.
That is, until the ride from the airport to their hotel. While en route, the news came over the car radio that Danny And The Juniors' front man, Daniel Earl "Danny" Rapp had passed away by his own hand.
That news hit Hermits lead guitarist Derek Leckenby particularly hard. Herman's Hermits and Danny Ahd The Juniors had worked together occasionally, and the two artists had formed a strong friendship.
Indeed, Rapp's sudden passing stood in sharp contrast to the quartet's storied legacy. Formed in their native Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1955 as the Juvenaires, the group's founding line up featured Rapp, David Ernest "Dave" White, Joseph Angelo "Joe" Terranova and Frank Maffei.
Although it took two years for the group to finally make their mark in the recording studio, suffice to say their initial outing far exceeded any and all expectations. The group tried their hand at a song that was co-authored by visionary composer, vocalist and producer, John Madara. Initially titled Do The Bop, the song underwent a bit of fine tuning at the suggestion of American Bandstand host Dick Clark. The newly revamped At The Hop made its debut in 1957 on Artie Singer's Singular label, and in short order was reissued by ABC Paramount. An exercise in relentless optimism and the pure euphoria of rock and roll on the level of Bill Haley And The Comets' definitive rendition of Shake, Rattle And Roll, Danny And The Juniors' At The Hop sold millions upon millions of copies and remains one of rock and roll's definitive masterpieces.
One sublime Danny And The Juniors single for ABC Paramount, Swan and Guyden followed another in rapid succession, including Rock And Roll Is Here To Stay, Crazy Cave, Sassy Fran, Playing Hard To Get, Somehow I Can't Forget, Twistin' U.S.A., Back To The Hop, Pony Express and We Got Soul, to name but a few. The classic quartet persevered intact until the mid-1960s, when Madara and White began a production parnership (whose artists included the beloved Pixies Three) and then teamed up with Ray Gilmore to form the Spokesmen. The ambitious Spokesmen recorded a series of acclaimed releases for Decca and Cameo's affiliate Winchester label.
Following Rapp's sudden passing, Frank Maffei (as "Danny Frank") and Joe Terranova (as the trio's lead vocalist) joined forces with Billy And The Essentials alumnus Bill Carlucci to sustain Danny And The Juniors' momentum. The group continued to flourish in live performance, and graced Blitz Magazine - The Rock And Roll Magazine For Thinking People with an interview at the time.
By the 2010s, Danny And The Juniors had amassed a most impressive six decades in the spotlight. But rather than rest on their accolades, the group (then compised of of Joe Terranova, Frank Maffei and his brother, Bob Maffei) decided to augment their extensive singles legacy with their long overdue debut album. Released at midpoint in the 2010s, We're Forever And Ever And Ever Yours in turn served as an unlikely springboard for the group's final major project, an avant garde film adventure set in a European theme park.
In 2019, the Danny And The Juniors had been in talks with former member Dave White about the possibility of his return to the group, at least on an occasional basis. Tragically, all such hopes were dashed that year with the back to back passings of White from cancer on the 16th of March that year, followed by Joe Terranova on 15 April at age 78.
As the group's lone surviving original member, Frank Maffei did his best to champion the group's extraordinary legacy (often in tandem with Madara) well into the 2020s. However, Maffei's own momentum was derailed with the June 2023 passing of his wife of sixty-five years. Maffei's final public statement came on 17 July 2025, with a brief salute to fellow rock and roll pioneer Connie Francis.
With a legacy that spanned nearly seven decades, Danny And The Juniors were perhaps equalled in that respect only by the Belmonts, whose own phenomenal run came to an end on 29 October 2023 with group mastermind Warren Gradus' passing after a protracted battle with cancer.
Most tragically, Frank Maffei's sudden homegoing on 19 July 2025 also brought Danny And The Juniors' phenomenal run to a close.
"The end of an era", said John Madara.
"God bless Frank Maffei. Rest in peace, my friend".
Maffei was 85.
