Concert rocks to raise funds

[crystals]

Bobby "Vee" Velline took his last "Rockin' Round the Clock" bow at Halenbeck Hall Saturday night during a grand finale to 24 years of raising funds, rock n' roll style, for Cathedral High School.

For almost five hours, more than 2,500 people of all ages packed the SCSU gymnasium and literally danced the night away to the music of the 1950s and 60s.

As always, Vee was joined by friends and family in rock. This year's line-up included Tommy Roe, Danny and the Juniors, lead singer of The Shirelles Shirley Alston Reeves, Bobby Vee and The Vees and special guests The Crickets.

Many of these names probably don't sound familiar to the average person under 30, but their hits are mainstays in the history of music.

Reeves, most known for The Shirelle's hits "Soldier Boy" and "Momma Said," attended a Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame induction in honor of The Shirelles in January.

On Saturday, she performed the hits and nurtured an on-stage proposal to the Cathedral prom during "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?"

Roe cranked out a barrage of hits including "Dizzy" and "Sweet Pea" like it was still 1966. Danny and the Juniors chipped in with, among other songs, their biggest hit "At the Hop."

Bobby's sons Jeff, Robby and Tommy, Cathedral students from back in the day, showed that they are no strangers to the music with a high-energy, rockabilly performance. Besides their own set, The Vees were also on stage backing the rest of the performers.

The Crickets' surprise appearance was a fitting end to the evening and to the "Rockin' Round the Clock" event. Bobby and The Crickets are, in a round-about away, related.

Bobby Vee got his big break in the wake of the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, The Big Bopper and 20-year-old pilot Roger Peterson in 1959. Holly, an original member of The Crickets, was en route to a performance in Moorhead. Vee, a Fargo local at the time, was asked to fill in and the rest is rock n' roll history.





http://www.universitychronicle.com/n...s-936717.shtml






Not only was Saturday's performance an obvious success, it seemed to be just as entertaining for the students of Cathedral High School as it was for their parents and grandparents. Not to mention all the other dancers and shakers in attendance. The front row was an even juxtaposition of seniors to teenagers.

Bringing rock n' roll's history to St. Cloud is a feat in itself, but doing it consistently for 24 years is a major accomplishment.

The first "Rockin' Round the Clock" fundraiser started under the direction of Bobby and his wife Karen in 1982. That first show featured Roe, Freddy Cannon and Bobby Vee in the Cathedral High School gym.

Over the years, "Rockin' Round the Clock" has raked in more than $1 million for extracurricular activities at Cathedral High School.

It has also given students a chance to get involved. This year's performance featured a string section comprised of Cathedral students backing the bands. Bobby said during his set that the addition was long overdue.

Cathedral students and graduates making up the bands Games of May and Fred Savage and the Unbeatables opened Saturday's festivities.

Although this was the final "Rockin' Round the Clock," the performers are still alive and rockin' and the Vees are still neighbors to the community. A resurrection of sorts would surely succeed for entertainment's sake alone.



http://www.universitychronicle.com/n...7.shtml?page=2