Recently I supplied entertainment for a $1,000,000 50th. Wedding Anniversary party at the Royal Ontaro Museum. It was a spectacular event! There was lots of entertainment throughout the evening ending with a performance by the legendary Motown group The,Temptations. The client was a huge Temptations fan, and he specifically requested the singers wear their sparkly suits.
I picked up the 5 singers up at the airport, and low and behold, the airline lost a costume bag containing one of the sparkly jackets. The Temps were in a panic. Although they had 4 of the 5 jackets, they insisted they all had to wear the same costume. Our Limo bus drove them to the sound check, and I proceeded to call every costume shop in the GTA to find 5 identical sparkly jackets. No luck.
After the sound check I took them to the Eaton Centre to see if they could find anything there. No luck again. Around 5:00 pm we all agreed the sparkly jackets were not possible and the only solution were some cool, matching tuxedos. The show Producer, Trudy Moffat, found a tuxedo shop in the Little Jamaica part of town which was just about to close for the day. When the shop owner heard it was for The Temptations, he agreed to keep the story open. The Temps and I jumped into the limo bus and headed for the store. Luckily their performance wasn’t until 11:00 pm. It took some time to decide on the tuxedo, do the fittings and complete the alterations. At 8:30 pm we paid the bill and headed for the door to return to the hotel.
The Temps stayed calm throughout this ordeal and were appreciative that the tux store had stayed open to accommodate them. As the guys got to the door, the band leader stopped and suggested the guys should give the store owner and staff a taste of The Temptations. It was truly a magical moment when they sang “My Girl” acappella style.
We arrived at the hotel at 9:00 pm. As soon as we got there the airport called to say they had found the costume bag. I told the bus driver to take the band to the ROM at 10:00 pm and I would drive my car to the airport to retrieve the costume bag. I arrived at the ROM 15 minutes before showtime, and the client was very happy The Temptations were in their iconic sparkly jackets.
Working side-by-side with KC of The Sunshine Band fame, Jimmy Bo Horne and KC developed the funk based style of music that became known as “The Miami Sound”. In the beginning, KC & the Sunshine Band was the opening act for Jimmy BoHorne. After the huge success of KC, Jimmy opened for them. During the disco days of the 70’s, BoHorne had major hits on the US R&B charts and in Europe including “Dance Across the Floor”, “Spank”, “Gimme Some”, and “Get Happy”. Anyone fortunate enough to see a Jimmy Bo Horne show will agree that he ranks as one of the greatest entertainers……as high energy as you can get! It’s in-your-face party music…….spectacular arrangements……. amazing musical solos……show stopping vocals! For this prestigious event, Jimmie has assembled an all-star cast of 13 musicians and singers to provide a full evening of entertainment. The band will take part in the “Perfect Harmony” business meeting where the building of a company will be paralleled with the building of a band. During dinner, the band will provide the finest in quiet, funky background jazz. During food course changeovers, his female vocalists will entertain with some classy Anita Baker or Sade material. The band can provide walk-on stings for any awards or guest speakers. When the party starts, put your dancing shoes on. This 13 piece powerhouse band featuring 3 horns, 2 percussionists, and 4 vocalists will play the Motown and disco hits of the baby boomer generation and beyond….. the classic tunes that are guaranteed to fill the dance floor. The musicians are a melting pot of different cultures….and it’s reflected in their musical repertoire of Caribbean and Latin hits. The Party Machine performs soca, salsa, calypso, tango, and reggae with a truly authentic feel and spirit. Towards the end of the evening, when Jimmy kicks into overdrive…….hang on! It’s audience participation to THE MAXX. It’s party time!! Jimmy takes no responsibility for patrons dancing atop the tables and chairs!
This is the best group in North America for a high level corporate event. Based in San Diego, it includes a full group of 18 performers including 7 musicians, 5 vocalists, and 6 dancers who provide continuous live interactive music and dance entertainment. The show is structured to keep the attendees entertained and involved throughout the entire evening.
SHOWDANCE provides a party atmosphere unparalleled by other entertainment programs. You will experience a kaleidoscope of colourful costumes from the glamorous to the outrageous 60’s, the funky 70’s and on through to the most contemporary styles of the 90’s. The music is the ultimate in era revival. You might find yourself kicking up your heels to music from “A Chorus Line”, complete with top hat, or you may don dark sunglasses for a Blues Brothers number, or even sport maracas for a Latin cha-cha conga line. Get into the swing of things with a big band sound, join the band on stage with your own air guitar, jitterbug your way back to the 50’s, become a Motown background singer, or rock to the most current hits at the top of the charts.
