Finale at Manhatten Beach 2008
Doo-Wah Riders Explode
on the Discovery Center Amphitheater Stage
July 3
The Doo-Wah Riders are celebrating 20 years of riding their own patch on the musical range throughout the West with a scheduled stop on the Discovery Center Amphitheater stage on Friday, July 3, 2009 to play one of their many hits on the Texas music charts, “Tonight She Just Wants to Dance” while entertaining the holiday crowd with their “high energy country with a Cajun twist”. Their tight musicianship and powerful arrangements of classic, contemporary and original songs have made them favorites everywhere they go. The Doo-Wah Riders are so electric they will explode on the Discovery Center stage for a preview night of fireworks to kickoff a weekend of celebrating America’s birthday in the Big Bear Valley. They are Americana to the core.
Their return appearance on the Discovery Center stage challenges their own record as the dance band to hit the Big Bear Valley. Their 2008 show kept their audience on their feet for two sets and beyond with classic country and cross-over tunes. Will they prevail? Naturally, they are the legendary Doo-Wah Riders. Gates open at 5:30 pm with their smash concert and electric dancing beginning at 7:00 pm. Tickets are available through the online box office at SBNFA.org or at the Discovery Center Adventure Outpost. Adult prices are $15 (18+), teen tickets for ages 13-17 are $10 and children 12 and under are free. Ticket hotline is (909) 382-2780. Parking is free. No outside beverages or coolers are allowed. Bench seating is limited; beach chairs are recommended for the open and casual seating areas. Bill Knick’s CafŽ will feature sandwiches, salads, snacks, sodas, and waters. A beer, wine and margarita bar will also be available.
Kenny Lee Benson, vocals, keyboard, accordion, and harmonica; Lindy Rasmusson, vocals, electric and acoustic guitars; Keith Niehenke, fiddle and vocals; Perry Senn, drums; and James Quintero, bass guitar and vocals comprise this California band that proves it knows how to get it’s audience up and dance whether it’s classics like “Your Cheatin’ Heart” by Hank Williams, “Boogie Back to Texas” by Asleep at the Wheel, and “Whiskey River” by Willie Nelson or their own signature songs. If you like fiddle, catch Keith Niehenke, as he plays “Devil Went Down to Georgia”; not only does he play the fiddle, he has also mastered the guitar and mandolin.
The Doo-Wah Riders have appeared in concert with such legends as Garth Brooks, Tim McGraw, Brooks and Dunn, George Strait, Alabama, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Dolly Parton and Alison Krauss. And, they have recorded with legendary Byron Berline on his Grammy nominated CD, “Fiddle and a Song”.
The Doo-Wah Riders open July as bluegrass and country music month at the Discovery Center. On their heels performing Saturday, July 11, will be local legend, Nancy Walker and Company, staging the best “Tribute to the Grand Ole Opry” featuring the music of Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynne, Johnny Cash, June-Carter Cash with other tribute appearances. Miss Walker’s powerful tribute to the music of Patsy Cline has been missed for over two years and now much awaited.
Rounding out the month of America’s best heartland and mountain music on Saturday, July 25, is “Bluegrass, Bluejeans and Beyond”, the San Bernardino National Forest Association’s (SBNFA) festival celebration and tribute to the music that shaped our nation and instilled its genuine values. Tickets, event info and artist lineup are available through SBNFA.org and the Discovery Center. This event is a fund raiser for the SBNFA benefitting Forest Aid, a forest restoration partnership of the SBNFA, U.S. Forest Service and LA-based TreePeople.
Music in the Mountains 2009 Summer Concert series is presented by the San Bernardino National Forest Association and Coldwell Banker, The Tim Wood Group. Additional sponsors are the City of Big Bear Lake, Northwoods Resort, and Big Bear Mountain Resorts. Additional proceeds from the series will benefit The Lighthouse Project and their Peace Gardens project in the Bear Valley elementary schools; growing fruits and vegetables for local families and big smiles for its student population. The Discovery Center is one of six programs managed by the SBNFA, the lead nonprofit partner to the U.S. Forest Service.