COMO UN ADIOS:
REMEMBERING
LOS PAYOS'
JOSE' MORENO HURTADO
(1944 - 2025)
By decade's end, the rich diversity that had characterized the musical landscape of the 1960s had begun a slow but steady decline into what visionary composer Michael Nesmith would soon astutely refer to as the Grand Ennui.
Thankfully, there was still much to be found in the way of groundbreaking musical work in 1969. Artists as diverse as Johnny Cash, the Archies, the MC5, Steve Lawrence And Eydie Gorme, Funkadelic, Harry Nilsson and the Friends Of Distinction all turned in career highlights that year.
However, one unlikely and unique single by a highly ambitious trio from Seville, Andalusia made such an impact during that year, that it ultimately drew high praise from Blitz Magazine - The Rock And Roll Magazine For Thinking People as part of a mutli-disc tie for Best Single of 1969.
That single, Maria Isabel became an instant classic, as well as the signature single for the band, Los Payos. Comprised of Eduardo Rodriguez Rodway, Luis Javier Moreno Salguero and Jose' Moreno Hurtado (endearingly known as "Josele" to his bandmates), Los Payos brought a healthy and inspired dose of relentless optimsim into an increasingly despondent musical landscape with that single (their third for the Hispavox label).
Therein, the three protagonists endeavored to gain the attention of the song's main character, only for her to dismiss them out of hand as they took it all in stride. That landmark moment was captured on a sublime black and white video in 1969. Renowned composer, guitarist and vocalist Jose Feliciano was inpsired by Maria Isabel to the degree that he recorded his own rendtion of it for his El Fantastico! album in 1970.
Over the next several years, Los Payos added to their impeccable legacy with such first rate singles as Pequena Anita, Un Tipo Raro, Senor Doctor and Vuelve Junto A Mi before calling it a day in 1976. Meanwhile, Rodway had cofounded the highly influenial band, Triana in 1974, while Salguero concurrently made his mark in the like minded Alameda.
In turn, Hurtado went on to enjoy a long and prolific career in comedy. Hurtado eventually worked for a season as a sports commentator on the radio program, El Pelotazo. He also became a record producer, primarily directing his attention towards up and coming artists.
Towards the end of the twentieth century, Los Payos reunited to reprise Maria Isabel before a highly appreciative television audience. Sadly, that reunion proved to be short lived.
Tragically, Hurtado had suffered from various health concerns in recent years. He succumbed to a lingering illness on 18 July.
"Rest in peace, dear colleague Josele", said Rodway.
"I will never forget (you) and the times lived, as well as the work we did together. My condolences to family and friends".
Memorial services for the beloved musical visionary were held at the Cemeterio de San Fernando in Seville on 20 July. Hurtado was 81.
MY HAPPINESS:
REMEMBERING
CONNIE FRANCIS
(1937 - 2025)
Genre myopia is anathema to the art itself.
When rock and roll first availed itself on a larger scale in the late 1940s and early 1950s via such visionaries as Louis Jordan, Bill Haley And The Comets, the Ravens and others, there began a growing movement within the mainstream media to foment dissent amongst the rank and file. The assertion was that this up and coming genre was at odds with that which had represented the art to date.
In reality, the artists themselves saw things quite differently. To that effect, pioneering rocker Roy Brown drew his primary inspiration from the works of Bing Crosby. Little Richard soared with his cover of the legendary Billy Murray and the Haydn Quartet's 1910 standard, By The Light Of The Silvery Moon. And rock and roll greats Rick Nelson and Eddie Cochran each turned in first rate renditions of Ethel Waters' 1929 hit, Am I Blue.
One artist who stood in solidarity with the greats in that respect better than most was vocalist, actress and Newark, New Jersey native Concetta Rosa Maria "Connie Francis" Franconero. During her long and prolific afilliation with the MGM label in the late 1950s and early 1960s, she recorded first rate renditions of classics by Jon and Sondra Steele (My Happiness), the Mills Brothers (You Always Hurt The One You Love), Isham Jones (Who's Sorry Now?) and the Ink Spots (If I Didn't Care), alongside such first rate rockers as Stupid Cupid, Eighteen, Vacation, My Best Friend Barbara.and the utterly stupendous Lipstick On Your Collar.
