As reported to you in Reply # 382, "The Bowzers Rock & Roll Doo Wop Party XVIII went on at the Mohegan Sun Casino, Sunday afternoon, January 20th. It was a GREAT Show that lasted about 4 hours from 3 - 7pm featuring ALL of the above singing groups. Including the now 90 year old original lead singer of "The Harptones", Willie Winfield. He did a GREAT JOB.
In hopes of keeping the Great Music of those Doo Wop Days from the 1950s into the early 60s alive today, many of the original singers have been replaced. Such is the case of the famous group known as "The Platters". When the lead singer of that group, Herb Reed passed away in June, 2012, there was an effort to keep their music alive. As a result, Herb Reed was replaced by Retired FDNY Frank Pizarro of the FDNY. Perhaps the most well known Retired Firefighter across the entire country among the millions of Doo Wop fans.
So what happened next at the Mohegan Sun Arena, may NOT surprise some of the members of this site. When that Famous Doo Wop Singer Frank Pizarro, Retired FDNY Member, learned that Willy D was out there in the audience, Frank made a Special effort to get his picture taken with him.
So folks, as it goes, there is now a famous picture of Willy D, aka "NFD2004", taken with Retired FDNY Member Frank Pizarro, now the lead singer of the famous Doo Wop Group known as "The Platters". I'm going to pass that famous picture onto some members who I am quite familiar with so they can verify it's existence.
Now for all of you Doo Wop Fans and members of this site, there's more to tell.
I DO have a picture taken with Frank Pizarro, lead singer of The Platters. The story that I just told you - I "wish" happened that way. The story that when Frank found out that Willy was in the audience, "he" wanted to get "his" picture taken with Willy D. But for the members of this site only, "that's NOT really how it went".
Actually what happened was during the intermission I was standing in the lobby with another fire buff friend who had also gone to this Doo Wop show. As we were standing there, as luck would have it, Frank Pizarro happened to be walking by. I stopped him and asked him if I could get a picture of him and I together. I told him I was a buff and had retired from the fire department here in Connecticut.
So with that, I then proceed to take one of those "selfie photos" using my cell phone. I didn't even know how to do it, so Frank showed me what button to push on the cellphone. That's how I got it. I was sure grateful for that. Thank You Brother.
I also learned that Frank retired from the FDNY after serving the Citizens of New York City for 21 years, including responding to the World Trade Center attack on 9/11.
In closing, I hope that Frank gets to see this and as I told him then, and I tell THE WORLD NOW, "You did a Great Job Frank" entertaining the hundreds who were at the Mohegan Sun to see the show. And as a Brother Retired Firefighter, as many here already know as I followed the work that you and your Brother and Sister Firefighters have done over the last Five Decades, "I consider you to be a part of THE GREATEST FIRE DEPARTMENT IN THE WORLD".
And for our Doo Wop Fans of this site, these are two of those famous songs that Frank sang for us at the Mohegan Sun Casino.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRewHPTYmqQ
