The Fab Four (tribute)
| The Fab Four | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | California |
| Genres |
Rock and Roll Beatles Tribute |
| Years active | 1997-Present |
| Labels | Delta Ent. (Laserlight), New World Digital |
| Website | www.TheFabFour.com |
| Members |
Ron McNeil Gilbert Bonilla Tyson Kelly Ardy Sarraf Neil Candelora Michael Amador Gavin Pring Rolo Sandoval Joe Bologna Luis Renteria Erik Fidel |
The Fab Four is a California-based tribute band paying homage to The Beatles. Founded in 1997 by Ron McNeil, John Lennon impersonator and President of The Fab Four Corp., the group began performing Beatles music throughout Southern California. The band’s beginning included regular performances at Disneyland's Tomorrowland Terrace, The Hop and Scruffy O’Sheas.
The original group, which includes McNeil, along with Ardy Sarraf, Rolo Sandoval and Michael Amador, have performed together as The Fab Four for the past 12 years, covering nearly the entire Beatles songbook, plus solo material as well.
From 2005 - 2008, The Fab Four brought in a second cast of musicians to perform a full stage show six nights a week in Las Vegas . Performing as Fab Four Mania, the Vegas cast performed regularly in Sin City for four years at locations such as the Las Vegas Hilton,[1] The Aladdin, The Sahara[2] and The Riviera.[3]
This tribute has brought the music of The Beatles to many places including Japan, Malaysia, France, Hong Kong, The United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, Mexico and Brazil.
The most common current group consists of McNeil, Gavin Pring, Sarraf, and Erik Fidel.
In 2013, the Fab Four received an Emmy Award for their PBS special filmed in 2012.[4]
Cast members
- Ron McNeil — John Lennon
- Gilbert Bonilla — John Lennon
- Tyson Kelly — John Lennon
- Ardy Sarraf — Paul McCartney
- Frank Mendonca III — Paul McCartney
- Neil Candelora — Paul McCartney
- Michael Amador — George Harrison (former)
- Gavin Pring — George Harrison
- Luis Renteria — Ringo Starr
- Rolo Sandoval — Ringo Starr (former)
- Erik Fidel — Ringo Starr
- Jerry Hoban (deceased) — Ed Sullivan
- George Trullinger — Ed Sullivan
Side projects
Wingsband
Formed by Ardy Sarraf, Wingsband is a Paul McCartney and Wings tribute act that covers many of McCartney's biggest, post-Beatles hits. The band features Ron McNeil, Michael Amador and Rolo Sandoval, plus a horns section led by Wendell Kelly (who has performed with many music acts, including The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie and Whitney Houston, to name a few), and singer/songwriter Christine Rosander as Linda McCartney. Both Laurence Juber, Wings guitarist from 1978–1981, and Denny Seiwell, the original Wings drummer from 1971–1973, have performed onstage with Wingsband at The Grove in Anaheim, CA.
George Harry’s Son
George Harrison impersonator and Liverpool native, Gavin Pring, created an act called George Harry’s Son to celebrate Harrison’s solo material, as well as his hits from the Beatle years. Pring has brought this act to the top Beatles music festivals including the annual Beatleweek in Liverpool[5] at the Mathew Street Festival and Abbey Road on the River in the United States. Pring also performed on the same stage as Paul McCartney in 2002 for the tribute show held on Harrison’s birthday.
