Guest Stars

The Diamonds

Mon, 16 May 2011 13:59:42 -0700

Mar 13, 2012 - May 20, 2012

Their 1957 release of "Little Darlin'" became an instant million-seller. Their other hits include "Why Do Fools Fall In Love" and the chart topping "The Stroll," which became a national dance craze after their multiple appearances on American Bandstand.

Maureen McGovern

Mon, 16 May 2011 13:57:22 -0700

Jan 5, 2012 - Mar 10, 2012

Grammy Nominated Singer Performs Hits That Bring Back Memories

A superlative songstress, Maureen McGovern's 40-year career has encompassed recording, songwriting, concerts, radio, television, film and Broadway. Now, the woman who's been called "The Stradivarius Voice" brings her epic talents to the Fabulous Follies.

Born in Youngstown, Ohio, McGovern, 62, began singing at the age of three and grew up listening to her father's barbershop quartet rehearse. By age eight she knew she wanted to be a professional singer.

While working as a secretary and part-time folk singer, in 1972, she recorded a demo that was heard by the head of 20th Century Records, who promptly hired her to sing "The Morning After", Oscar-winning theme of the classic disaster film, The Poseidon Adventure. Her rendition topped the Billboard charts.

Grammy nominated for "Best New Artist" in 1973, the next year she recorded the Oscar nominated songs "We May Never Love Like This Again" from The Towering Inferno and "Wherever Love Takes Me" from the motion picture GOLD. These were followed by hits such as "Can You Read My Mind?" from the film version of Superman, and "Different Worlds" from the TV series, Angie.

Appearing as Sister Angelina, the guitar-strumming nun, in the 1980 comedy classic Airplane! led toroles on One Life To Live, The Tracey Ullman Show, Pacific Blue, Duckman and Beyond Belief, among others. For three seasons, McGovern was a frequent special guest on Garrison Keillor's American Radio Company of the Air.

In 1981, she made her Broadway debut in The Pirates of Penzance. She later starred in Nine with Raul Julia and in 3 Penny Opera with Sting, and has appeared in many musicals and dramas throughout the country. In 2005, McGovern returned to Broadway, originating her Drama Desk-nominated role of Marmee in Little Women, The Musical. She continued in that role with the National Touring Company.

During the mid-80s, the vocalist also established herself as an outstanding nightclub and cabaret performer, often paying tribute to songwriters like George Gershwin, Harold Arlen and Richard Rodgers. A career highlight was a solo concert at Carnegie Hall in 1989.

A member of the National Board of the Muscular Dystrophy Association, McGovern has performed for over 30 consecutive years on the Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon.

Follies audiences now have their first-ever opportunity to hear one of the truly great voices of our generation, in-person onstage at the historic Plaza Theatre.

John Davidson

Mon, 16 May 2011 13:48:22 -0700

Nov 1, 2011 - Dec 31, 2011

Handsome Crooner Has Shone in Nightclubs, Film, Television and Broadway

When it comes to all-star entertainment, you name it, John Davidson has done it! We all know him as the host of such iconic televisions shows as Hollywood Squares and That's Incredible!, but his show business career actually began 47 years ago. Fresh with a drama degree, he immediately landed on Broadway, co-starring in the musical Foxy, opposite the legendary Bert Lahr.

From there the credits for the everlastingly youthful singer and actor multiplied exponentially.

Theater: Lead in Broadway revival of Oklahoma; lead in Rodgers and Hammerstein's original State Fair; lead in regional and national productions of such hits as The Music Man, Camelot, Carousel, Man of La Mancha, Chicago, Neil Simon's Rumors, and Will Rogers Follies; and his very own theater for three years in Branson, Missouri.

Movies: Starring or supporting roles in The Happiest Millionaire, Edward Scissorhands, Airport '79, and others.

Television: Two years as host of The John Davidson Show; 80 appearances on The Tonight Show -- the only singer to achieve that milestone; regular host of The Kraft Music Halland The $100,000 Pyramid; even a dramatic role on The Streets of San Francisco. And that's not all.

Nightclubs: Introduced to Las Vegas audiences by Jack Benny in 1966, Davidson has headlined at the Las Vegas Hilton, the MGM Grand, Caesar's Palace, the Riviera, the Desert Inn, the Golden Nugget and Harrah's.

In recent years he has written and starred in his autobiographical play, Father/Son (& Holy Ghost), derived from his experiences growing up as the offspring of two ordained American Baptist ministers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Davidson and his wife Rhonda, who he met in Branson while she was singing with Vicki Carr, even found the time to create a popular game, Borderline, that educates children in world geography.

He has three achieving children in John, Jr., a business consultant; Jennifer, a professional ice skater; and Ashleigh, who appeared with her father on the national tour of State Fair.

Through it all the Big Smile of Papa has dominated. You don’t think of hand some, mop-haired John Davidson with out envisioning the beaming countenance that exudes natural exuberance to frame his unique singing and performing talent.

A smash hit with Follies audiences three years ago, Davidson returns to headline the Follies' holiday show, aglow with the fervor to please an audience with which the 70-year-old veteran star can identify.

The Four Preps

Mon, 17 May 2010 10:42:08 -0700

Mar 8, 2011 - May 15, 2011

The Four Preps Debut at Plaza Theatre

Sensational Harmonies Guaranteed to Delight Audiences

When no male students showed up to audition for Hollywood High School's 1955 fall talent show, the school bulletin pleaded for "any guys who can do anything." Bruce Belland and three of his campus buddies formed a quartet overnight (literally) and ended up stealing the show as The Four Preps. Those clean-cut California teenagers went on to record the songs that Dick Clark called "The Soundtrack of Our Lives." Now, over 50 years later, lead singer Belland along with Robert Duncan, Skip Taylor and Michael Redman bring their many memorable hits to the stage of the Historic Plaza Theatre.

