Sunday, December 14, 2008

Ron Cade, Sammy J and Lisa Lyman Celebrate


Ron Cade, Sammy J and Lisa Lyman Celebrate


The Holidays in Levittown, Pa. With Elvis & Patsy Cline
The Holiday Season became brighter and merrier at the Knights of Columbus in Levittown, Pa recently when Elvis (Sammy J, # 1 choice of the listeners of the Elvis & Friends Radio Show on 98.1 WOGL Philadelphia) and Patsy Cline (Lisa Lyman, vocalist whose tribute is recognized by the family of Patsy Cline) and Rockin Ron Cade (Host of the #1 show…Elvis & Friends 98.1 WOGL Philadelphia) joined forces to bring a SOLD OUT, swingin’, rockin’ fun filled evening of Christmas favorites and classic standards to the area. What an exciting way to fill your heart with Holiday Cheer!!

Sammy J, performing two shows, quickly immersed the audience into the Christmas songs made famous by Elvis on his first Christmas album from 1957. From ‘Blue Christmas’, ‘Santa Claus Is Back In Town’ to ‘White Christmas’, Sammy J had the crowd singing along with him. These were sprinkled between Elvis’ classic standards such as ‘Memories’, ‘It Hurts Me’, ‘One Night’ and ‘Let Yourself Go’, from the ’68 Comeback Special. ‘Love Me’ brought the response “We Do!!” from the audience and you could feel that this was true!! No ’68 Comeback show would be complete without ‘Lawdy, Miss Clawdy’ and ‘Baby What Do You Want Me To Do?’. ‘If I Can Dream’ earned him a standing ovation. Dressed in the famous black leather suit synonymous with the Comeback Special, Sammy J thrilled the audience with his famous ‘velvet’ voice! Rounding out the first show was a fabulous rendition from Sammy J…..’Lookin’ for Trouble’!!!!
Highlighting the first show was a ‘Don’t Cry Daddy’ duet sung by Ron Cade and Sammy J! This brought the crowd to its feet!! So….for a few minutes…..Ron and Elvis were in the building!!
Following ‘Elvis’ was Patsy Cline! Lisa Lyman opened with ‘Crazy’, followed by ‘I Go To Pieces’ and the audience loved it. Lisa has a very strong voice and matches Patsy’s vocal style perfectly. Very believable! Getting into the Christmas Spirit, Lisa included such hits as ‘Santa Baby’, ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ and closed with ‘Jingle Bells’. A stirring highlight for Lisa was her performance of ‘Ava Maria’ done in Latin. Very inspiring! Lisa brings her performance right to her audience and involves them in her songs.

Then, Elvis came back into the building!!! To the notes of 2001, Sammy J entered in the signature jumpsuit and continued to WOW the crowd. Taking the audience from 1968 and transporting everyone to the concert years, Sammy J brought down the house. This time, the Christmas classics were from Elvis’ ‘70s Christmas Album. Included were ‘Holly Leaves and Christmas Trees’, ‘I’ll Be Home On Christmas Day’, ‘On A Snowy Christmas Night’, and ‘It Won’t Seem Like Christmas Without You’. Each song better than the one before! No way did Sammy J forget about the classic songs from the concert years. ‘Steamroller Blues’ heated up the room quite nicely!!! Classic Elvis songs such as ‘Suspicious Minds’, ‘Funny How Time Slips Away’ and ‘Runaway’ were given full ‘Elvis’ treatment. One song in particular that struck a beautiful chord with the audience was a very moving ‘My Way’. Sammy J chose to include ‘Pieces of My Life’, which he had never done in a show before. This was a personal favorite and a crowd pleaser.

Lisa and Sammy J teamed up for two Christmas closers sung as duets. ‘Please Come Home for Christmas’ and ‘Winter Wonderland’. And Sammy J, noting that we see so many pictures of Elvis in the snow in Germany during the Army years and when he returned to the States, closed with ‘G I Blues’ complete with a salute at the end.
This was a top rate show. Rockin’ Ron Cade brings the best talent to the Delaware Valley and the best all Elvis Radio Show to this area for over thirty years now ~ Elvis and Friends. Ron added Elvis commentary during the show, as only he can, making the show all that more interesting. Ron Cade IS the ultimate Elvis authority in the Delaware Valley. M.C. for the evening and #1 disc jockey was Brooks St. Ives.
Next Ron Cade show will be on February 7, 2009! Mark the date on your calendar. These shows are too good to miss!!

Barbara Garton

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