Safaris bring five-part harmony a cappella Doo Wop to Culver City
On Saturday August 2 Marv Rosenberg’s Safaris will inspire music lovers to swing and sway, croon and swoon, to doo wop favorites, including the song that put the group on on the music scene, “Image of a Girl!”
Doo Wop, a popular genre of music that emerged on the east coast, hit the mainstream radio waves back in the 1950s and 60s during which time songwriter, lyricist and original founding member of The Safaris Marv Rosenberg began the his journey in the music industry.
“I was with a group I formed where we had a girl singer and with one of the guys that would become the Safaris,” Rosenberg said. “We got a contract and came to the west coast and the woman singer decided she didn’t want to be there anymore.”
With their hit “Image of a Girl” The Safaris toured the on a bus from city to city but eventually Rosenberg would step away for several years from the spotlight. The Safaris and Rosenberg would be on hiatus for several years but would get back together through a series of unforeseen circumstances. The Safaris now perform as a five-part harmony a cappella group.
“It is a bunch of people who are really top singers, all a cappella. We are the only 12-voice, director less a cappella group that I know of,” Safaris member Harris Levey said. “It is fun for us because we do everything from classical to jazz, to doo wop to novelty. That has pretty much kept my voice in shape.
The other three members of the Safaris are Nick Krall, Ladd Vance and Joe Wise.
Vance, the son of Kenny Vance (who was a member of Jay and the Americans) had a love for doo wop and Krall. The two decided to form a group. While looking for a tenor, a bass, and a baritone, many men auditioned but none were the right fit. Then they met Levey, who sings tenor and has had years of experience singing with groups of different genres. Harris mentioned he sang a few shows with The Safaris and that the original member of the group, Rosenberg, a bass singer, may be available. Harris contacted Marv who was open to the idea of singing with the group. Still, the group was in need of a baritone and to their luck, Wise was available and the group was complete.
With a sense of camaraderie and magic Marv Rosenberg’s Safaris was formed.
“We have been together for actually about a year and we started doing concerts in the valley since everyone lives out there,” Levey said. “But we decided to reach out since we do have an audience on the west side. It is music that people have missed, music that they can sing along with and understand it. We encourage people to sing and it makes the shows very interactive.”
With shows today the group looks forward to having fun on stage and engaging with an audience that is usually made up of diverse age groups.
“We are having a lot of fun and our first couple of shows were sold out in a couple of days,” Rosenberg said. “People enjoy the music and I guess in L.A. there aren’t too many places to hear doo wop. We are just having fun sharing our love for music with other people.”
To purchase tickets persons interested can visit: http://boulevardmusic.com/livemusic/525.html.