Vocal group delivers harmony, laughter for holiday concert

In the 1950s, groups of young men got together and sang the hits of the day without any accompaniment other than their voices. This soulful style, called doo-wop, swept the nation and, for a time, dominated the airwaves.

The sweet sounds of doo-wop are scheduled to fill the halls of Te Ata Memorial Auditorium beginning at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 2 as the a capella group The Alley Cats delivers a night of comedy and winter time classics.

The performance is the second concert in the 11th season of the Davis Waldorf Performing Arts Series at the University of Science and Arts.

The Alley Cats formed in 1987 at Fullerton College in California and landed its first professional gig at Disneyland's "Blast to the Past." Soon after, the group appeared on TV, radio shows, corporate events, performing arts centers, fairs, festivals, schools and even a USO show aboard the John C. Stennis aircraft carrier welcoming home the troops from Iraq. More recently, the Alley Cats served as the opening act for Jay Leno in Las Vegas.

The Alley Cats won two Contemporary A Cappella Society awards: one for best doo-wop album, The Doo-Wop Drive-In Live and one for best doo-wop song, "What's Your Name," both in 2004.

DWPAS is produced by the USAO Foundation in conjunction with the Oklahoma Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Chickasha Public School Foundation as well as generous support from local businesses including the Chickasha Bank and Trust Company, Standley Systems, The First National Bank and Trust and KOOL 105.5 Radio.

General admission tickets for either show are $12 for the general public, $10 for seniors 60 and over, $4 for all students and kids under 18, $7 for USAO staff/faculty and $3 for USAO students.

Season tickets for the DWPAS are available at a cost of $40 for the general public, $35 for seniors 60 and over, $35 for members of the USAO Alumni Association members, $12 for all students and children under 18, $20 USAO staff/faculty, $8 USAO students.

The 11th season of the DWPAS continues into 2012 with performances from Tekumbé, an ensemble that fuses a variety of South American styles with American blues, rock and reggae, on January 31st and a production of John Patrick’s Shanley’s Pulitzer and Tony Award winning play, Doubt on Feb. 27.

To purchase tickets, interested parties should call (405) 574-1213.