In turn, Francis also became a much loved on screen presence via her roles in such game changing motion pictures as Rock Rock Rock, Jamboree, Where The Boys Are, Follow The Boys and When The Boys Meet The Girls. She costarred in the latter production alongside such giants as Herman's Hermits, Wladziu Liberace, Sam The Sham And The Pharaohs and Louis Armstrong.
Most recently, the renewed interest in Francis' 1962 B-side, Pretty Little Baby gave her a most welcome return to center stage. However, various health concerns described by the artist as "extreme pain" began to avail themselves, forcing her to postpone scheduled mid-2025 live dates. Sadly, Francis ultimately succumbed to those health concerns in Miami, Florida on 16 July. She was 87.
GOIN' HOME:
REMEMBERING
BOBBY SHERMAN
(1943 - 2025)
Q): What do you call a man who amassed an extensive legacy in film, television and the recording studio, played multiple musical instruments and who then went on to invent a number of life saving medical devices and become a decorated member of one of the largest police departments in the United States?
A): A teen idol.
Despite his extraordinary accomplishments, such is nonetheless apparently destined to be the legacy in the eyes of some of one time composer, vocalist and Santa Monica, California native, Robert Cabot "Bobby" Sherman.
Sherman's first venture of consequence into the world of music came about in 1962, when veteran actor and musician Sal Mineo composed a pair of songs for Sherman to record. One off singles for Parkway, Starcrest and Dot followed, with Sherman finally settling in at Decca in 1964 (augmented by occasional stops at Cameo and Epic). Along the way, Sherman earned key roles on the Shindig and Here Come The Brides television series.
By 1969, Sherman found himself as a part of the artist roster on the ambitious Metromedia label, which was then the recording home of the Winstons, Wayne Fontana, the Three Degrees, Lester Lanin and a variety of up and coming artists. At Metromedia, Sherman continued to soar into the early 1970s, turning out such acclaimed singles as Little Woman, La La La (If I Had You), Hey Mister Sun, Julie Do You Love Me, Easy Come Easy Go, Cried Like A Baby, Waiting At The Bus Stop and the magnificent The Drum.
It was with Waiting At The Bus Stop that Sherman's ambitious nature began to avail itself in earnest. With that single, Sherman took command in the studio, playing the bulk of the instrumentation himself.
However, a 1974 guest appearance on the Emergency television series further inspired him in a decidedly different way. Sherman went on to pursue a new career as a paramedic, and a member of the Los Angeles Police Department.
By 1999, Sherman assumed a new role as deputy sherriff in neighboring San Bernardino County. He also continued as a medical training officer well into the twenty-first century.
Throughout much of the decade of the 2010s, Sherman and his wife, Brigitte Poublon were active in charity work. Sadly, their endeavors in that respect were sidelined in March 2025, when Poublon announced that Sherman had been diagnosed with the stage four cancer of the lungs and kidneys that claimed his life in the early hours of 24 June.
If that is what defines a "teen idol" to some, so be it. In reality, Bobby Sherman was a hero to many. He also leaves behind two sons and several grandchildren. Sherman was 81.
OUTSIDE THE GATES OF HEAVEN:
REMEMBERING
LOU CHRISTIE
(1943 - 2025)
It was a dream line up that had joined forces to comprise one of the premier music festivals of the day.
The site was the Magic Moments Theatre at Six Flags Magic Mountain amusement park in Southern California. On that 1986 bill were such acclaimed greats as the Youngbloods, Peter Noone, Billy Preston, the Beau Brummels and Country Joe And The Fish front man Joe McDonald.
Among the artists, humor and relentless optimism were the order of the day, as typified by some of their observations.
"Now I know how Perry Como feels", said Noone, in reference to the theatre being named after one of the beloved RCA Victor giant's signature singles.
