Doing the Doo-Wop

What are doo-wop singers to do when the group they sing in breaks up? For several former members of the Chimes, the answer was easy: form their own group,

That’s how the Manhattan Skyline got its start in 2008. Several members were singing with Lenny and the Chimes, which were led by Lenny Coco, who had a few hits in the 1960s. In 2008, the Chimes split up, leading to several of Coco’s singers to form their own group.

Now the Manhattan Skyline is getting ready to bring doo-wop and other ’50s and ’60s music to East Windsor with a free concert at Etra Lake Park on Aug. 7.

“It’s oldies combined with doo-wop,” says founding member Rocky Marsicano. “We do the original doo-wops like ‘Gloria,’ and ‘This I Swear’ by the Skyliners, and 'It Happened Today' by the Skyliners and doo-wops like that. But we also do songs like ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’ and ‘She’d Rather be With Me’ by the Turtles, we do a couple of songs by Dusty Springfield, we do mostly songs from the ’50s and ’60s."

Marsicano, along with fellow members Tony Danno, Bobby Petrone, Howie Rosenberg and John Mazzocchi founded the group. The newest member is Johnny Martinucci, who sang with the Demensions. Other members include Christina Corallo, Frank Slattery, Joe Varvaro and Dave Grant.

This mix allows the group to perform a variety of songs, such as the Dupris’ "Morse Code of Love,” the original recording of which Darrow sang baritone on. They also sing Chimes hits like “Once in a While” and tunes like “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” which Marsicano has performed on stage with the Tokens, who made the song a hit.

“It’s more of a tribute situation now because we’re former members of these groups,” Marsicano says. “We like to pay tribute to the groups that we’re former members of.”

Having Corallo, a female singer, allows the Skyline to perform songs by Dusty Springfield (such as “I Only Want to Be With You” and “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me”) and Connie Francis (“Where the Boys Are”). The band’s lineup features four singers up front and a six-piece band, including two horn players.

“It’s quite a production,” Marsicano says.

While Marsicano says the members of the group have jobs outside of music, they bring lots of musical experience to their concerts. The group’s members have played big venues, performing with major doo-wop acts.

Half a century after they started, doo-wop and early rock ’n’ roll remain popular, and Marsicano says that has to do with the songs.

“It’s amazing that this music, 50 years later, is still going strong,” he says. “If you listen to the words of these songs, they’re all about good things. It’s all about, I love you, I miss you, I need you. There’s no vulgarity in any of these songs. Every song speaks about love, it’s funny but it’s all about the love and it gives everybody a good feeling.

Concerts draw fans of all ages, from older people who remember when they were first released to young fans hearing them for the first time. Marsicano says a recent Manhattan Skyline show in Astoria, N.Y., drew about 2,000 listeners.

“The songs we perform are known and people recognize them right away and if you perform them well, you get a good reaction,” he says. “That seems to be our forte, we just want to keep going and doing that, having fun and bringing the music out there.”

The Manhattan Skyline will perform at Etra Lake Park, located at Milford and Etra roads in East Windsor on Aug. 7 at 6 p.m. Rain date is Aug. 22. For information in the event of inclement weather, call 609-443-4000, ext. 400.