Shortly after their talent show debut, legendary Capitol Records Producer Voyle Gilmore-who had previously recorded such stars as Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra and Louie Prima & Keely Smith-signed them to a long-term recording contract.

In 1958, the group recorded a song co-written by Belland, which Dick Clark claims was "the first surfer hit," and 26 Miles (Santa Catalina) became a million-seller. That same year, they appeared with Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope and others in an Emmy-winning TV special; filmed the movie Gidget with Sandra Dee; and were honored as "Newcomer of the Year" by Billboard Magazine.

The Preps' popularity led to frequent appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet and American Bandstand, concerts worldwide, and Billboard Magazine naming them "The Nation's Number One College Concert Attraction" for three consecutive years.

Their long string of chart-topping singles, all co-written by Belland, included Big Man, Down by the Station and Lazy Summer Night. Before disbanding in 1969, they amassed eight gold singles and three gold albums.

Continuing to write songs that have been recorded by a variety of artists, Belland, a true wordsmith, also penned numerous feature films and television scripts, earning three Emmy nominations. The singer worked for NBC as a programming executive and provided countless voices for animated features, including the Disney classic Jungle Book.

Then in 2004, PBS asked Belland to re-assemble The Four Preps for a star-studded musical special, The Magic Moments: The Best of '50s Pop.

The Four Preps continue to bring their fresh harmonies and irrepressible humor to fans throughout the U.S. and, now, to Follies audiences as well!

Lesley Gore

Mon, 17 May 2010 10:40:29 -0700

Jan 5, 2011 - Mar 5, 2011

Recording Star Lesley Gore Debuts at Follies

The Little Lady with the Very Big Voice Wows Audiences

In 1963, a 16-year-old high school junior recorded a song which instantly became the anthem for a generation of teenage girls. It's My Party was Lesley Gore's very first recording, and rocketed to the top of the charts, reaching #1, and selling over one million copies. The disc achieved Gold Record status, earned a Grammy nomination and launched the career of one of the most recognized teen pop singers of the 1960s. And this season, The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies welcomes Lesley Gore for the first time to the stage of the historic Plaza Theatre.

Born in New York City in 1946 and raised in Tenafly, New Jersey, Gore was discovered by famed record producer Quincy Jones. Her first smash hit was quickly followed by a string of other Jones-produced chart-toppers, including That's the Way Boys Are, Maybe I Know, The Look of Love and Judy's Turn To Cry. Her proto-feminist anthem You Don't Own Me held the #2 spot on the charts for four weeks behind The Beatles' I Want To Hold Your Hand, and earned Gore her second Gold Record.

Gore headlined the 1964 concert film, The T.A.M.I. Show (Teen Awards Music International), along with James Brown, Chuck Berry, The Miracles, Marvin Gaye, The Supremes and The Rolling Stones. Considered by some as one of the very best rock-and-roll movies ever made, it was filmed at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, played movie theaters nationwide, and just last year aired on PBS.

Gore's Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows from the 1965 movie Ski Party, brought her a second Grammy nomination for Contemporary Rock and Roll female vocal performance.

Television and movie contracts followed, but Gore chose instead to attend Sarah Lawrence College in New York. Nonetheless, her popularity continued and, in 1967, she guest-starred as "Pussycat," one of Catwoman's minions, in two episodes of the Batman TV series in which she sang her hit, California Nights.

Throughout the following decades Gore continued performing. She also kept busy writing, including composing songs for the soundtrack of the 1980 film Fame. Gore received an Academy Award nomination for that film's Out Here on My Own, written with her brother Michael. The song was a Top 20 hit for Irene Cara.

In 2005, the singer-songwriter recorded her first album of new material since 1976 entitled Ever Since. Songs from that album have been used in major television shows and films, including CSI:Miami, The L Word and Flannel Pajamas. She continues writing, and an autobiographical musical is one of her current projects.

"You know what I say when people ask me what I've been doing for the past 30 years?" With a wry smile, she states, "Practicing." And when Lesley Gore steps onto the Plaza Theatre's stage, Follies audiences know it was time well spent--her powerful voice and catalogue of hit songs reflect the hard-won wisdom of time.

The Crystals

Mon, 17 May 2010 10:25:43 -0700

Oct 27, 2010 - Dec 31, 2010

RENOWNED GIRL GROUP MAKES FOLLIES DEBUT

The Crystals Bring Hits to Plaza Theatre Stage

When legendary record producer Phil Spector signed The Crystals in 1961, not one was yet out of high school. Their first recording, "There's No Other (Like My Baby)," became an instant hit and catapulted them straight to the Apollo Theatre.

In 1962, Brill Building songwriters Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil's "Uptown" gave the girls their second radio hit. Ethnically flavored with flamenco guitar and castanets, this more up-tempo tune featured the girls once again emoting convincingly over a boy, though this time with class issues woven into the story.

"He's a Rebel" is perhaps the Crystals' best-remembered song, and one of the most enduring of the girl group genre. The song had originally been offered to The Shirelles, who turned it down because of the anti-establishment lyrics. It marked a shift in girl group thematic material, where the singer loves a "bad boy," a theme that would be amplified by later groups. It was also a #1 hit for The Crystals.