"I haven't had a hit in fifteen years, either!"
McDonald responded in kind.
"This is a family friendly facility", he observed.
"I was told that I had to watch what I said. What the heck: Gimme an F!"
That familiar introductory line from Country Joe And The Fish's signature single, I Feel Like I'm Fixing To Die Rag earned McDonald a standing ovation from the highly appreciative capacity crowd.
Blitz Magazine was on hand for the entire festival, and spoke at length with the Beau Brummels, Peter Noone and Joe McDonald. Blitz had also made prior arrangements to interview the festival's headliner.
That headliner was composer, vocal vitruoso, musical visionary and Crescent Township, Pennsylvania native Lugee Alfredo Giovanni Sacco, professionally known as Lou Christie. However, that initial meeting was scheduled to take place after Christie's set. So for the moment, Blitz Magazine settled into a front row center seat to enjoy a tour de force performance.
Not surprisingly, Christie stood in solidarity with his fellow artists by peppering his between numbers banter with a generous helping of his unique brand of humor. Shortly into his set, Christie directed one of his earliest such remarks to Blitz Magazine.
"Where'd you get that shirt?", he asked.
"I last saw a shirt like that on Paul Anka. In 1957!"
Later that afternoon, Christie emerged from the trailer that doubled as his dressing room, only to find that Paul Anka shirt waiting for him. Blitz Magazine and Christie both enjoyed a good laugh over his observation, when Blitz suddenly turned the tables on him.
Anticipating at first a generic set of questions that would focus on perhaps his three or four most obvious singles (such as Two Faces Have I, Painter, Rhapsody In The Rain and Lightning Strikes) while trying to reassess his place in the overall scheme of things at that juncture, Christie was most taken aback when Blitz Magazine opened with a series of observations about his earliest work, from his time with Lugee And The Lions to his magnificent vocal group harmony-inspired single, Have I Sinned.
With that, Christie rose to the occasion and gave the interview of a lifetime. That two hour conversation, which was documented at length in Blitz Magazine, touched on everything from his early outings with the great Morris Levy at Roulette Records (including the utterly stupendous Mister Tenor Man), as well as his vast body of work for MGM, Colpix and Columbia, his collaborations with such beloved session vocal greats as Bernadette Carroll and the Delicates' Denise Ferri, through his stunning Outside The Gates Of Heaven and You May Be Holding My Baby for Co&Ce, his brief stop at Buddah Records, his game changing, spot on cover of Michael Nesmith And The First National Band's arrangement of George Olsen's Beyond The Blue Horizon for Three Brothers and his 1980s collaborations with fellow visionary Lesley Gore.
Suffice to say that Blitz Magazine's summit meeting with Lou Christie proved to be mutually beneficial. For the duration of the twentieth century and well into the twenty-first century, Christie remained a much in demand live performer, including a brief stint with Fabian Forte and Frankie Avalon as part of the Golden Boys in the wake of group co-founder Bobby Rydell's passing in April 2022. Christie had also maintained a solid social media presence since the 2010s, and often held court with the faithful on a wide variety of topics.
Although Christie had been in poor health in recent weeks, his sudden passing on 17 June nonetheless came as a tremendous shock to family, friends and colleagues. Christie was 82.
IN THE BACK OF MY MIND
REMEMBERING THE BEACH BOYS'
BRIAN WILSON
(1942 - 2025)
You Need A Mess Of Help To Stand Alone.
That track from the Beach Boys' May 1972 So Tough: Carl And The Passions album was as much a commentary on the Beach Boys collectively as it was an assessment of their bassist, resident visionary and Inglewood, California native, Brian Douglas Wilson. In the wake of some well publicized personal challenges and creative differences, the Beach Boys and Brian Wilson had begun to operate independently of one another at that point.
