Your Hit Parade

Years before Snooki became a household name of sorts, another Snooky – in the form of singer Snooky Lanson – was a popular entertainer on the hit television show Your Hit Parade, which itself evolved out of that 1930s radio classic of the same name.
This staple of 20th century entertainment is given new life at Hofstra University this weekend, when Your Hit Parade is revived at the John Cranford Adams Playhouse on May 14 and 15.
Hofstra’s production is an original revue of the music of the 1930s, with a special tribute to the songs of 1935, in honor of Hofstra’s 75th anniversary. “We’re coming to a close of what turned out to be a year-long celebration of Hofstra’s 75th anniversary and this seemed to be a fitting way to end the year,” said Bob Spiotto, executive producer of Hofstra Entertainment, who conceived and produced this show.
“1935 was a big year for Your Hit Parade and I thought ‘how wonderful is that,’ let’s celebrate a memorable radio program as part of Hofstra’s celebration,” Spiotto said. “We are very excited to present a remarkable 10-piece Big Band with some outstanding guest vocalists. We’ve put together this little tribute to celebrate the music of the ‘30s, with a musical tip of the hat to 1935.”

  The concert will feature two and half hours of memorable hits performed by guest vocalists Valerie Ahneman, Jeremy Chase, Lynn DiMenna, Gary Fields, Keri Kelsey, Kelley Suttenfield, and Laura Wolfe, along with a Big Band led by renowned jazz musician Lou Caputo on tenor sax. Caputo, whose extensive resume includes stints with Lou Rawls, Frankie Valli and Bobby Short, among others, had the honor of performing for President Bill Clinton at his 50th birthday. He is joined by Les Kurtz, on piano; Calvin Hill, bass; Mike Campenni, drums, Joe Carbone and Sean Sullivan, guitar; Eddie Montalvo, conga; James Zoeller; trombone; Mark McGowan, trumpet; along with 11 year-old Maya Mehta, on flute.
“Maya is a very special musician,” Spiotto said, “and we are delighted that she will be performing with us.” The fifth grader, from Upper Brookville, has been studying flute for the past two years.
The many blockbuster songs that will bring back fond memories include “It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing,” “Little Girl Blue,” “A Fine Romance,” “Body and Soul,” “All of Me,” “Stardust,” “All or Nothing at All,” “Just One of Those Things,” “Goody, Goody,” “My Romance” and “My Heart Belongs to Daddy.”
  “It really is a hit parade,” Spiotto said. “The songs of that era are all well-known. There isn’t a song that isn’t a hit. The 1930s was an incredible time for an amazing number of musical hits. The real musical challenge in creating this show was deciding what not to include.”
This production is inspired by the radio classic, Your Hit Parade, which debuted on NBC radio on April 20, 1935, and moved between NBC and CBS until Jan. 16, 1953. The radio institution billed itself as “an accurate, authentic tabulation of America’s taste in popular music.” A television version of Your Hit Parade was simulcast over NBC Radio from 1950 to 1959.
During its run, the show had 19 orchestra leaders and 52 singers or groups. Every Saturday night, Your Hit Parade presented the top tunes of the week, saving the top three songs for the end of the show. The first No. 1 song on the first program was “Soon” sung by Bing Crosby.
  Spiotto hosts this nostalgic trip down memory lane, offering bits of trivia about the songs being presented. “It is going to be incredibly entertaining for our audience and exciting for the vocalists to perform,” he said. “Everyone will have a great time.”

Your Hit Parade
Saturday, May 14, 8 p.m.; Sunday, May 15, 2 p.m.
$27, $23 seniors, $18 students. Hofstra University’s John Cranford Adams Playhouse, South  Campus, Hempstead. (516) 463-6644 or
www.hofstra.edu/hofstraentertainment.