We are…
We would like to introduce ourselves.
We are The New York Serenaders and we sing Doo Wop music.
We New York Serenaders have been harmonizing since the summer of 2011 and while we’ve seen some changes and transformations, it’s our not so humble opinion that we’ve gotten better and better at what we do.
We first met in Washington Square Park as a random group of guys that found themselves, like so many others in that great gathering place, sitting in on sing-a-longs in the warm middle months. To make a long story short, through many a trial-and-error (and success), we formed The New York Serenaders. To a member we are committed to preserving the musical style known as Doo Wop for as long as we can carry a tune.
The New York Serenaders have been gaining in popularity in the last few seasons and have had the honor of performing for a growing audience of fans old and young at private parties and community events including performances at a few of New York’s Public Libraries.
So if you’ve got nothing to do on a Sunday afternoon Doo Wop on by any one of our haunts
(i.e.: Washington Square Park, Madison Square Park or New York City’s Central Park and catch a free performance. See if we know your favorite oldie. We would love to serenade you.
RONNIE D
Our musical director and founder has perhaps the best Doo Wop credentials of any of us. Ronnie D was an original member of The Neons! If you are a fan of the genre you know their 1956 hit “Angel Face”. That particular song hit #3 on the National Charts (just behind Elvis and Perez Prado’s instrumental “Cherry Pink”.) Ronnie D and The Neons went on to create Doo Wop History with big hits like “Golden Dreams of You”, “Honey Bun” and the eternal “Road to Romance”.
Once the sun set on The Neons Ronnie D started to sing in Washington Square Park for fun but with a Bass note that could shake the cobblestones out of the street it wasn’t long before he was drafted into the wildly popular vocal group “The Creations”. These guys played to packed houses all over the Bronx & Manhattan. The Creations ultimately evolved into the fabulous Doo Wop sustaining “Free Expression” and enjoyed success through to the late nineties.
When Free Expression retired the act Ron found himself a free agent again. That’s when he returned to Washington Square to recruit some new talent into his current endeavor “The New York Serenaders”bringing us to today. Ron’s roll in The New York Serenaders story is as musical director and invaluable connection to those days long ago when Doo Wop could be heard being sung on every street corner and piping out of every radio in Old New York. Ron is our leader and inspiration and we’re lucky to have him.
JOEY GUITAR
Joe “Joey Guitar” Sanders is a true Washington Square veteran having tourists and locals of every generation sing along with his lyrical voice and melodic guitar. Joe started his journey at the tender age of 15 when he was bought his first acoustic. Joe caught the musical bug bopping to entertainers as varied as “The Kingston Trio” to “The Del Vikings”.
He grew musically throughout the years. He could be heard lending his unmatched musical talents to local favorites such as “Joe Budnick and his Parkettes” and the inimitable Alan Chapman of “Blue Eden”.
In 1988 Joe produced his first Rock & Roll Revival, “Back to The 50’s”. Joe aimed high with his wishlist of headliners and he landed some pretty serious talent. The show included famous names like The Del Vikings, The Impalas, The Belmonts and a host of musical others. It was a huge success and sustained Joe’s love of songs old and new.
Today Joe is our sole musical accompaniment. His vast knowledge of Pop, Rock & Folk music makes our Joey Guitar our arranger, our archivist and our strumming pitch pipe.
HOT-RODD
Rodd “Hot-Rodd” Marcus was brought up with a love of Doo Wop music listening to WCBS FM in New York from the time it launched its “All Oldies” format in 1972. Rodd was instantly smitten with Doo Wop music while on long drives into the city with his Dad, Bernie.
Rodd went to Parsons School of Design and was immediately swept into the creative scene of Manhattan. But it wouldn’t be until July of 2010 that Rodd found a flyer in the entryway of a Duane Reade inviting Acapella Singers to join a vocal group. That group came to be known as “The Streetlites”. This was the opportunity Rodd was looking for since he was a little boy singing to the tunes he loved growing up. He was honored to be selected to be the permanent lead and The Streetlites set out to perfect their act.
When The Streetlites called it a day in 2011 Rodd was once again given the opportunity to grab a mic and serenade audiences as an occasional guest singer with the perennial and historied bar band “The Flying Dogs of Jupiter” by his friend and fellow Streetlite alumnus Al Grigg. The Flying Dogs repertoire was ever changing and exciting. Rodd might be asked to sing “House of the Rising Sun” one night and Elvis’ “Love Me” the next.
In mid 2011 while singing in Washington Square Park with the usual folks he met the other members of The New York Serenaders and the rest is history.
DOOWOP DAN
Dan “DooWop Dan” Juhn was brought up in a musical family and so has music in his DNA. Dan’s Dad was an accomplished Opera singer who would often lend his booming baritone and hypnotizing cello performances to military audiences around the world. Ernest met Dan’s Mother, Ruth at an operatic social club in Dusseldorf where the two would perform operettas, plays and arias in the noble Viennese tradition.
With pedigree like that, Dan’s musical bent was a foregone conclusion. He was trained in the classical method, learning to breathe and project with raw power to fill a concert hall with song.
Dan joined the United Group in Harmony Association (UGHA) in the late eighties and was instrumental in the founding of the Bayside Queens Acapella group “The Di-Poles”.
Dan is a musical “Jack-of-All-Trades”. He’s spun records in some of the hottest spots in New York City and played Master of Ceremonies to some of the brightest new talents in Dance and R&B.
Dan has entertained innumerable crowds in the tri-state area and even as far as his ancestral roots in Munich. His distinct timbre and awesome range are now part of the New York Serenaders sound and we are proud to call him one of us.
KOOL KITTY
Our Newest Serenader, Catherine “Kool Kitty” Molitor joins us as a lifelong lover of Doo Wop music, probably because there is Doo Wop greatness in her blood. Catherine is the niece of the legendary lead singer of the Mello-Kings, Bobby Scholl and her musical inspiration shows in every song she sings. With blockbuster hits like, “Momma Said (There’d Be Days Like This)”, “He’s So Fine” and her wonderful version of “Why Do Fools Fall In Love” you will be tapping your feet and clapping your hands the moment you hear these old favorites. But it doesn’t end there. Our very own Kool Kitty can also melt your heart with those famous songs about love and heartbreak such as “Gee Whiz”, “Angel Baby” and “Will You Love Me Tomorrow”. So please welcome our newest New York Serenader, the lovely and talented Kool Kitty.