Coasters, Drifters, Platters headline Holiday Hop at the Palace

Three classic rock and doo-wop groups will help kick off the Christmas season at a “Holiday Hop” concert presented by Latshaw Productions on Dec. 5 at The Palace Theatre, Greensburg.

Cornell Gunter’s Coasters, The Drifters and The Platters – all Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees – will perform some of their hits from the ‘50s and ‘60s along with favorite seasonal tunes and “at least one sing-along, depending on the vibe of the audience,” said Jerome Jackson, lead vocalist for The Drifters.

Jackson, who has logged 29 years with the Drifters, said the triple-play show is a perennial favorite because of the lyrics and the melodies in the classic songs the three groups perform.

Feel-good music

“They’re easy to listen to and they make us feel good,” he said in a phone call from his home in Las Vegas. “We relate to the music because most of us were teenagers or youngsters when we first heard the songs.”

With lyrics that are innocent and understandable, their songs have “a lot of passion and love to them,” Jackson said. “That’s the message the music brings.”

The three vocal groups visited Western Pennsylvania earlier this year, performing together in April at the Benedum Center, Pittsburgh.

The original Drifters first got together in 1953 and topped the record charts with hits such as “Under the Boardwalk,” “Up on the Roof,” “Save the Last Dance for Me,” “On Broadway” and “There Goes My Baby.”

The group has seen several personnel changes over the years. Jackson came on board in the late 1980s, auditioning for The Drifters while he was performing with the soul group The Main Ingredient (“Everybody Plays the Fool”).

He originally was a backup singer with the Drifters before becoming lead vocalist, following former lead singers Clyde McPhatter, Ben E. King and Rudy Lewis.

Home for the holidays

Originally from Richland, Va., he got his start in the music industry in 1971 with a group called The Creations. Before then, his concerts were limited to high school and church choirs.

Jackson said besides performing in shows, he’ll be spending part of the holiday season on the East Coast with his family – including his seven grandchildren – in Virginia.

Other concert headliners

The original Cornell Gunter Coasters formed in 1955 when two members of The Robins moved from the West Coast to the East Coast. Their most popular hits include “Yakety Yak,” “Charlie Brown,” “Love Potion Number Nine” and “Poison Ivy.”

The original Platters formed in 1952 and had 40 hit records between 1955 and 1967, including “Only You (and You Alone),” “The Great Pretender,” “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” and “Twilight Time.” Three of their songs were part of the “American Graffiti” movie soundtrack.