Rutlemania
In 2007, The Fab Four was approached by Eric Idle from the British comedy group Monty Python, to perform a set of shows celebrating the 30th anniversary of The Rutles, which was a Beatles parody group formed in 1975 by Idle and Neil Innes. The show featured McNeil as Ron Nasty (originally played by Innes), Sarraf as Dirk McQuickly (Idle), Amador as Stig O’Hara (Ricky Fataar) and Sandoval as Barry Wom (John Halsey), and was performed multiple nights in both Los Angeles[6][7] and New York.[8][9]
Yellow Submarine movie remake
In 2010, The Fab Four was cast to do the motion-capture performance footage for director Robert Zemeckis' 3-D remake of The Beatles animated film classic, Yellow Submarine. The movie was set to be released sometime in 2012, but Disney canceled the project when Zemeckis' film Mars Needs Moms performed poorly in the box office and critics' reviews of Zemeckis' animations were mostly negative.[10][11][12][13]
Notable appearances
- Featured on many TV shows and channels including Entertainment Tonight, Good Morning America, Hallmark Channel, and Ellen DeGeneres’ Really Big Show in 2007.[14]
- Had their version of "The Little Drummer Boy" played on the show House M.D. in the 2008 episode "It's A Wonderful Lie"[15]
- Performed at the Madame Tussaud’s Beatles wax figure unveiling when the figures were brought to Las Vegas from London for a short exhibit.
- A headlining act during Liverpool’s annual Beatleweek in 2004, 2008, and 2011.[16]
- Held nightly shows at many venues in Las Vegas including the Las Vegas Hilton, The Aladdin,[17] The Sahara[18] and The Riviera.
- Invited to be guests and perform on 95.5 KLOS / XM Channel 59 / Sirius Channel 25 during weekly Breakfast with the Beatles radio show hosted by Chris Carter.
- Have played at the Le Palais Des Sports in Paris (same venue where the Beatles played).
- Performed for many celebrities including Eric Idle, Paul Stanley from KISS, Mark Hudson (Ringo Starr producer), and Tom Hanks.
- Named the official Beatles tribute of K-Earth 101.
- Played the A Hard Day’s Night DVD release at the House of Blues in Los Angeles.
- Performed at the Hollywood Bowl for the 37th anniversary of the Beatles’ concert.[19]
- Recorded Beatles tracks "I Want To Hold Your Hand," "Please Please Me" and "Kansas City" that were featured on The Linda McCartney Story.[20]
- Their own PBS special filmed at Pechanga Resort & Casino in January 2012
- Performed live on "The World's Greatest Tribute Bands" on AXS TV
Discography
- Ron McNeil – Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards, Harmonica
- Ardy Sarraf – Vocals, Bass, Keyboards, Guitar
- Michael Amador – Vocals, Lead Guitar, Keyboards, Sitar
- Rolo Sandoval – Vocals, Drums, Percussion
All songs were arranged, performed, recorded and produced by The Fab Four.
A Fab Four Christmas: The Ultimate Beatles Tribute, Vol. 1
Release Date - October 16, 2002
Label - Delta Ent. (LaserLight)
- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (I Saw Her Standing There) - The Fab Four, Marks, Johnny
- Joy to the World (Please Please Me) - The Fab Four, Mason, Lowell
- Feliz Navidad (And I Love Her) - The Fab Four, Public Domain
- Hark! The Herald Angels Sing (Help!) - The Fab Four, Mendelssohn, Felix
- Away in a Manger (You've Got to Hide Your Love Away) - The Fab Four, Traditional
- Good King Wenceslas (Tell Me What You See) - The Fab Four, Neale, John M.
- It Came Upon a Midnight Clear (Baby's in Black) - The Fab Four, Sears, Edmund Hamil
- Winter Wonderland (Honey Don't) - The Fab Four, Bernard, Felix
- Frosty the Snowman (Mr. Moonlight) - The Fab Four, Nelson, Steve [2] E
- Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (Eight Days a Week) - The Fab Four, Styne, Jule
Have Yourself a FAB-ulous Little Christmas
Release Date - October 16, 2002
Label - Delta Ent. (LaserLight)
- Santa Claus Is Coming to Town (When I'm Sixty-Four) - The Fab Four, Coots, J. Fred
- Silent Night (Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)) - The Fab Four, Gruber, Franz
- The Christmas Song (Here, There, and Everywhere) - The Fab Four, Torme, Mel
- God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (Within You, Without You) - The Fab Four, Traditional
- The Little Drummer Boy (Sun King) - The Fab Four, Davis, Katherine
- Dear Santa (Oh! Darling) - The Fab Four, Hudson, Mark
- What Child Is This? (While My Guitar Gently Weeps) - The Fab Four, Dix, William Chatte
- Blue Christmas (Revolution 1) - The Fab Four, Hayes, Bill
- Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree (Got to Get You Into My Life) - The Fab Four, Marks, Johnny
- Jingle Bells (Tomorrow Never Knows) - The Fab Four, Pierpont, J.S.
