Serving up a triple dose of nostalgia with The Platters, The Coasters and The Drifters

The Maui Arts & Cultural Center presents a nostalgic evening saluting three of the world’s most beloved musical groups who were instrumental in creating the rock & roll/doo wop sound:

• The Drifters, one of rock & roll’s founding vocal groups with a 50-year catalog of hits;
• The Platters featuring four premier singers performing their greatest hits; and 
• Cornell Gunter’s Coasters, named after their founding member.

They’ll be in concert in the MACC’s Castle Theater Saturday, Jan. 28 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets go on sale online only at 10 a.m. to MACC members Wednesday, Dec. 21 and to the general public Wednesday, Dec. 28.

The Drifters created the pre-Motown, heavily choreographed slickness, of urban pop-soul. The Platters, whose music was about love and romance especially that of the young and unrequited variety, is what The Platters were all about. The Cornell Gunter Coasters were the premier, and perhaps the only, group combining gritty R&B with night club comedy antics.

The Drifters, who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988, recorded a number of “firsts” in their storied career. They were the first musical group to sell over two million records with their pop classic Up on the Roof. They were the first African American vocal group to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Their classic tune Under the Boardwalk is the most played R&B record of all time. They are also known for their hits Save the Last Dance for Me and This Magic Moment.

The Platters’ hit single Only You launched the group as superstars on the world stage. Soon after, The Great Pretender propelled the group to the #1 spot on the charts. Their total record sales exceeded $200 million, making them one of the top 25 selling artists of all time. The Platters churned out hit after hit, bridging the gap between more traditional vocal- group stylings and popular R&B grooves. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 and were the first rock & roll group to have a top ten album in America.

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees the Cornell Gunter’s Coasters were one of the few artists in rock history to successfully straddle the line between music and comedy. Known for hits such as Yakety Yak, Young Blood and Charlie Brown, their material was witty, their arrangements well-crafted, and the group itself musically proficient. That engaging and infectious combination made them one of the most popular early R&B/rock & roll acts, as well as one of the most consistently entertaining doo wop/vocal groups of all time.

Combined, these three Rock & Roll Hall of Fame groups have been associated with well over 40 of the top classic songs in rock & roll history. From Under the Boardwalk to Only You to Yakety Yak, very few artists can boast of a richer musical resume.

“With such musical diversity – from the comedy of Cornell Gunter’s Coasters to the romance of The Platters to the Motown magic of The Drifters – this show has songs to please every palate, delivered just the way audiences remember them when they were first heard on the radio,” according to a concert announcement.

Tickets are $30, $50, $60, $70, and a limited number of $125 premium seats, plus applicable fees. MACC members receive a ten percent discount. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. online only to MACC members first Wednesday, Dec. 21 and to the general public Wednesday, Dec. 28. To become a MACC member and receive advance purchase privileges among other benefits, log on to MauiArts.org/membership. MACC members at the ‘Ohi‘a Level and above qualify for advance ticket purchases.

All ticket sales are online only at MauiArts.org. The MACC Box Office is not open for window sales but is available for ticketing inquiries only Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., by phone at 808-242-SHOW (7469) or email [email protected].