The group's next release was the classic "Da Doo Ron Ron," which even featured Cher on backup vocals, long before she became a pop diva. The song was a top 10 hit in both the US and the UK, as was their follow-up single "Then He Kissed Me."

The group disbanded in 1967, but reunited in 1971 and has been performing ever since. While scaling back from five members to three, the group is now comprised of Dee Dee Kenniebrew, who was there from the very first recording; Patricia Pritchett-Lewis; and Melissa Antoinette Grant.

Today, the Crystals are acknowledged as one of the defining acts of the early-1960s girl group era and hold the notable distinction of having recorded two of the Top 50 most popular records in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The Follies is truly proud to present this classic act along with their timeless melodies to inaugurate its spectacular 20th anniversary season.

Original "Crystal" Carries On Tradition

Nearly 50 years ago and at the tender age of 15, Dee Dee Kenniebrew began singing professionally with The Crystals. At that time, her high school classmates included such future stars as Gregory Hines, Patty Duke and Bernadette Peters . . . definitely good company to learn from! She continued to hone her craft while working with such celebrated performers as Jackie Wilson, Sam Cooke, Dionne Warwick and James Brown.

"Many people look at me now, and remark about how young I look, as well my onstage energy," say Kenniebrew. "They wonder if I'm the same Dee Dee they remember as a kid? I tell them, ‘Yes it's me! I'm still here . . . and as long as you keep coming to see me, I'll keep goin'!'"

Mary Wilson

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 13:45:38 -0700

Mar 30, 2010 - May 16, 2010

"DREAMGIRL" MARY WILSON MAKES FOLLIES DEBUT
Original Supreme Performs Classic Hits At Plaza Theatre

A vision of musical stardom inspired a teenaged Mary Wilson to found, along with Diana Ross and Florence Ballard, one of the most successful singing groups in recording history — The Supremes. Since then, she has been a part of dozens of hit records and is regarded as a singer who set the standard for females in the recording industry. Now, she makes her debut appearance with The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies.

Growing up in Detroit’s Brewster Projects, Wilson fantasized about performing and formed The Primettes with Ross, Ballard and Betty McGlown, who was later replaced by Barbara Martin. The quartet signed with the fledgling Motown label, Martin dropped out, and the trio became known as The Supremes.

Success first eluded them, then Motown founder Berry Gordy connected them with his top writing and producing team. Twelve number-one hits followed, including five in a row — "Where Did Our Love Go," "Baby Love," "Stop, In The Name Of Love," and "Back in My Arms Again." With these hits, the Supremes set the precedent for super group success.

After Ballard and Ross left the group Wilson worked hard to keep the Supremes dream alive. With Jean Terrell and Cindy Birdsong, she racked up three Top 10 hits, "Up The Ladder To The Roof," "Stoned Love" and "River Deep, Mountain High" (with The Four Tops). Her first solo album, "Mary Wilson," was released in 1977 by Motown. It yielded the dance hit, "Red Hot."

The Supremes were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1988, and received the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award, which Wilson personally accepted.

Wilson’s autobiography, Dreamgirl: My Life as a Supreme, sold over 250,000 copies in hardback and became one of the most successful rock-and-roll autobiographies of all time. The success of the award-winning film, Dreamgirls, made her a much sought-after interview. She went on to pen a sequel, Supreme Faith . . . Someday We’ll Be Together. Her current The Complete Works by Mary Wilson combines the two books with additional chapters added.

In 1988, Wilson debuted in Beehive, a musical tribute to the female groups of the '60s. She’s also starred in a national tour of Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies, the celebrated tribute to the music of the legendary jazz great. Her film credits include Disney’s Tigertown and Miramax’s Only The Strong Survive, a documentary that catches up with the soul music stars of the '60s and '70s.

Since the late '70s, Wilson has shared her "Dare To Dream" story on the lecture circuit with such organizations as the American Cancer Society, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, UNICEF and many more. In 2003, as a US Cultural Ambassador, she undertook missions throughout the world. The tireless humanitarian was recently awarded a Doctorate of Humane Letters from Paine College in Augusta, Georgia. She has also received the National Foundation of Women Legislators’ Lifetime Achievement award.

Still living her dream, Mary Wilson shares her hits with Follies audiences this season on the stage of The Historic Plaza Theatre.

Rita Coolidge

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 13:43:48 -0700

Feb 9, 2010 - Mar 27, 2010

TWO-TIME GRAMMY WINNER MAKES FOLLIES DEBUT

Rita Coolidge Lifts Plaza Theatre Audiences "Higher & Higher" With Billboard Hits

One of the most masterful singers of the past thirty years is two-time Grammy Award-winner Rita Coolidge. In 1977, she topped the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart with "(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher" and has continued charting hits on Billboard's Pop, Country, Adult Contemporary and Jazz charts ever since. She now shares many of those hits in her debut appearance with The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies.

Born in 1945 in Lafayette, Tennessee, of Scottish and Cherokee Native American ancestry, Coolidge graduated high school in Jacksonville, Florida, and attended Florida State University, where she earned a B.A.

She began her career as a highly in demand session vocalist for artists such as Delaney & Bonnie, Joe Cocker, Eric Clapton and Leon Russell.

Her first solo single was recorded in 1968, after former Elvis Presley chief aide and close friend, Marty Lacker, discovered her. Lacker produced Coolidge’s "Turn Around And Love You", which became a regional hit in Los Angeles and the West Coast. She then worked with Leon Russell, and both became members of Joe Cocker's Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour. Her performance of "Superstar" on the Mad Dogs and Englishmen album helped her gain national attention.