Hark!
In 2008, every song from both albums were digitally remastered and released on a single album titled "HARK!" ; available on Amazon, iTunes, and The Fab Four's official website. The compilation includes a rendition of "Sleigh Ride" and "The First Noel" in the style of "Lady Madonna" and "Let It Be" respectively. http://thefabfour.com/store/index.php?_a=viewProd&productId=2
References
- ↑ Zeke Quezada. "Las Vegas Hilton Theater: Entertainment Schedule". www.about.com. Retrieved 2009-01-28.
- ↑ Heather (2008-02-08). "Fab Four Mania at the Sahara Hotel". www.thelasvegasadventurer.com. Retrieved 2009-01-28.
- ↑ Mike Weatherford (2008-10-16). "Beatles tribute reopens at Riviera". www.lvrj.com. Retrieved 2012-04-29.
- ↑ The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Pacific Southwest Chapter (2014-02-01). "2013 Emmy Award Winners" (PDF). nataspw.org. Retrieved 2014-11-15.
- ↑ "GEORGE HARRY'S SON - A George Harrison Themed Supergroup from Liverpool". www.beatlenews.com. 2004. Retrieved 2009-02-12.
- ↑ Elise Thompson (2007). "Rutlemania!". www.laist.com. Retrieved 2009-02-12.
- ↑ Phil Gallo (2008-03-07). "Rutlemania Returns To Hollywood". www.variety.com. Retrieved 2009-02-12. Check date values in:
|year= / |date= mismatch(help) - ↑ Jesse Jarnow (2007). "Live: Rutlemania at the Blender Theater the Gramercy at Your Mom". www.villagevoice.com. Retrieved 2009-02-12.
- ↑ Jay Lustig (2007). "Celebrating the band that celebrated the four lads from Liverpool". www.nj.com. Retrieved 2009-02-12.
- ↑ "Disney Kills 'Yellow Submarine' Remake". Rolling Stone Magazine. Retrieved 4/6/11. Check date values in:
|access-date=(help) - ↑ Daniel Kreps (1/12/2010). "Actors, Tribute Band Cast as Beatles in Zemeckis' "Yellow Submarine" Remake". www.rollingstone.com. Retrieved 2010-01-12. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ Russell Hall (2010-1-13). "Main Cast Selected For Beatles' Yellow Submarine Remake". www.gibson.com. Retrieved 2010-01-13. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ Patrick Foster (2010-1-14). "Beatles actors who will all live in a 3-D Yellow Submarine are named". www.timesonine.co.uk. London. Retrieved 2010-01-16. Check date values in:
|date=(help) - ↑ "Ellen's Really Big Show". www.warnerbros.com. 2007. Archived from the original on February 2, 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-12.
- ↑ "House M.D., It's a Wonderful Lie - Soundtracks". www.imdb.com. Retrieved 2014-11-15.
- ↑ "Liverpool Tour". www.liverpooltour.com. Retrieved 2009-01-28.
- ↑ Mike Weatherford (2006-07-28). "'Fab Four' reminds fans of simple roots: Beatles tribute isn't as fancy as 'Love,' but still a crowd-pleaser". www.reviewjournal.com. Retrieved 2009-01-29.
- ↑ Mike Weatherford (2008-01-11). "Mop Top Mania: 'Fab Four' balances authenticity with wise-cracking fun". www.reviewjournal.com. Retrieved 2009-01-29.
- ↑ Michael Lisi (2003-02-12). "Fab Four re-enacts Beatles' shows word for word". www.dailygazette.com. Retrieved 2009-01-29.
- ↑ "The Linda McCartney Story". www.imdb.com. 2000. Retrieved 2009-01-29.