For the thousands of people who flock to Gilroy every July to
dance to Sha-Boom’s enthusiastic takes on ’50s and ’60s rock ‘n’
roll standards, the last day of the Garlic Festival might have been
the day the music died.
Gilroy – For the thousands of people who flock to Gilroy every July to dance to Sha-Boom’s enthusiastic takes on ’50s and ’60s rock ‘n’ roll standards, the last day of the Garlic Festival might have been the day the music died.
The seven-member band played its last set Sunday on the Gilroy Garlic Festival’s Amphitheater Stage, where it got its first public exposure 24 years ago. After the concert, the members, all in their 50s and 60s and dressed in yellow Hawaiian shirts and shorts, went into the crowd to shake hands and talk.
“You made our weekend,” a mid-40s female said to lead singer John Dotson.
“You guys have made our career,” the 62-year-old shot back.
Now that three band members live out-of-state, practicing and performing has become too difficult and expensive, Dotson said. Nonetheless, the decision to stop touring was a “very, very emotional” one, he said.
Dotson founded the band with Dee Quinet in 1981, when they were both teachers and football coaches at Independence High School in San Jose. For two years, they and fellow teachers played cafeterias and school functions to raise money for the athletic program and scholarships. In 1983, they got the chance to play at the Garlic Festival, and it changed their careers.
“It was such a rush to play in front of that crowd,” Dotson said. “There’s just no festival quite like it.”
Sha-Boom shifted gears after the concert, hiring professional musicians to back up Dotson and Quinet’s lively singing and playing at fund-raisers and festivals rather than school events. However, the group continued to avoid gigs at clubs, opting instead to work for charitable organizations. In addition, despite the passing years and new chart-toppers, the group kept its repertoire of “happy” music – such as Chuck Berry’s “Rock ‘n’ Roll Music” or the Beach Boys’ “Fun, Fun, Fun” – from their younger years.
“The music is so captivating, it’s so easy to dance to,” Dotson said.
Festival patrons agreed, with more than 500 flocking to the amphitheater both Saturday and Sunday afternoon to fight for space on the dance floor despite sun and temperatures that neared 90 degrees.
“They play everything that we know, they have a really great time and they’re even older than us,” joked Tim Jobe, who drove eight hours from Yucca Valley with his girlfriend to see the band.
After the show, shocked fans begged band members to return next year. Festival organizers were similarly surprised and saddened by the news.
“We hope it’s not true,” said Ed Struzik, the 2008 festival president. “Next year is the 30th anniversary and we’d like them to come back to play.”
The key would be a raise so that the band could cover expenses, said Dotson, who retired this year to Scottsdale, Ariz. This is a possibility and festival organizers, which had a $35,000 entertainment budget this year, have already spoken with members of the band, said Struzik.
“As far as I’m concerned, they’re coming,” he said. “They’re a mainstay and there’s no reason that we wouldn’t do anything we could.”
Dotson also hopes that Sha-Boom can hammer out an agreement and reunite for next year’s fest.
“We have such a special unique relationship with the crowd, I’m hoping that I can call the guys up,” he said. “Now it’s a matter of logistics and funding.”
