Four Townsmen to bid farewell at Canon-Mac High School concert
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
A car drives by on South Main Street in Washington as, from left, Pete Povich, Eric Bruce, Pete Kouklakis and Lou Gadani, known as the Four Townsmen Show Band, practice inside the offices of radio station WJPA for their upcoming final show, “One More Time,” at Canon-McMillan High School in Canonsburg.
Holly Tonini/ Observer-Reporter
Members of the Four Townsmen Show Band rehearse inside the WJPA offices in Washington for their upcoming show, “One More Time.”
Pete Kouklakis
Pete Kouklakis and Lou Gadani, both founding members of The Four Townsmen Show Band, will retire from the band. They are shown rehearsing at the WJPA studios in Washington for their final show.
Lou Gadani
Elton John, Paul Simon, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Joan Baez.
These are among the acts that have announced in recent months they will be taking their leave from the concert stage, with the vagaries of age being the primary reason for these veterans to stash away their pianos or hang up their guitars for good.
You can add the Four Townsmen to the list.
The beloved doo-wop group and local institution that was born in Canonsburg in the late 1950s will be saying adios there as well this Sunday at 2 p.m., at Canon-McMillan High School. Original members Lou Gadani and Pete Kouklakis, along with more recent additions Eric Bruce and Pete Povich, will perform a host of oldies like “Sea Cruise,” “A Change Is Gonna Come,” “Ain’t Nothing But a House Party” and “Sometimes,” which was released as single by the Four Townsmen back in the day.
The ensemble had been dormant for the last couple of years, with life intervening in various ways for the members. But, Povich explained, he thought it would be good for the group to have a proper farewell while all the members were still healthy enough to do so.
“We’ve been talking about doing it for two years, but we just kept putting it off,” Povich said. “If we don’t do it now, then it might never happen.”
The release of the singles “Sometimes” and “It Wasn’t So Long Before (Graduation Is Here)” on the Artflow label in 1960 got the Four Townsmen some regional airplay, and they also ended up opening for acts like Bobby Vee and Paul Anka when they came to the Pittsburgh area. However, by the mid-1960s, the demands of adulthood and changing tastes led to what theoretically should have been the end of the Four Townsmen. However, the group was revived in the 1990s and has been a frequent presence at area festivals and oldies shows.
Just as the dictates of being a grown-up led to the Four Townsmen to call it a day the first time around, the day-to-day preoccupations of being an older adult have led to the ensemble’s recent inactivity. Kouklakis pointed out that shows on Saturdays or Sundays would sometimes clash with family events, such as the ball games of grandchildren.
Kouklakis said, in fact, one of the things he will miss the most about the experience of being in the Four Townsmen are the rehearsals he and his bandmates have had.
“It was almost like a club meeting for us,” he said.
Another thing he will miss: Meeting people.
“That’s probably one of the things I will miss the most.”
Gadani admitted to “mixed feelings” about the end of the Four Townsmen, but said that other commitments have increasingly gotten in the way for the quartet. He also said his vocal chords were still up to the rigors of performing.
“I don’t have any trouble with my voice,” he said. “That’s the easy part.”
Tickets to the concert will be available at the door, at the Canonsburg Shop ‘n Save outlet and online at www.eventbrite.com.
“We’re trying to say, hey, this was a good time,” Povich said. “That’s what it’s all about.”