Coolidge became known as "The Delta Lady" and inspired Leon Russell to write a song of the same name for her. It was during this time that she met Kris Kristofferson while filming Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, in which she played Maria; the two married in 1973. With Kristofferson, she recorded several duet albums, two of which earned a Grammy.

Her most successful album, the platinum certified Anytime . . . Anywhere, spawned three Top 10 singles including (the aforementioned) "Higher and Higher," "The Way You Do the Things You Do," and the gold certified, "We're All Alone."

Coolidge continued to score hits with "One Fine Day," "Words," "I Don't Want to Talk About It," "I'd Rather Leave While I'm in Love" and "You."

She also found success vocalizing for movie soundtracks. In 1983, she recorded the song "All Time High" for the James Bond film Octopussy. The single was one of her two #1 hits and topped Billboard's Adult Contemporary charts. Coolidge also recorded the love theme from the movie Splash, "Love Came For Me."

In 1997, Coolidge formed Walela, a Native American recording trio, with sister Priscilla and niece Laura Satterfield. Walela means hummingbird in Cherokee. "In the Cherokee nation, women are revered as they age," says Coolidge. "I am in the middle of the process, and I’m trying to embrace it with grace and dignity."

And, along with her hit music, that’s exactly what Rita Coolidge brings Follies’ audiences this season to the stage of The Historic Plaza Theatre.

The Four Aces

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 13:40:21 -0700

Jan 6, 2010 - Feb 6, 2010

OLDIES PROVE GOLDEN ON FOLLIES STAGE

Four Aces Return by Popular Demand!

Half a century before teen girls went crazy for 'N Sync or the Backstreet Boys, American airways and record players were dominated by the close harmony and soaring melodies of golden-throated male vocal groups. By any measure, the most successful of these original "boy bands" are the Four Aces, who return to guest star at the Follies this season.

Like many groups in the early 1950s, the Four Aces began playing locally in the Philadelphia area. Unable to land a recording deal at first, they released their first record, "(It's No) Sin," themselves. When that debut sold more than a million copies, major label Decca Records signed the group in time to release its next platinum record, "Tell Me Why."

By 1958, the Four Aces had seen more than 30 of their records climb the Top-40 charts, and had earned widespread acclaim for their live performances. Among their best known hits were "Heart and Soul," "Perfidia," "Dream," "Mr. Sandman" and "Stranger in Paradise." But the group scored its biggest successes with the title tunes from a pair of hit movies: Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing and Three Coins in the Fountain. Each theme song shot to #1 on the Billboard charts, won the Academy Award for Best Song for its year and became an international standard.

Since the 1960s, the group has continued to perform and their recordings remain perennial favorites on radio and compact discs. The Four Aces include Fred Diodati, 79, the group’s senior member and lead singer, Joe Giglio, 69, high-tenor, Danny Colingo, 65, baritone, and Harry Heisler, 64, bass. Heisler also serves as the quartet’s musical conductor.

One of the last "super groups" of the pre-rock 'n’ roll era, the Four Aces never abandoned the loving interpretation of well-crafted songs that made them stars and typified mid-20th century pop. Their importance in music history and their enduring popularity with audiences of all ages guarantee a "good time" as they headline the Follies’ nineteenth edition, Let The Good Times Roll!

Susan Anton

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 13:37:57 -0700

Oct 28, 2009 - Dec 31, 2009

Long-Legged Lovely becomes a singular attraction with the return of Susan Anton on center stage as guest star of The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies. What Las Vegas audiences have enjoyed for the past five years, Palm Springs audiences can now experience the same as she performs her very special tribute to the holiday season — with songs both traditional and contemporary.

The long-stemmed 5'11½" beauty is from apple-growing country east of Yucaipa, half an hour from Palm Springs — Oak Glen is her hometown — which virtually makes her a local celebrity. Born in 1950, she was a Miss California (1969) and second place runner-up in the 1970 Miss America Pageant, but quickly established herself professionally in the Broadway-Las Vegas-Hollywood orbit as a multi-talented theatrical, TV and silver screen personality.

Anton always was an eye-catcher, but the blonde-maned, elegant California Girl mastered pleasing the ear to enhance her image as an entertainer for more than three decades.

Her very first recording single, Killing Time, hit the Top 10 on the country music charts. Her mega-hit album, Foxy, earned her a Gold Record in Japan.

However, the music has always been augmented by her striking looks and vibrant personality. She co-starred in the original Broadway cast of Tommy Tune's Tony-Award winning musical, The Will Rogers Follies. Before that, she had done a straight dramatic role on the Great White Way in Hurlyburly, David Rabe's Pulitzer Prize-winning play directed by Mike Nichols. This versatility has been omnipresent in a long career covering hundreds of roles in television and movies.

She received a Golden Globe nomination as best new female star for the film, Goldengirl, and co-starred in the Las Vegas production of the Broadway musical, Hairspray, opposite Harvey Fierstein. Other notable credits include playing the part of Susan Williams in Stop Susan Williams episodes of the NBC serial-series, The Cliffhangers; two seasons as a regular on the TV series Baywatch; starring in her own NBC-TV variety show, Presenting Susan Anton; working with country great Mel Tillis in a television special, Mel and Susan Together; and touring with the Rockettes for seven years in the Great Radio City Music Hall Spectacular.

Earlier Anton sightings included a hitch as the provocative centerpiece in quirky ads for Muriel's Cigar and then a celebrity-scene paparazzi target, but in 1992, she married actor/director Jeff Lester.

