THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 18, 1994 TAG: 9408170150
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 16 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK ROBERTS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: COURTLAND LENGTH: Long : 110 lines
THE Franklin-Southampton County Fair folk take a no-nonsense approach when it comes to booking exciting talent for their annual to-do.
They offer different acts Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, usually names that ring a bell to the majority of fair-goers.
This year, they have come up with one of the hottest, and most unusual, performers on the country music scene, Neal McCoy. He will be on the main stage at the Southampton Agri-Civic Center Saturday, at 7 and 9. Holly Dunn will be on stage Sunday, at 7 and 8:30, with more country. Friday, at 7 and 9, is the night for The Van-Dells, a mix of early rock and comedy.
McCoy's approach to entertaining is like no one else's - an ad-lib affair, spontaneous.
``We have no set list, no set show. We wing it. It's unusual, but it works for us,'' he said. ``That's the kind of guy I am and that's the kind of band I have. They adapt real quick.
``It's wild and woolly, a lot of fun,'' McCoy said. ``And I love fairgrounds crowds. We work off them.''
He called from the Tioga County Fair.
``I'm in Whitneyville, Pa.,'' McCoy said.
``Where is that?''
``I have no idea,'' McCoy said. ``The bus stopped here. They told me I had a fair to play.''
He will play his two recent No. 1 hits, ``No Doubt About It'' and ``Wink,'' plus the one that is now climbing the charts, ``The City Put the Country Back In Me.''
And there will be songs like ``Why Not Tonight?'' and ``Now I Pray for Rain.''
Sacrilege. The prayer here is for a dry Saturday for McCoy's two performances.
A Michael Jackson performance inspired him to sing for a living, which he has been doing for a couple decades.
``We're the same age. I saw him on `American Bandstand' when he was 8 or 9 and figured - a kid my age - well, that's what I'm gonna do.''
If he weren't entertaining?
``I'd probably be working a real job,'' said McCoy, who is part Filipino, part Irish.
In spite of his wild and wooly ways, he is a romantic at heart.
``I'd rather sing a ballad. You get a chance to sing soul and heart,'' McCoy said, ``but on live shows, everybody prefers up-tempo.''
Both types of music will be on his next album, which he will start recording in September.
It will give him a chance to stay in one place and be near Melinda, his wife of 14 years, and his children, 10-week-old Swayde and 8-year-old Miki, neither of whom are expected to perform.
``My wife doesn't want them in this business,'' McCoy said. ``She understands how the business is.''
The business took its time recognizing McCoy - real name, Neal McGaughey of Jacksonville, Texas - surveyor, womens shoe salesperson, lawnmower, then singer.
His first albums did not take off. Album three, ``No Doubt About It'' left no doubt about it - McCoy was a hit on the radio and with his videos.
One final note - if you want some blues or big band music, let him know.
Mr. Spontaneous can handle it.
If you wanna whoop it up, hit the Franklin-Southampton County Fairgrounds on Friday for a pair of shows by the Van-Dells.
No, not Martha and The Vandells.
This name came from the Van Dell High School in Toledo, Ohio, where the group originated.
The performers take on the persona of the class of 1958, the final grads.
The Van-Dells have 20 years and nine albums under their belts. They are one of the first groups to play the music of the '50s and '60s. Well, not counting the groups of those decades.
``Now, everybody's doing it,'' said Stacy ``The Duke'' Todd, during a phone interview from Ohio. ``The big attraction? The music is fun, the lyrics easy to sing, the melodies good.''
How do The Van-Dells put it across?
``It's a combination Three Stooges and oldies rock,'' Todd said.
Like Neal McCoy, he and his buddies, Mark ``The Nerd'' Barnett, Glen ``Elvis Presley'' Bowles and David ``Mr. Excitement'' Brumley often offer an off-the-cuff show.
``Anything can happen,'' Todd said. ``No two shows are the same.''
There are two shows Friday night, the first emphasizing the humor, the second accenting the music, but both mixing both.
The Van-Dells' approach to early rock is similar to the approach taken by Riders of the Sky with western music.
``We have fun with the songs,'' said Todd, the group's only original member, ``without making fun of the music.''
Holly Dunn, who will perform Sunday night, is best known for the country standard about ``Daddy's Hands,'' a song inspired by her San Antonio preacher father.
She was a receptionist and a Nashville songwriter before signing with MTM Records and coming up with four No. 1 singles several years ago. ILLUSTRATION: Photos
Neal McCoy ad-libs his show. It's completely spontaneous, he says.
``It's unusual, but it works for us.'' He will play his two recent
No. 1 hits, ``No Doubt About It'' and ``Wink,'' during his show
Saturday night.
The Van-Dells play the music of the '50s and '60s, mixed with
comedy. The group originated at Van Dell High School in Toledo,
Ohio.
Holly Dunn is best known for the country standard, ``Daddy's
Hands.''
by CNB