Artist ID: 15442
Get Up and Dance - Swing, Boogie, Twist, Slop, Mashed Potatoes, Boogaloo, Cha-Cha and even Slow Drag. Put on your dancing shoes or just listen and take a trip down memory lane with Richmond, Virginia's quintessential oldies vocal group, "Bak N Da Day". Founded in 1999, the group consists of bass and founder, Russell Bennett; baritone, Anthony Harris; 2nd tenor Jeffrey Goode, and 1st tenors Larry Jones and Larry Everette. It was Bennett's desire to fulfill a long time dream of singing with an aggregation of colleagues and friends who have fun crooning those evergreens from a time when you could "understand the words". They draw their material from a repertoire of close to 100 songs, spanning the 50's, 60's and 70's. They are masters of vocal group harmony, encompassing several musical genres including Doo-Wop, Motown and Philly Soul. They are able to replicate a variety of sounds since each member is proficient at singing lead.
The group has a dynamic sound and has quite a reputation for being sharp dressers with slick routines. They have performed at many events, hotels and clubs in and around Richmond. They have opened for acts such as Howard Hewitt, Stephanie Mills and the O'Jays. Bak N Da Day is just as comfortable rendering romance ballards by the Flamingos, Skyliners, and the Five Satins as they are with raucus ditties, such as "Tossin and Turnin" (Bobby Lewis). Their grasp of Motown ranges from the sounds of the Temptations and the Miracles to the Four Tops and Jimmy Ruffin with a little Lionel Richie and the Commodores thrown in. They'll have you swooning to the Stylistics, Delfonics and Spinners or getting up to shag to The Intrigues, "In a Moment".
In addition to all that, they'll move you with show tunes from Broadway plays, such as "Showboat" and "Man of LaMancha". So once again, "Get Up and Dance" "Get Ready", "Come and Get These Memories" brought to you by Bak N Da Day. You'll be begging for more.
Bak N Da Day were outstanding performers and extremely professional. This wasn't a dancing crowd and they had the entire room up on their feet by the third song. Bak N Da Day has set the bar high for future programs!
Meeting Planner
Corporate event
Hi Jack,
I must say how pleased we were with Bak N Da Day and their performance last Saturday evening. In a word, "FANTASTIC"!!!
As noteworthy as the reception food was - and it was superb - Russell's group just blew everyone away. Of course, the vast majority of our guests are from the same era as Fricka and I are (and Russell and the rest of his band), so we thought our guests would enjoy them. The energy level for our reception stayed high through the whole evening, and the dance floor was always occupied. Among a host of noteworthy things we could say about Bak N Da Day, we were particularly taken with how they remained so focused on us and the guests. They clearly understand that - unlike some bands - it's 'not all about them'. In fact, they didn't even introduce themselves until just before the last song of the third & last set. An indication of how well they were received was the number of guests who requested their card during breaks and after they were done for the evening. Even the staff of The Colony Club said that was the most enjoyable reception they had ever attended (due to the music), even though they were working the entire time! And the videographer thanked me after the evening ended for 'allowing him to attend our wedding and reception' since he and his 2-man staff enjoyed the band's performance - and therefore the last three hours of the reception - so much, as they continued to film.
Last week, after we received the initial playlist from Russell, we requested several changes (dropped five songs, added five others we liked better) and Russell made them immediately. When the wedding toasts took twice as long as planned, and cut the band's first break by almost half, the band took it in stride and played the entire playlist even though they didn't get the break time they were due. And when one of Fricka's friends asked Russell (during the 2nd set) if she and several of her friends could sing a song for us, the band graciously stepped back from their five microphones and let the girls use them for their song. A class act all around! Such nice guys all, they each gave Fricka a hug and a kiss afterwards, and shook my hand, wishing us both a happy life!
So, Bak N Da Day was everything we hoped they would be, and then some. They made lots of new friends Saturday night; hopefully they will get additional bookings in the future from some of our guests.
I trust you will share our comments and compliments with Russell, along with our sincere thanks for providing a wonderful evening of entertainment to us and our guests.
All our best,
Ned & Fricka
June 30, 2007
I appreciated the advance offer from Mr. Bennett to include details about my parents who were celebrating their fiftieth golden wedding anniversary. This personal touch meant so much to them and ensured that this memory would last. Their music truly took the audience back down memory lane and the sound was so authentic. Last but not least, they wove in educational history on the songs that they played throughout the performance.
Deborah Green
I want to thank you and the group for your performance for the 49th Festival of Arts. As usual, the songs and your harmonies were big crowd-pleasers and I can count on our patrons asking that you be invited to return. The stylish, slick outfits made the show even better and you guys still kept your cool in them despite the heat.
The forth of July is always a challenge for us and knowing we can count on you for a great performance and professional attitude takes away part of that worry. Knowing that you are always working to add another element, take the group a step further, or come up with something new, let’s us know that we will always get a performance that's fresh and well thought out.
Thank you again, you are a big part of our success and we look forward to working with you in the future.
Mary G. Boelt
Festival of Arts Manager, Richmond PRCF
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