Atlantic City Weekly

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B.J. Thomas

The 1970s hit makers The Little River Band (“Lady,” “Lonesome Loser”) headline The Richard Stockton College summer concert series at The Music Pier in Ocean City this year along with acts such as ‘70s country/rock/gospel artist B.J. Thomas, (“Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head”), the ‘60s soft-rock artists The Association (“Windy”) and ‘80s hair band Winger (“Seventeen”).

Stockton and Ocean City announced the line-up for the successful Stockton Goes To The Beach program, which is presented each summer by the college’s performing arts center, but utilizes O.C.’s seaside venue The Music Pier.

“We try to get something different for each week of the series,” says Suze DiPietro, spokesperson for the Stockton PAC. “This is the fourth year of the series and each year it gets more successful and more people hear about it. We try to get a variety of acts; you know something for younger people one week, older audiences the next. We’ve got disco, country and hard rock. We just want everybody to have fun.”

The Ocean City venue also brings a summer flair to the series that couldn’t be achieved at the college’s mainland campus in Galloway Township.

The vibe on the Ocean City Boardwalk is just fantastic,” DiPietro says. “After the show, or before it, you can take a walk, get some curly fries, enjoy the beach. It’s been a wonderful mix.”

Australia’s Little River Band, formed in 1975, scored several major hits in the U.S. including “Lonesome Loser” and “Lady,” but none of those original members, such as Glenn Shorrock (lead singer) and guitarists Graeham Goble, Ric Formosa and Beeb Birtles, are still with the band. Still, appearing in a number of incarnations through the years, the band continues to put out records including 2008’s We Call It Christmas. Wayne Nelson, who joined the band in 1980, is currently the lead vocalist.

B.J. Thomas has always combined a country and rock feel and scored a monster hit with “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head” from the soundtrack of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid in 1969. His second No. 1 was “(Hey Won’t You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song,” and he continued through the ’80s with hits on the country and gospel charts. His latest album is 2007’s Love to Burn.

Winger was formed by basist Kip Winger, a former member of Alice Cooper’s band, in 1986 and scored a monster hit with “Seventeeen” in the late ’80s along with “Headed for a Heartbreak” and “Miles Away” before breaking up in the early ’90s. The band reformed in 2006 and has stayed true to its original lineup.

The great ’60s pop group the Association, with hits such as “Along Comes Mary,” “Cherish,” “Windy” and “Never My Love” will also appear and still have three early members Russ Guigere, Larry Ramos and Jim Yester.

Jay & the Americans carried the successful ’50s doo-wop sound into the ’60s and scored hits with songs like “Cara Mia,” “She Cried” and “Come a Little Bit Closer.”

This season’s lineup also includes tribute bands such as Ricky Nelson Remembered starring Matthew and Gunnar Nelson & The Stone Canyon Band. The Nelson brothers are, of course, the twin sons of Ricky Nelson and have several hits on their own from their band Nelson, which produced the hit ’90s album After The Rain.

Also featured is Country Roads: The Music of John Denver & Dan Fogelberg, which features Tony Award nominated vocalist Bob Stillman, Nashville artist Lee Ann Etheridge and songwriter and performer Casey Kelly. Another tribute band featured is “Stayin’ Alive,” the ultimate Bee Gees tribute band. The falsetto vocal match and authentic look of Joe Varga, Todd Sharman and Tony Mattina recreate the disco sound of the Bee Gees ’70s heyday. 

The shows are at 8pm Mondays starting in July and tickets are $25. Visit stockton.edu/pac for tickets. Here’s the schedule:

July 5: Country Roads
July 12: The Little River Band
July 19: Jay & The Americans
July 26: The Association
Aug. 2: Ricky Nelson Remembered
Aug. 9: Winger
Aug. 16: B.J. Thomas
Aug. 23: Stayin’ Alive

Here's a classic Little River Band clip.

Go to www.stockton.edu/pac for current info on the bands and ticket information.