Through their own production company, Big Picture Studios, Anton has been the executive producer of an award-winning short film, The Last Real Cowboys, starring Billy Bob Thornton, and a short documentary, Speed of Life.

But it's on center stage that Susan Ellen Anton has the greatest impact on Follies patrons.

Susan Anton

Wed, 13 May 2009 09:00:00 -0700

May 13, 2009 - May 17, 2009

Long-Legged Lovely becomes a singular attraction with the appearance of Susan Anton on center stage as guest star of the Fabulous Palm Springs Follies.

The long-stemmed 5'11" beauty is from apple-growing country east of Yucaipa, half an hour from Palm Springs—Oak Glen is her hometown—which virtually makes her a local celebrity. Born in 1950, she was a Miss California (1969) and second place runner-up in the 1970 Miss America pageant, but quickly established herself professionally in the Broadway-Las Vegas-Hollywood orbit as a multi-talented theatrical, TV and silver screen personality.

Anton always was an eye-catcher, but the blonde-maned, elegant California Girl mastered pleasing the ear to enhance her image as an entertainer for more than three decades.

Her very first recording single, Killing Time, hit the Top 10 on the country music charts. Her mega-hit album, Foxy, earned her a Gold Record in Japan.

However, the music has always been augmented by her striking looks and vibrant personality. She co-starred in the original Broadway cast of Tommy Tune's Tony-Award winning musical, The Will Rogers Follies Before that, she had done a straight dramatic role on the Great White Way in Hurlyburly, David Rabe's Pulitzer Prize-winning play directed by Mike Nichols. This versatility has been omnipresent in a long career covering hundreds of roles in television and movies.

But it's on center stage that Susan Ellen Anton has the greatest impact on Follies patrons.

John Davidson

Tue, 10 Mar 2009 09:00:00 -0700

Mar 10, 2009 - May 9, 2009

When it comes to providing entertainment, you name it - John Davidson has done it!

"It" includes starting out 44 years ago, fresh from a degree in Theater Arts at Denison University (the school that also produced feisty renowned Coach Woody Hayes), as the co-star of the Broadway show, Foxy, opposite the legendary Bert Lahr.

From there the credits for the everlastingly youthful singer and actor multiply exponentially.

Theater: lead in Broadway revival of Oklahoma; lead in Rodgers & Hammerstein's original State Fair; lead in regional and national productions of such hits as The Music Man, Camelot, Carousel, Man of La Mancha, Chicago, Neil Simon's Rumors, Will Rogers Follies; his very own theater for three years in Branson, Missouri.

Movies: starring or supporting roles in The Happiest Millionaire, Edward Scissorhands, Airport 80, and others.

Television: three years as host of Hollywood Squares; The John Davidson Show for two years; 80 appearances on The Tonight Show—the only singer to achieve that milestone; regular host of The Kraft Music Hall, That's Incredible! and The $100,000 Pyramid; even a dramatic role on Streets of San Francisco. And that's not all.

Nightclubs: introduced to Las Vegas audiences by Jack Benny in 1966, he has headlined at the Las Vegas Hilton, the MGM Grand, Caesar's Palace, the Riviera, the Desert Inn, the Golden Nugget and Harrah's.

In recent years he has written and starred in his autobiographical musical, Father Son and Holy Ghost, derived from growing up as the offspring of a Baptist minister and homemaker in Pittsburgh, PA.

Davidson and his wife Rhonda, whom he met in Branson while she was singing with Vicki Carr, even found the time to create a popular game, Borderline, that educates children in world geography.

He has three achieving children in John, Jr., a business consultant; Jennifer, a professional ice skater; and Ashleigh, who appeared with her father on the national tour of State Fair and, while still a high school honors student, has her sights on a career in the arts.

Through it all the Big Smile of Papa has dominated. You don't think of handsome, mop-haired John Davidson without envisioning the beaming countenance that exudes natural exuberance to frame his unique singing and performing talent. He comes to the Fabulous Palm Springs Follies as the celebrity guest for the spring run, aglow with the fervor to please an audience with which the 68-year-old veteran star can identify.

Susan Anton

Thu, 01 Jan 2009 09:00:00 -0800

Jan 7, 2009 - Mar 7, 2009

Long-Legged Lovely becomes a singular attraction with the appearance of Susan Anton on center stage as guest star of the Fabulous Palm Springs Follies.

Anton always was an eye-catcher, but the blonde-maned, elegant California Girl mastered pleasing the ear to enhance her image as an entertainer for more than three decades.

Her very first recording single, Killing Time, hit the Top 10 on the country music charts. Her mega-hit album, Foxy, earned her a Gold Record in Japan.

However, the music has always been augmented by her striking looks and vibrant personality. She co-starred in the original Broadway cast of Tommy Tune's Tony-Award winning musical, The Will Rogers Follies Before that, she had done a straight dramatic role on the Great White Way in Hurlyburly, David Rabe's Pulitzer Prize-winning play directed by Mike Nichols. This versatility has been omnipresent in a long career covering hundreds of roles in television and movies.

But it's on center stage that Susan Ellen Anton has the greatest impact on Follies patrons.

Freda Payne

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 09:00:00 -0700

Oct 28, 2008 - Dec 31, 2008

A "Band of Gold" is wrapped around the jazz-inspired melodious strains of Freda Payne's unique voice.

That was the name of the two-million-selling single, first recorded in 1970, that propelled Payne into vocal prominence, and the golden tones are still the signature of this Detroit-bred songbird. She brings that "Band of Gold" and her vast repertoire of songs to the Plaza Theatre as the opening guest star of the Fabulous Palm Springs Follies' 18th season.

