Nostalgia Merchant

Nostalgia tends to be in the eye--or the ear--of the beholder. For Generation X, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young tours, concerts by Bob Dylan or Joni Mitchell or even the Rolling Stones fall neatly into the category of baby boomer nostalgia.

But reframe the reference point, take the perspective back a couple more decades and nostalgia takes on an entirely different character. Something like what is taking place this weekend at Cal State Northridge’s Center for the Visual and Performing Arts with the appearance of singers Jerry Vale and Al Martino. In this case, it’s the boomers who see the program as a retro event--essentially, their parents’ music.

Given the fact that performers from the ‘40s and ‘50s such as Vale and Martino do not exactly have high visibility in today’s pop music market, the notion of producing programs featuring their generation of artists may seem like a quixotic task to some. But not to Keith Evans, whose “Show of the Month” producing organization has been presenting performers from those decades for nearly 25 years.

“I know this is going to come as a surprise to some people,” says Evans, “but 2,400 people have bought tickets for four sold-out shows at CSUN this weekend. We then have Al and Jerry down in Laguna Woods on Monday, for two more shows [for Leisure World residents only], and we’ve sold out 1,700 seats there as well. So I wouldn’t exactly call this a quixotic task. If we weren’t selling tickets, making money and pleasing audiences, we wouldn’t be in business.”

Evans, in fact, is surprised that performers such as Martino and Vale are not booked at larger Southland arenas.

“It’s a mystery to me,” he says. “They sell out large venues on the East Coast all the time. So why doesn’t the Greek or Universal or some place like that bring them in for a double bill? Who knows? I’m just happy that they’re available to me, and that we can present them to an audience that obviously is eager to hear them.”

With his partner, Paul Allen, Evans produces six to eight programs a year at CSUN, and another eight shows in Laguna Hills. Among the veteran performers who have appeared in their shows are Ann Blythe, Bill Hayes, Phyllis Diller, Roger Williams, Jack Jones, the Lettermen, Frankie Laine and Jim Nabors. The company’s first presentation at CSUN featured Eddie Fisher.

“We thought from Day One that there was an audience that wasn’t being represented,” Evans explains. “And I knew that with the connections I had, and with the networking that I could do, that we could put together shows that would do well.”

Connecting With Lawrence Welk

Evans, who is in his 60s, came to Los Angeles from the East Coast in the early ‘60s as a singer, and got his big break when he met bandleader Lawrence Welk, whose show was one of the highest-rated variety programs on television.

“I met him at the [Hollywood] Palladium when I auditioned for him,” recalls Evans. “He asked me if I was staying in town or passing through. He didn’t like it if you were a transient, and he didn’t want you to be too smooth because that wasn’t his image.

“I told him I was definitely here to stay, and he said, ‘If you’re gonna stay, talk to my manager and we’ll put you to work.’ I didn’t get to do the television show with him, but I had a contract for a year and a half with the touring Welk show.”

In the ‘70s, Evans turned to producing.

“I knew the business as a performer, I knew the theaters, the acts, and I figured I could put it all together.”

Committed to Popular American Artists

Evans’ success has come in association with the performers and the music that he feels represent the pinnacle of American popular art. And he believes that his sold-out shows confirm his belief. “Hey,” he says, “we get a lot of young people out for our performances too.”

From Evans’ perspective, it comes down to a simple set of facts.

“Call it the nostalgia crowd,” he says. “Call it whatever you like. But the bottom line is that these performers have been in the business for decades, they’ve sold millions of albums, and they’ve had more than their share of hits. Showcase them with the right crowd at the right price and, believe me, the audience will be there.”

BE THERE

Al Martino and Jerry Vale, Performing Arts Center, Cal State Northridge, Saturday, 3 and 8 p.m.; Sunday, 3 and 7 p.m. Sold out. (818) 785-8885.

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“We thought from Day One that there was an audience that wasn’t being represented. And I knew . . . that we could put together shows that would do well.”

KEITH EVANS, “Show of the Month” producer