That fork in the road turned out to be a tremendous boon for the Beach Boys themselves the previous year. During their 1971 Surf's Up tour, the Beach Boys (sans Brian Wilson) proved themselves to be a formidable force on the concert stage. In turn, their creative prowess had reached unprecedented heights during that era, as evidenced by their Sunflower, Landlocked, Surf's Up, So Tough: Carl And The Passions and Holland albums.
While Brian Wilson continued to contribute to the Beach Boys' recordings throughout that pinnacle period, he had already established enough of a legacy as a composer in the years prior to that to afford being able to embark upon a healing sabbatical. From such enthralling early cuts as In The Back Of My Mind, Let Him Run Wild and Guess I'm Dumb (composed for occasional Beach Boys sideman Glen Campbell as a solo single) to such game changing albums as Beach Boys Today!, Pet Sounds and the Smile / Smiley Smile project, Wilson had irrefutably found himself front and center among music's most impacting visionaries.
By the late 1970s, Wilson had rebounded enough to become a frequent participant in the Beach Boys' studio ventures, as well as in occasional appearances on stage. The band's creative momentum continued to soar well into the twenty-first century, highlighted along the way by such essential albums as Fifteen Big Ones, The Beach Boys Love You, Keepin' The Summer Alive and That's Why God Made The Radio.
However, it was at the turn of the century that Wilson once again found his muse to the degree that his attention was most productively directed towards his solo ventures. Aided and abetted along the way by such capable colleagues as the Wondermints and Beach Boys Al Jardine and Blondie Chaplin, Wilson irrefutably cemented his legacy as a visionary of the highest order from the mid-1990s and throughout the first quarter of the twenty-first century via such triumphs as Smile, Imagination, That Lucky Old Sun, No Pier Pressure and his utterly stupendous Orange Crate Art collaboration with Van Dyke Parks.
In recent years, much of Wilson's return to form stemmed from the ongoing support and encouragement of his wife, Melinda, whom he had married in 1995. However, the former Melinda Kae Ledbetter's sudden and tragic passing in January 2024 ultimately proved to be the final straw for the increasingly fragile Wilson.
Hence the sad but not altogether unexpected news that came on the morning of 11 June 2025 of Brian Wilson's passing. Survivors include daughters Carnie and Wendy (of the vocal trio Wilson Phillips), Wilson's first wife and Honeys cofounder Marilyn Wilson and cousin (and Beach Boys front man) Mike Love. Brian Wilson was 82.
LET ME HEAR IT FROM YOU:
REMEMBERING
SLY STONE
(1943 - 2025)
The Kinks once sang of being on a Low Budget. But one other prominent artist once used a unique low budget beginning as a springboard to one of the most remarkable careers in music history.
In 1963, Bob Blythe's Hollywood, California-based Sutton Records released a Various Artists album, Jumpin! With Pop Hits Of Tomorrow. Included were memorable tracks by several up and coming artists, including Dal Cory, the Sparkplugs, the Sims Sisters and Diane Coley.
But the highlight of that Sutton collection was an irresistible original by a Bay Area sextet that had called it a day months earler. That track was the sublime You're My Only Love by the Viscaynes.
The group had come together as the Viscounts while its members were attending high school in Vallejo. However, upon learning of the New Jersey-based band, the Viscounts (who had recorded the classic instrumental, Harlem Nocturne), the Vallejo sextet became the Viscaynes, a play on Viscounts and on Chevrolet's popular Biscayne model.
Among the Viscaynes' ranks was a prodigious guitarist, pianist, producer, vocal arranger and Denton Texas native, Sylvester Stewart. The eldest son of Alpha and K.C. Stewart, Sylvester Stewart spent his formative years perfecting his multi-faceted musical mission statement as part of the worship team at his church. In 1956, Stewart and his three siblings released a Gospel single, On The Battlefield / Walking In Jesus' Name as the Stewart Four.
At the Viscaynes' first rehearsal, Stewart immediately focused upon fine tuning their vocal harmonies to perfection. They recorded several promising sides, resulting in a hit single with Yellow Moon for the VPM label.