Born in 1942, she grew up listening to the incomparable Ella Fitzgerald and the immortal Billie Holiday and, while influenced by them, developed her own unique style, nurtured as a teenager by attending the Institute of Musical Arts in Detroit. Appearances on local television and radio, augmented by radio commercial jingles, caught the attention of Berry Gordy, head of Motown, who offered her a recording contract, and Duke Ellington, who invited her to sing with his famous orchestra on a two-night stand in Pittsburgh and a consequent offer to take her on as a regular vocalist. But Mama put her foot down and insisted that the ingenue singer finish school first.

At 21, Payne went out on her own in New York, working with such entertainers as the legendary Quincy Jones and comedian Bill Cosby, and also compiled her debut jazz album, After the Lights Go Down Low and Much More!!! She soon veered her attention to Broadway and was the understudy to Leslie Uggams for the long-running Hallelujah Baby.

Back in Detroit, a newly-formed record label, Invictus, signed her and soon produced her first mega-hit, the afore-mentioned Band of Gold and a Vietnam protest song, Bring the Boys Home, that was her second gold seller. She also joined Jayne Kennedy and Eartha Kitt in being voted the world's Most Beautiful Black Women.

That made the 'oh-so-glamorous' Ms. Payne a natural for venturing into television, where she hosted her own talk show, and the movies (including an Eddie Murphy Nutty Professor opus) over the succeeding decades, in addition to various theatrical productions.

Music, however, remained the key element in her professional work, and last winter she scored rave reviews for her New York nightclub appearance at "Feinstein's at Loews Regency," in which her tribute to Ella Fitzgerald, had the New York Times proclaiming, "That Ms. Payne can even begin to duplicate Fitzgerald's scat-singing interludes attests to her formidable technique and swing roots."

All of which talents are in prime evidence here on the Plaza Theatre's stage.

Anna Maria Alberghetti

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 09:00:00 -0700

Mar 26, 2008 - May 17, 2008

AUDIENCE FAVORITE RETURNS TO FOLLIES STAGE Anna Maria Alberghetti Wows With Wondrous Sounds

Once in a great while, Follies' audiences demand a return engagement by a truly favorite guest star. By popular demand, Anna Maria Alberghetti, 72, who wowed us in the Follies' ninth and eleventh seasons, is back to close our seventeenth spectacular season.

She was born in Pesaro, Italy, the daughter of a concert master father and a pianist mother. She began her career at age 6 when she performed on the Isle of Rhodes accompanied by a 100-piece orchestra. Her father was her only vocal instructor.

At age 13, she made her groundbreaking Carnegie Hall debut prompting one New York Times reviewer to write "some of the purest, loveliest sounds that I have ever heard." She went on to perform with the New York Philharmonic and other distinguished symphonies, paving the way for a tremendous soloist career that still flourishes today.

Ed Sullivan introduced Alberghetti to television audiences and she appeared on his show for a record 53 times! She has, also, had many starring television roles- both dramatic and musical.

On stage, she has performed in West Side Story, The Sound of Music, Cabaret, Fanny, Side By Side By Sondheim and, most notably, Carnival. In the latter, she won a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her interpretation of the role- Lili. Most recently, she appeared as Carlotta in the national tour of the Kopit-Yeston production of Phantom.

Her film credits include Here Comes The Groom with Bing Crosby, Cinderfella with Jerry Lewis, and The Medium with famed Danish tenor, Lauritz Melchoir. More recent film appearances have included roles in the comedies Friends and Family and The Whole Shebang.

Alberghetti was reintroduced to younger audiences when she appeared in a series of Good Seasons television commercials, which increased her familiarity and the demand for concert appearances around the world.

While music may be her inspiration, Alberghetti's daughters, Alexandra and Pilar, are her passion. Now that they are grown, she keeps busy with an international schedule of concerts, lectures and personal appearances.

"I cannot remember a time when music wasn't a part of my life," recalls Alberghetti. Fortunately, for Follies' audiences, she is a part of ours once again.

Melba Moore

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 09:00:00 -0800

Feb 12, 2008 - Mar 22, 2008

ELECTRIC VOCALIST LIGHTS UP FOLLIES!

Melba Moore Debuts at Historic Plaza Theatre

Dynamic singer and debuting Follies guest star Melba Moore, 62, is a genuine "Broadway baby." Born in New York City, she first attracted notice in the landmark musical Hair and won a Tony Award for her second show, Purlie. Moore later headlined on the Great White Way in Timbuktu! and Inacent Black (also writing music and lyrics for the latter), and in the mid-1990s starred as Fantine in Les Mis'rables. Most recently, she has toured in her one-woman musical autobiography, Sweet Songs of the Soul.

The stage is hardly the only medium in which Moore has triumphed, however; she starred in not one, but two TV series named for her: 1972's The Melba Moore-Clifton Davis Show and a 1986 sitcom entitled, simply, Melba. She also guest-starred on numerous other hit series, including The Love Boat, Falcon Crest and The Cosby Show.

On the Big Screen, Moore was one of only two original cast members to be featured in Milos Forman's 1979 film version of Hair. She also lent her talents to such films as All Dogs Go to Heaven, Lost in the Stars and The Fighting Temptations.

