Holiday Hop

From Gateway Playhouse website

Ring in the New Year with music royalty at HOLIDAY HOP, featuring festive hits and timeless classics by Motown legends The Cornell Gunter Coasters, The Marvelettes and The Platters. These landmark artists debuted in the 1950s and 1960s and still remain popular today thanks to their trademark songs “Charlie Brown,” “The Great Pretender,” “Only You (And You Alone),” “Please, Mr. Postman” and “Yakety Yak.” While each group still maintains a distinct style, these musical pioneers meld sweet harmonies, slick choreography and raucous comedy into an act that has earned them the title of ‘longest running musical show in Las Vegas.’

The Cornell Gunter Coasters are a doo-wop group that performs comedy oriented songs about the teen-age American experience, accompanied by smooth, synchronized choreography. Their namesake, the late R&B singer Cornell Gunter, was a key member of The Coasters’ lineup which was the first group act inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Coasters placed fourteen songs on the R&B charts, eight of which crossed over to the pop Top Forty, with the rebellious “Yakety Yak” reaching #1 on the charts. Other songs include "Along Came Jones," "Little Egypt (Ying-Yang)," "Poison Ivy,” “Searchin” and “Young Blood.” The Coasters’ playful style quickly found popularity in the US and England, where ‘up-and-coming’ bands such as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones covered their hits. 

The Marvelettes occupy an esteemed place in the history of American popular music. After their first record, "Please, Mr. Postman," reached the top spot on the charts in 1961—a Motown first—the Marvelettes would popularize a style that dominated the music charts until the advent of the Beatles. The group contributed to a new soulful pop sound that mixed stirring anthems with high intensity, upbeat rhythms. Through their history, the group scored 21 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and 23 Billboard Hot 100 hit singles. Three of these hits were Top Ten Pop singles and nine were Top Ten R&B singles. Other favorites include “Beechwood 4-5789,” “Don’t Mess with Bill,” “Playboy,” and “Too Many Fish in the Sea.” Their success paved the way for later female Motown groups such as Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, and The Supremes. 

The Platters were created during the early 1950’s and are viewed as a bridge between Tin Pan Alley and Rock & Roll. They utilized the power-ballad love song, accompanied with enchanting harmonies. They have had 21 Top Ten records, nine million selling singles, five platinum albums and five #1 songs. In 1956, they appeared in the first major motion picture dedicated to Rock & Roll, “Rock Around the Clock.” Hits include "Enchanted," “The Great Pretender,” "He's Mine," "I'm Sorry," "The Magic Touch," “My Prayer,” “Only You,” and “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes.” The Platters are one of the top 25 selling artists of all time, according to Billboard Magazine, and are members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.