Contact: Helaine Ross Public Relations Telephone: (310) 351-1474 Email: [email protected]
For Immediate Release
IN CELEBRATION OF THEIR 50th ANNIVERSARY THE FOUR PREPS ARE BACK!
THE NEW FOUR PREPS HOST SUMMER’S BIGGEST BEACH PARTY ON CATALINA ISLAND TO CELEBRATE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF MILLION SELLER “26 MILES”
Like phoenixes reborn, The New Four Preps and Catalina re-emerge this summer better than ever
(Catalina Island, CA)— In response to overwhelming demand from fans, The Four Preps are back, and what better place to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their million-selling single “26 Miles (Santa Catalina)” than Catalina Island itself, where the recently re-formed group will launch their Fall 2007 tour with an outdoor concert and beach party on July 15th at the renowned Descanso Beach Club, starting at 2pm. Says Bruce Belland, the original lead singer of the famed pop hit makers, “As a teenager I was lucky enough to write a song that put Catalina on the map and took my recording group The Four Preps to dizzying heights. Now, fifty years later, I have the happy privilege of singing it for hundreds of friends on that very island. Dreams really do come true.”
The Four Preps’ front man Bruce will be joined for the “26 Miles” Tribute Concert by Bob Duncan, former leader of The Diamonds and The Crew Cuts, and Joe Dickey and Skip Taylor, also Crew Cuts members, to create the twenty-first century sound of The Four Preps, the only pop vocal group still performing that has been fronted by the same lead singer for its entire fifty year existence. World-renowned concert pianist Lincoln Mayorga, the group’s lifelong arranger known as “the fifth prep,” will accompany The Four Preps and reunite with Bruce, his Hollywood High School classmate. Also sharing the stage with The Four Preps will be one of pop music’s most memorable female groups, The Chordettes, famous for hits such as “Lollipop” and “Mr. Sandman,” and fronted by Judy Duncan, wife of new Four Prep Bob Duncan.
Concert sponsor Catalina Island Museum “is excited to be commemorating the 50th anniversary of Catalina's most famous song,” says Museum executive director Stacey Otte. “ ‘26 Miles’ has done so much to promote the island; we feel it's our happy obligation to honor the song and The Four Preps, who made it and our island famous!"
As a Hollywood High student in 1956, Bruce Belland co-founded The Four Preps, who were signed by Capitol Records that same year after impressing a Capitol executive at a school talent show. On the beach one day with friends, ukulele in hand, Bruce co-wrote “26 Miles,” which Dick Clark would later refer to as “the first surfer hit,” and the song took The Four Preps to the top of the charts in 1958. Recalls Bruce, “For the first ten years The New Four Preps/Page Two of my life, my family lived in Chicago, and every year, while The Windy City was still shivering in the cold, I’d watch newsreel footage of my beloved Chicago Cubs happily engaged in spring training on a tropical island paradise called Catalina. I promised myself that some day I’d visit that magical place.” Through the 50s and 60s, The Four Preps enjoyed success with songs co-penned by Belland such as “Big Man,” “Down by the Station,” and “Lazy Summer Night.” Their string of hits earned them multiple performances on The Ed Sullivan and American Bandstand Shows, a feature in Life Magazine, co-star billing in the original Gidget movie opposite Sandra Dee, and inspired Dick Clark to call their music “the soundtrack of our lives!”
In addition to being a charismatic singer and prolific songwriter, Bruce Belland is also an Emmy-nominated scriptwriter and television producer. He has composed music for T.V., film, and Broadway, and was honored with the Freedom Foundation’s Presidential Medal of the Arts for co-authoring the Official Anthem of the Bi- centennial of the U.S. Constitution. Bob Duncan comes to The Four Preps with decades of experience as a pop vocalist, most notably leading The Diamonds, whose hits include “Little Darlin’,” and The Crew Cuts, who had a smash with “Sh-Boom.” Also from The Crew Cuts, Joe Dickey joins The Four Preps after several seasons as the lead in “Hallelujah Hollywood” on the Las Vegas stage. Fellow Crew Cut Skip Taylor supports The Four Preps with his deep bass voice, honed from years in musical theatre productions such as “The Sound of Music.” “Fifth Prep” Lincoln Mayorga is an accomplished composer, performer, and arranger who has contributed to soundtracks on films such as Chinatown and The Rose, recorded with artists like Barbra Streisand, and collaborated with such orchestral luminaries as Itzhak Perlman.
Joining The New Four Preps in hosting the “26 Miles” Tribute Concert is the Catalina Island Museum, an institution dedicated to preserving Catalina Island’s cultural heritage. Located in the historic Casino Building in Avalon, the Museum is open daily and houses permanent exhibits that illustrate elements of the Island’s history including its evolution as a resort community, its role as the Chicago Cubs Spring Training venue, its links to Hollywood, and its prominence in the decorative tile and pottery industry. The Museum looks forward to making a special presentation at the concert to honor the emergency service workers whose heroic efforts were vital in extinguishing last month’s deadly fire, and is also preparing a summer exhibition about the fire featuring photos, news footage, interviews, maps, and more.
Some things never change: Catalina Island will always be “the island of romance” and The Four Preps will always be the sound of Catalina. Celebrate the salvation of California’s favorite island by enjoying Catalina’s timeless beauty with the timeless music of The Four Preps at the “26 Miles” Tribute Concert on July 15th at the Descanso Beach Club. Tickets start at $25 and are available online at www.catalinamuseum.org or by calling (310) 510-2414, ext. 1#. Proceeds will go to benefit the Catalina Island Museum.