Always in great demand, this band has played for parties hosted by Presidents Ford & Reagan, Burt Lancaster, Joan Collins, Richard Dreyfuss, Billy Crystal, Quincy Jones, Steven Spielberg, & Marvin Hamlisch, as well as numerous Fortune 500 companies.
Their program includes the following:
-a quartet of top jazz musicians to perform upbeat, background music during cocktails.
-full troupe onstage during dinner performing soft background music. The singers and dancers perform short entertainment vignettes between courses.
-exquisite male and female vocalists.
-Broadway quality male and female dancers.
-immaculately attired performers with numerous costume changes
-Continuous Live Musical Entertainment – no breaks
-high energy dance music depicting a variety of musical styles showcasing different musical eras starting with the 20’s through to the 90’s. Hits, and only hits, from Swing, to Rock ‘n Roll, to Motown, to Madonna.
-comedic, fun routines involving novelties to encourage dancing and audience participation.
-theatre sound system and stage lighting including sound engineer and lighting director.
-volume controlled throughout the evening.
Optional “STREETS OF THE CITY” production number
“Streets of the City” is a 25 minute full scale production immediately following dinner. This Las Vegas/ Broadway level performance is a themed medley of costumed and choreographed dancers, vocalists, and specialty entertainers featuring many styles of music and dance. This unique presentation is made complete with the added visual impact of today’s most sophisticated lighting and spectacular effects. Having received standing ovations at every performance throughout the country, this production number will leave your guests spellbound as they experience the pulsating, non-stop, musical collage of extraordinary entertainment that captures that wonderful feeling created by Singin’ & Dancin’ in the Street of Your City!
The Zippers got their start early on as favorites on the national TV show StarSearch. After winning multiple shows they went on to become finalists in that national competition, gaining the attention of many fans and industry professionals.
Using this valuable publicity as a springboard, the band has since propelled itself to the top of the corporate entertainment ladder, become the most sought after act in the country. With every member an accomplished vocalist as well as intrumentalist, their repertoire and versatility is nothing short of astounding. With an impressive playlist that covers every conceivable era and style of music, this band can please any audience with their uncanny knack of adapting every show to the particular crowd before them. Their show is full of high energy performances, and witty and fun presentations of all your favorite songs. Their constant interactivity with the crowd is always endearing and engaging.
This way of ‘connecting’ with the audience has won them countless repeat engagements with many of the biggest Fortune 500 companies in the world such as Remax, GMAC, McDonalds, Honda Motors, and many more. They were recently named Best Dance Band In The USA by the National Music Awards. This band can readily expand from 6 to 12 pieces to fit the needs of any corporate shows, while always assuring the same level of spectacular performance.
They work readily with clients to custom tailor shows for each particular event when necessary with costumes, choregraphy, specialty theme shows, MC duties, whatever the need may be. Whatever style of event you have planned, the Zippers can help you make it a spectacular show!
This 10 piece showband earned the prestigious “USO Entertainer of the Year” award, performed at the Olympic Games in Atlanta, was selected to play for the Denver Broncos following their Super Bowl XXXII victory, received the highest rating ever given to a band by IBM, and was selected to perform for John Travolta and friends following his receiving the American Cinema Award. Hardworking, fun to watch, a blast to dance to, and playfully interactive with the audience, The Fabulous Pelicans are fronted by the talented and versatile Caroline Martin. A former member of the award-winning Las Vegas show, Legends in Concert, Martin has performed in commercials and on five major film soundtracks. The Fabulous Pelicans boast former Steve Miller Band guitarist, Greg Douglas. Douglas wrote “Jungle Love” (18 million copies sold), and received five platinum records. He also toured North America with Van Morrison. Drummer Paul Wheatbread made six gold records with Gary Puckett & The Union Gap. He also toured with Neil Diamond. The heart of The Fabulous Pelicans’ music beats in the unforgettable and infectious rock & roll of the ’60s-’90s, but their extensive playlist ranges from Billie Holliday to the Dave Matthews Band, and includes R&B, disco, standards, and country.