Dan's Papers - April 10, 2009

As Little Anthony and the Imperials wrap up the year-long celebration of their 50th anniversary, which concludes in June, it's obvious the R&B/soul vocal group has come a long way since harmonizing underneath Brooklyn streetlights as teenagers in the 1950s.

Wrapping up the whirlwind year, which has included a visit to "Late Night with David Letterman," their inclusion in a documentary on the history of American music, and, of course, the usual slew of gigs, the group found itself onstage alongside the likes of Metallica, Jeff Beck and others on April 4 when it was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - a coup for any musical act, let alone a group with deep roots in the dime a dozen genre of doo wop that prevailed in the '50s and early '60s. But, says "Little" Anthony Gourdine, the reason for the group's longevity is simple. "We've reinvented ourselves. You can't survive 50 years without reinventing yourself," he said, adding, "Can you imagine Warhol just making Coca Cola bottles? Or Michelangelo doing the ceiling of the Sistine chapel then deciding, 'Man, I'm going to do another one just like that?'... If you're really growing in what you do, you're going to be different."

Growing up in the Fort Greene projects in Brooklyn with his childhood friend and future founder of the Imperials, Clarence Collins, as well as group member Ernest Wright, Gourdine was brought in as lead singer in 1958, when it signed to End Records. The group's first single, and perhaps one of its most well known songs, "Tears on My Pillow," with the B-side "Two Kinds of People," was an immediate hit, easily breaking into the Top Ten. The group followed it up with 1960's "Shimmy, Shimmy, Ko Ko Bop."

Gourdine left the group in 1961 with the intent of embarking on a solo career. But he returned two years later, and the group decided to reinvent itself for the first time, hooking up with childhood friend, producer and songwriter Teddy Randazzo, and eschewing the doo wop label they had come to embody for a more mature, soulful sound. They had hits with songs such as "I'm on the Outside (Looking in,)" "Goin' Out of My Head" and "Hurt So Bad." During the early '70s, some members of the original line-up left the group and were replaced, and finally, in 1975, Gourdine left the again in hopes of a successful solo career.

The Imperials' classic line-up - Gourdine, Collins, Wright and Sammy Strain - reunited for a special concert at Madison Square Garden 17 years later and have continued touring and recording ever since. Gourdine says after all these years there's simply no denying the group's chemistry and ability to read one another while on stage. "But it hasn't been smooth sailing. We broke up, then regrouped. Then broke up and regrouped. But we know we're better together than when we're apart," he said.

When they got back together in 1992, once again the group had to reinvent itself. Now, "we're a performing act that's transitioned from a recording act," he said. Today's real recording stars are performers like Usher and Beyonce, he added. "But that's the art of show business. We had to make the transition from recording artist to performers. We had to gear ourselves for that. It wasn't easy. It was an odd feeling, like we were walking through a portal to another time."

The group hooked up with a series of doo wop revival tours, joining other bands from that era. But since the Imperials are one of only a few bands that have retained its original line-up over the years, Gourdine says a lot of the others are "bogus." For that reason, along with the fact that the promoters would push the Imperials to "just do the hits," the group has decided to disassociate itself with the tour and head out on its own again starting in June. "We have more songs than just the 'hits,'" Gourdine said. "We got paid a lot of money, but then we realized it's not a good career move. We're bigger than that. Our body of work is bigger than that." He added, "You have to be able to have vision. Never allow other people to define you. If you have to sing the same songs over and over, you can't express yourself as an artist."

Gourdine says the group isn't interested in being lumped in with other groups from the doo wop days, many of which had more than one or two hits. Some never grew musically, convinced that in order to survive they need to mimic performances from years ago, when they were maybe only in their teens. "Do you see any doo wop groups in the [Rock and Roll] Hall of Fame? We're not a doo wop group," he said. "We came from that as kids. But do you think like you do when you were 16? For goodness sake, I'm 68."

The Imperials' inclusion in the Hall of Fame adds to the group's cache of accolades, which include being inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2006 and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999, and, in 1993, receiving the Rhythm and Blues Foundation's Pioneer Award. "It's been an exciting, exciting year," Gourdine said. "The Hall of Fame changes everything for us. Now we're being recognized by our peers."

And the April 4 ceremony, where Little Anthony and the Imperials performed three numbers, also had special meaning for Gourdine, as it was the first time it was held in Cleveland in a dozen years. "I can't think of a better place for it," he said. "That's where [disc jockey] Alan Freed coined the term 'rock 'n' roll." Freed was also the one to refer to the band as Little Anthony and the Imperials, rather than simply the Imperials, a moniker that stuck. And, in a moment Gourdine will never forget, he met Buddy Holly in the lobby of a hotel there. "Having it come back to Cleveland means a lot to me."

Little Anthony and the Imperials will perform at the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center on April 17 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $95, $80 and $65. For more information, go to whbpac.org or call 631-288-1500.