Still wowin’ the crowds with Four Townsmen Show Band
It wasn’t so long ago that “It Wasn’t So Long Before (Graduation Is Here)” was a regional hit.
Well, it might not seem so long ago to Lou Gadani and Pete Kouklakis, who were students at Canon-McMillan High School when they recorded the song as part of a quartet of classmates calling themselves the Four Townsmen.
Today, Gadani and Kouklakis are carrying on the tradition with the Four Townsmen Show Band, joined by other talented vocalists and musicians to regale audiences with a variety of favorites from yesteryear.
The band performed over the weekend at the Hickory Apple Festival, wowing the crowd with doo wop to R&B to rock ‘n’ roll, including a soulful version of Grand Funk Railroad’s “Bad Time” featuring singer Bobby Nicholas.
Other current band members are Milt Barney, who is band director at Peters Township High School, on saxophone and flute; Peters resident Rob Throckmorton on drums; John Marcischak on bass; Bill McWreath on keyboards; vocalist Maria
Sargent; and guitar virtuoso Ray Margiotta on Fender Stratocaster.
By the way, the Four Townsmen recorded “It Wasn’t So Long Before (Graduation Is Here)” in 1962. Hey, in the grand scheme of things …
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