FREEHOLD — Rich Gatto, the CEO of Downtown Freehold, has announced a special concert event, “Legends of Rock,” in association with the Monmouth Academy of Musical Arts, Marlboro.
“Legends of Rock” will feature Terry Sylvester, formerly of the Hollies, and Denny Laine of Wings and the Moody Blues, along with The Cryers. The free “Legends of Rock” concert will take place on Sept. 11 at 7:30 p.m. at the Monmouth County Hall of Records parking lot, Main Street.
Sylvester is a premier ambassador of the British Invasion, the music of which continues to impact and resound with many younger, new bands and artists. At the age of 16, his band Terry and the Escorts frequently were billed with the Beatles in and around Liverpool, England; the Beatles handpicked Terry and the Escorts to share the stage for the Fab Four’s final appearance at the Cavern Club on Aug. 3, 1963.
In 1966, Sylvester was asked to jump into the guitarist spot vacated by Ralph Ellis in the Swinging Blue Jeans, which enjoyed a string of hits including “You’re No Good,” “Hippy Hippy Shake” and “Good Golly Miss Molly.”
The songwriter, singer and guitarist joined the Hollies by special invitation in 1969 – Sylvester was the No. 1 choice to take over the duties from Graham Nash, who left the group to form Crosby, Stills and Nash.
Sylvester’s melody lines are instantly recognizable and his facility with melodic structure was the force behind several enduring Hollies hits, such as “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother,” “Long Dark Road,” “The Air That I Breathe” and “Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress.”
Enjoying nearly a decade of songwriting and touring with the Hollies, Sylvester also recorded a solo LP, “I Believe” at Abbey Road Studios and worked with Alan Parsons on his debut Alan Parsons Project album, “Tales of Mystery and Imagination.”
Laine is considered by rock royalty as a revered musician’s musician — a constant
creator and architect of songs. In the early 1960s, the songwriter singer-guitarist formed Denny and the Diplomats with drummer Bev Bevan, who would later help form the Electric Light Orchestra.
In 1964, Laine then started another band, the Moody Blues, moving on to experiment
with the Denny Laine String Band and then Ginger Baker’s Airforce.
In 1971, Paul McCartney was seeking to create a new sound and new band and tapped Laine to help form Wings, a band Laine contributed heavily to for its entire duration.
Laine continues to experiment with the expression of music in form and in theory, the very characteristic that drove him to help shape the unique sounds of each band he co-founded.
“I have had the pleasure of working closely with both Sylvester and Laine, touring and playing with them for years,” said Freehold resident Joe Orlando, founder of the Monmouth Academy of Music and the band The Cryers.
“For a long time, I had envisioned creating a concert for Downtown Freehold that would feature renowned musicians playing with my band The Cryers. Rich Gatto was instantly open to the concept and swiftly helped make it happen. Downtown Freehold has quickly become known for being the place to hear music and we at the Monmouth Academy of Music are committed to making music a tradition,” Orlando said.