Even while she worked as an actress, Moore maintained a busy recording career, releasing more than a dozen albums and garnering two Grammy nominations along the way. Her pop hits include "You Stepped Into My Life", "This Is It" and "The Greatest Feeling." Her 1990 recording of "Lift Every Voice and Sing" led to the song being named in the Congressional Record as the official African-American National Anthem. Her newly released CD, Nobody But Jesus?, is a collection of inspirational songs, including the gospel standard, "Precious Lord, Take My Hand."

"Is there anything Miss Moore cannot do?" muses Follies impresario Riff Markowitz, quickly answering his own question: "I don't think so! She is precisely the sort of multi-talented entertainer that a classic Follies like ours requires, and we are honored to share her with Follies audiences."

The Four Aces

Wed, 09 Jan 2008 09:00:00 -0800

Jan 9, 2008 - Feb 9, 2008

OLDIES PROVE GOLDEN ON FOLLIES STAGE FOUR ACES RETURN BY POPULAR DEMAND!

Half a century before teen girls went crazy for 'N Sync or the Backstreet Boys, American airways and record players were dominated by the close harmony and soaring melodies of golden-throated male vocal groups. By any measure, the most successful of these original "boy bands" are the Four Aces, who return to guest star at the Follies this season.

Like many groups in the early 1950s, the Four Aces began playing locally in the Philadelphia area. Unable to land a recording deal at first, they released their first record, "(It's No) Sin," themselves. When that debut sold more than a million copies, major label Decca Records signed the group in time to release its next platinum record, "Tell Me Why."

By 1958, the Four Aces had seen more than 30 of their records climb the Top-40 charts, and had earned widespread acclaim for their live performances. Among their best known hits were "Heart and Soul," "Perfidia," "Dream," "Mr. Sandman" and "Stranger in Paradise." But the group scored its biggest successes with the title tunes from a pair of hit movies: Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing and Three Coins in the Fountain. Each theme song shot to #1 on the Billboard charts, won the Academy Award for Best Song for its year and became an international standard.

Since the 1960s, the group has continued to perform and their recordings remain perennial favorites on radio and compact discs. The Four Aces include Fred Diodati, 77, the group's senior member and lead singer, Joe Giglio, 67, high-tenor, Joe Amato, 62, baritone, and Harry Heisler, 62, bass. Heisler also serves as the quartet's musical conductor.

One of the last "super groups" of the pre-rock 'n' roll era, the Four Aces never abandoned the loving interpretation of well-crafted songs that made them stars and typified mid-20th century pop. Their importance in music history and their popularity with Follies audiences make them naturals to guest-star in this year's salute to Tin Pan Alley!

Kaye Ballard

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 09:00:00 -0700

Oct 30, 2007 - Dec 31, 2007

COMEDY LEGEND RETURNS TO PLAZA THEATRE

LOCAL FAVORITE KAYE BALLARD CELEBRATES 70 YEARS IN SHOW BUSINESS

To anyone who watched television in the mid-20th century, Follies guest star Kaye Ballard, 82, is a musical-comedy legend, thanks to her hilarious appearances on The Tonight Show, The Carol Burnett Show and other variety hours, and her own, now-classic sitcom, The Mothers-in-Law, co-starring Eve Arden. She also created the role of one of the stepsisters in the original broadcast of Rodger's and Hammerstein's Cinderella. But TV is only one medium in which Ballard has triumphed during her 70 years in show business!

Making her stage debut at age 12 in her native Cleveland, Ballard played vaudeville and burlesque during the closing years of those circuits. In 1943, she was "discovered" by bandleader Spike Jones and toured with his band, singing and playing flute and tuba.

After debuting on Broadway with Three to Make Ready in 1946, Ballard returned for 1954's The Golden Apple, reinventing Helen of Troy as a small-town girl who is "always willing," and introducing the ballad standard, "Lazy Afternoon." She later starred in the hit Broadway musical Carnival! (next to past and future Follies' guest star, Anna Maria Alberghetti), and the 1980s' revival of The Pirates of Penzance.

Hollywood beckoned in 1957 and Ballard made her film debut with Jane Powell in The Girl Most Likely. Numerous movies followed, including Which Way to the Front?, the original Freaky Friday, A House Is Not A Home and, her personal favorite, The Ritz.

In recent years, Ballard returned to the stage for celebrated revivals of Funny Girl and Stephen Sondheim's Follies, and the 20th anniversary tour of Nunsense. She continues to make recordings and nightclub appearances, and has published the riotous autobiography: How I Lost 10 Pounds in 53 Years.

Like the Palm Springs Follies itself, Kaye Ballard is living proof that classic musical-comedy talent still beguiles audiences. Her current run at the historic Plaza Theatre is a "homecoming" in every sense of the word: a return to her vaudeville roots; a revisiting of her smash Follies debut in Season 14; and a rare, local engagement near her adopted hometown of Rancho Mirage.

Mimi Hines

Wed, 21 Mar 2007 09:00:00 -0700

Mar 21, 2007 - May 20, 2007

FUNNY-GIRL HINES ENCORES AT FOLLIES!

Musical Comedy Star Sparkles Through Six Decades in Show Business

Though Fabulous Palm Springs Follies guest star Mimi Hines, 73, has been a music and comedy star through six decades, her appeal remains undiminished. As recently as January of this year, she triumphed in the New York City Center revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Follies, inspiring Variety to call her a "showstopper," and The New York Times to proclaim her performance "terrific" and "touching."

As a teenager, she met her eventual comedy partner, Phil Ford, in 1952 at a club in Anchorage. They worked regularly in night clubs until their now-legendary, 1958 appearance on The Tonight Show: Miss Hines sang "Till There Was You" so memorably that host Jack Paar was moved to tears on camera, and "Ford & Hines" became "overnight" sensations. The duo performed together full time until 1972, and reunited periodically—including a delightful turn as Follies guest stars throughout Season Two—until shortly before Mr. Ford passed away in 2005.