The Viscaynes' tight vocal harmonies made them an immediate sensation in the wake of their debut appearance on Dick Stewart's Dance Party television series. However, their time in the spotlight was limited, as each of the members had plans to go their separate ways upon graduation.
Meanwhile, Sylvester Stewart's overall musical prowess made an impression on Dick Stewart, who retained his services for the Dance Party broadcast. By 1964, Sylvester Stewart was recruited as staff producer for the late Tom Donahue's short lived but ambitious Autumn label, the recording home of Bobby Freeman, the Mojo Men, the Vejtables, the Tikis (later known as Harpers Bizarre) and the Beau Brummels.
When Autumn ceased operations in late 1965, Stewart (by then professionally known as Sly Stone) slowly but steadily turned his attention towards the home front. He began recruiting friends and family members to form the visionary supergroup, Sly And The Family Stone.
By 1967, Sly And The Family Stone had signed with Epic Records. The game changing singles followed in rapid succession over the next six years. They included Underdog, Dance To The Music, Life / M'Lady, Everyday People, Stand / I Want To Take You Higher, Hot Fun In The Summertime (which was covered by the Beach Boys), Everybody Is A Star / Thank You, Family Affair, If You Want Me To Stay and Running Away. The band also headlined at the Woodstock Festival in August 1969.
Sadly, a series of personal challenges resulted in Sly And The Family Stone being put on hiatus by the mid-1970s. Group cofounder Rose Stone went on to direct the New Song vocal choir at Church On The Way in Van Nuys, California during the early 1990s.
Meanwhile, Sylvester Stewart recorded sporadically into the twenty-first century. He also made occasional live appearances with Family Stone members.
In recent years, Sylvester Stewart had battled the lung disease COPD, which claimed his life in Los Angeles on 09 June. At his bedside were his three children, son Sylvester Junior and daughters Sylvyette and Novena. Stewart was 82.
THE NIGHT OF LUV':
PATTY BRARD'S
PANTER PARTY
REUNITES THE GREATS
Sometimes a summit meeting is answered prayer.
Such was the case in Amsterdam on 14 March, when nine of the giants of the Netherlands' most treasured vocal groups joined forces to celebrate Luv' co-founder Patty Brard's seventieth birthday.
With such monster classics as Trojan Horse (issued on Polydor in the U.S.), Casanova, You're The Greatest Lover and Saint Tropez to their credit, Luv' (Brard, Jose Hoebee and Marga Scheide) and their producer, the late Hans van Hemert firmly established themselves as one of the twentieth century's premier vocal trios. Sadly, Hoebee's health challenges have prevented them from persevering as a unit for the time being.
Undaunted, and with her seventieth birthday approaching, Brard called upon veterans of several other pioneering vocal units to join forces for a one-off summit meeting. That event, Patty's Panter Party took place before a capacity crowd at Amsterdam's Ziggo Dome on 14 March.
Chief among the other participants was Babe lead vocalist Marga Bult. Together with Rita van Rooy and Margot van de Ven, Babe established one of the most impressive legacies in all of music with such game changing singles as Dolly The Doll, Explosive, (Don't You Ever) Shop Around, Boomerang, Shocking, Indian Habits and their utterly stupendous Together In Love Again. While Babe has been on a professional sabbatical since 1986, Bult, van Rooy and van de Ven remain close.
Also participating in the summit meeting were veterans of several other beloved vocal groups. They included Rowan Moore of Centerfold, Caren Wood of Maywood, Anita Heilker and Esther Oosterbeek of the Dolly Dots (whose 1981 Keep On Doing It single saw release on Atlantic in the United States), Caroline De Windt and Jetty Weels or Mai Tai, and Laura Vlasblom and Mandy Huydts of Frizzle Sizzle.
"Thank you for a fantastic birthday party", said Brard.
"Nothing but love!"
"You and your entire production team threw a great birthday party", Bult added.
"Made so many people happy!"
To quote a classic cut from the 1978 debut album by Luv', it was a Dream Dream come true.
posted by BlitzMagazine at 8:47 PM
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