Crowd cheers Porky's 90th birthday at 'Roots of Rock and Roll'
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Porky Chedwick and his wife Jeannie celebrating on Saturday.
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Headlining the Roots of Rock and Roll XXXIV concert Saturday night at the Benedum was The Platters. But the unofficial headliner, sitting in the wings where he always is for such occasions, was none other than the Platter-Pushin' Papa, the Daddio of the Raddio, the Boss Man -- Porky Chedwick.
Promoter Henry DeLuca used the concert to celebrate the 90th birthday of the Pittsburgh legend with a cake ceremony and a big show of love from the crowd.
"I've had like 14 birthdays!" Chedwick said backstage, noting that since he turned 90 on Feb. 4, he's been blowing out candles on a virtual tour of oldies events.
Although his vision isn't what it used to be, Pork the Tork hasn't lost the voice, the banter or his mad love for "dusty discs." He still can be heard spinning records Saturdays on WKFB 770 AM. "No one's been on the air longer than me," he said. "I have 60 years uninterrupted."
It was outside the Benedum, then called the Stanley, where in 1960, Chedwick presided over a remote WAMO broadcast urging listeners to get out of their cars and dance in the streets. The result was tens of thousands of teenagers blocking the avenues Downtown, creating an afternoon gridlock.
"There were no bands, just my broadcast -- 50,000 people!"
"I was the inventor of the concept of old records," added Chedwick, handsomely dressed in a black-and-white plaid sharkskin jacket. And it's no boast. "I took them and played them and made people think they weren't old records."
Herb Reed is grateful for Chedwick pushin' the Platters a half-century ago. "He's an icon," said Reed, the only original Platter on the bill Saturday. "He was responsible for our records. Most stations refused to play black records. He didn't care about that at all. Porky went straight to the music. He kept us alive and a lot of other people."
Sonia Goring Wilson of the Chantels, also on the bill, will vouch for that. "I think he was one of the first disc jockeys to play our records," she said between shows in the group's dressing room. "We were very young ladies, we were children. But a name like Porky, that sticks with you over the years."
Now it's concerts like this and the fans who packed two shows on a wintry night that keep doo-wop going. "Wow, what a crowd," Reed joked from the stage. "Nights like these make me happy I didn't join the AARP."
The oldies fans agreed, honoring Reed and his Platters with roars of approval and standing ovations after hits like "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," "Only You" and "The Great Pretender," sung with gospel force by a young lead singer, Kinsley McIntosh. The Chantels were fronted by golden-voiced Ami Ortez, but the three originals -- Wilson, Lois Harris Powell and Renee Minus White -- pitched in on lead vocals and provided angelic harmonies on the hits "He's Gone," "The Plea" and "Maybe," which drew gasps from the crowd.
Despite the ages of the performers, there wasn't a bad note the whole night; some of these gray idols could wipe the stage with those young American Idols.
Cleveland Still's The Dubs were strong and soulful in a booming mini- set, highlighted by "In the Chapel of Dreams"; Bobby Hendricks was a ball of energy on "Drip Drop"; The Volumes, in pinstripes, scored with falsetto and flash on "I Love You"; the Safaris delivered the creamy ballad "Image of a Girl"; and Pittsburgh's own Pure Gold maintained the Gold standard with "Sh-Boom," "Oh My Angel" and "Long Tall Girl."
Fronting for the preservation of doo-wop was Kid Kyle, a 13-year-old sensation from Jersey who had people experiencing Frankie Lymon flashbacks.
Asked if he had a favorite performer, Chedwick took the diplomatic way out.
"Oh, I don't pick out favorites," he said. "They're all my children."
However, he was willing to offer the key to his longevity and good health in three words: "Attitude, sincerity and reverence."
First Published March 10, 2008 12:00 am