Miss Hines followed her Tonight Show triumph with countless TV appearances, including Toast of the Town (the early version of what would become The Ed Sullivan Show), Hollywood Palace, and The Merv Griffin Show. She costarred with Follies cast member Randy Doney on Frasier, and was a guest during the final week of The Rosie O’Donnell Show.

On the legit stage, Miss Hines took on the seemingly impossible task of replacing Barbra Streisand in the original Broadway production of Funny Girl, and then headlined the show for another 18 months of packed houses! She starred in numerous tours of musical comedies, including Anything Goes, I Do! I Do! and Hello Dolly! In the 1990s, she returned to the Great White Way in a revival of Grease. More recently, she stopped the show nightly in Los Angeles productions of On the Twentieth Century and Pippin, and on the road with the 20th anniversary production of Nunsense.

"To my mind, Miss Hines is the ideal Follies guest star," marvels impresario Riff Markowitz. "Whether tackling the complex rhythms and key changes of a Jule Styne song or the utter simplicity of a Meredith Willson ballad, she sings like an angel! She can have you doubled over with laughter one moment and moved to tears the next. It has been 14 years since she appeared on our stage: too long, but well worth the wait."

Gloria Loring

Wed, 10 Jan 2007 09:00:00 -0800

Jan 10, 2007 - Mar 18, 2007

RECORDING ARTIST WITH LONG LIST OF HITS ALSO KNOWN FOR ACTING, WRITING

Described by the Los Angeles Times as “one of the purist musical talents in mainstream pop today,” Gloria Loring, 60, has enjoyed a career spanning three decades of recordings, concert tours, and appearances on stage, television, and radio. She first guest-starred at the Fabulous Palm Springs Follies during Season 12. “The phrase ‘Back by popular demand!’ is sometimes carelessly used,” notes Follies Impresario Riff Markowitz, “but in this case it’s true. Rarely has the return of a Follies guest star created such anticipation among our patrons.”

Loring’s first big break on The Merv Griffin Show led to hundreds of appearances on variety and talk shows such as The Tonight Show, The Ed Sullivan Show, and The Carol Burnett Show, as well as the Emmy and Academy Awards. She has shared the stage with such top performers as Bill Cosby, Frank Sinatra, Al Jarreau, the Pointer Sisters, and Mel Torme.

In 1980, she won the role of Liz Chandler on NBC’s Days of Our Lives and played the role for nearly seven years. In 1986, fans of the series help send her recording of “Friends and Lovers,” a duet with Carl Anderson, to the top of the pop charts. Since then, Loring has enjoyed a busy career of recordings and concert engagements throughout North America and Europe, and four sold-out concert tours of Australia. She has also found success in theater productions on the West Coast and a national tour as Reno Sweeny in Anything Goes.

Also a writer, she co-wrote the now classic theme songs for the hit series, Diff'rent Strokes and The Facts of Life. Inspired when her son was diagnosed with diabetes, Loring has written several books on living with the disease, including the recent Living with Type 2 Diabetes: Moving Past the Fear, and has been honored for her work for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

During her first engagement at the Follies, Loring stopped the show nightly with her thrilling medley of blues standards. That performance has been immortalized on the currently available Follies CD, Great Moments at the Follies, Vol. 1, and is reprised by her this season.

Gogi Grant

Tue, 31 Oct 2006 09:00:00 -0800

Oct 31, 2006 - Dec 31, 2006

FAMED SINGING START IN FOLLIES DEBUT! Beloved Songbird Received Worldwide Acclaim Throughout Career

Even during the 1950s?that golden age of American pop divas?singer Gogi Grant stood out from the rest because of the richness of her tone and the careful nuances of her phrasing. Still beloved and admired five decades later, Grant, 82, is making her debut as a Follies guest star.

Born Audrey Arinsburg, Grant was given her improbable moniker by a manager and it served her well. Her first release, the inspirational ?Suddenly There's a Valley? in 1955, was a respectable success. But the ?B? side of that single proved a monster hit. Recorded in just 15 minutes at the end of a long studio session, ?The Wayward Wind? spent eight weeks at #1 on the Billboard pop chart (supplanting Elvis' ?Heartbreak Hotel?) and eventually sold more than two million copies. By some measures, it remains one of the Top 40 hits of all time.

There followed a number of hit singles for Grant, including ?Who Are We?? and ?You're in Love,? and successful albums including ?Suddenly There's Gogi? and ?Welcome to My Heart.? In 1957 she supplied the singing voice for Ann Blyth in the Warner Brothers film biography, The Helen Morgan Story . Although it was common at the time for studios to deny that singing voices were dubbed, such was Grant's stature that she was pictured on the album cover. The soundtrack remained on the charts for more than two years.

In 1967, Grant retired from professional singing to devote her time to raising her children. When she returned to the concert stage more than two decades later, she astonished fans and critics alike. Time had done nothing to diminish her unique voice, it had merely enriched her interpretations of classic, American songs. Variety hailed her as ?an American Piaf? and the Los Angeles Theatre Guild awarded her its highest honor.

Grant went on to triumphant engagements in New York and London, and performances with symphony orchestras around the world. Her greatest hits CD, The Best of Gogi Grant , was released in 1993. The Fabulous Follies is indeed proud to welcome this legendary vocalist, who?like the Follies itself?proves that talent has no expiration date.