Putnam Fund hosting free Doo-Wop & 60's British pop concert tonight

LACONIA — An evening of Doo Wop, featuring the Bel Airs and Rockin' Daddios, spiced with the songs and stories of "Swinging London" in the Sixties from Julie Grant, will fill Laconia High School Auditorium with music and memories tonight.

Presented by the Laconia Putnam Fund, the show opens at 7 p.m. with admission free on a first come, first seated basis.

The premier doo-wop quintet in New England, the Bel Airs stir images of girls with beehive hairdos, saddle shoes, bobby socks and poodle skirts with five-part harmonies that have enlivened county fairs, town concerts and car shows across the the region. Twice voted the best doo-wop group in the New Hampshire, the Bel Airs strive to echo the sound of the original recordings of the classic artists, including the Drifters, Cadillacs and Chiffons as well as Elvis, Frankie Lymon and Del Shannon.

The Rockin Daddios — Angelo Gentile, Bo Guyer and Jim Rogato — will will gild their own selection of golden oldies like "Book of Love," "Blue Moon," and "Teenager in Love," hearkening back to those less troubled, more innocent years.

Julie Grant, who began singing professionally at the age of three, signed her first record contract at 15 and was soon performing alongside the likes of the Yardbirds, Hollies and Rolling Stones. "The Stones opened for me a couple of times," she remarked, "then the tables turned." She recalled that her bass player sheepishly told her he was taking a job with an American guitar slinger by the name of Jimi Hendrix.

Grant, who lives in Gilford and works as an agent for the Mohegan Sun casino, will be sharing stories of what she remembers as "wonderful years" and her songs, including her hit with Carole King's "Up on the Roof" from 1962.