Scott Tady: Gatlin's a 'Gambler' with Kenny Rogers band gig in Beaver Falls

Chippewa Township-bred Nashville recording artist Don Gatlin heads back our way May 3, and he's bringing longtime Kenny Rogers Band members with him.

With Gatlin on lead vocals, they'll perform a program of Rogers hits, like "The Gambler," "Lucille" and "Lady" at the Beaver Falls Middle School Auditorium.

"This is going to blow peoples' minds," Gatlin said in a phone interview aboard a cruise where he was entertaining. "This is not a tribute. We've got actual band members who played with Kenny for 40 years, including "The Tonight Show," the Grammys and country music award shows."

The Through the Years Kenny Rogers Band includes guitarist Randy Dorman, keyboardist Steve Glassmeyer and bassist Chuck Jacobs, all from Rogers' late-1970s/1980s reign on the pop and country charts.

Blackhawk High grad Gatlin certainly was no stranger to Rogers either, as his country-rock band Savannah Jack opened 66 shows for the country music superstar. Gatlin also wrote two songs that Rogers recorded, "Something's Wrong in Vegas" and "I Won't Forget," both of which will be played during their Beaver Falls show.

The band also includes Gene Sisk, Brian Franklin and Mike Zimmerman who played with Rogers for 23, 18 and six years, respectively, as well as touring with Crystal Gayle, Alan Jackson, Tracy Byrd and other country stars.

Many of the members came out of retirement to do this project and ensure it's as authentic as possible, Gatlin said.

"We even have Kenny Rogers' sound man," said Gatlin, who before spearheading the project did one important thing.

"I wanted to make sure Kenny was cool with it," he said.

So, in 2019, two years after Rogers retired, Gatlin contacted the music legend and pitched the idea of his former bandmates touring in a show honoring his music.

"He absolutely loved the idea," he said. "He totally endorsed the show and offered to help however he could."

Alas, Rogers died on March 20, 2020, while under hospice care. He was 81.

Of course, his music lives on, and the Through The Years Kenny Rogers Band stands poised to replicate the excitement of a Rogers concert via storytelling, songs and multimedia.

"What we are offering, is not only the sound that backed Kenny over the years but in addition, we offer first-hand stories of being on the road with Kenny as well as a viewpoint of Kenny’s music that can’t be proffered by anyone else," Gatlin, who's also written songs for Blake Shelton, said.

At one point during the Beaver Falls show will come the “Kenny Speed Round.”

Gatlin explains: "We ask the audience to call out their favorite song that they haven’t yet heard in the show that night, and since … we know them all… will do a portion of the song for the fans right then and there. This has been an over-the-top success and favorite portion of the show because the fans really feel a part of the performance. And of course, it keeps us on our toes, too."

The music starts at 7:30 p.m. and is the fourth and final show in the Beaver Valley Community Concert Association's 2022-'23 season. Tickets cost $25 for adults and $5 for students, at bvcommunityconcert.org.  At-the-door sales are by check or cash only.

The BVCCA's third seasonal show, April 20, is a good one, too, with Chicago stage performer Chester Gregory doing his award-winning Tribute to Jackie Wilson & Friends. Gregory's performance once earned him a standing ovation from famed audience member Michael Jackson.

Tickets, again, cost $25 for adults and $5 for students, at bvcommunityconcert.org.

Cross the border

Ten minutes from the Beaver County line, in Newell, W.Va., sits Oak Glen High School, hosts of an annual Americana music festival returning April 15, as always, with Beaver County ties.

Music & Art at Oak Glen festival has free admission this year, and will feature Pittsburgh blues wunderkind Pierce Dipner, Midland-based rockers Blind Colours, and two stalwarts of the east Ohio music scene; the Labra Brothers and the Conkle Brothers.

"And we have several crafters and vendors coming from Monaca and Hookstown," Matt Cashdollar, event spokesman, said.

For updates, check the festival's Facebook page.

¡Ay, caramba for Yo La Tengo

In the middle of "Ohm," nearing the homestretch of Yo La Tengo's second set at a sold-out Mr. Smalls Theatre on March 21, Ira Kaplan handed his blue electric guitar to fans in the front row.

Several lucky concertgoers clutched that guitar for a minute or so, though didn't produce any distinguished power chords. No worries, we got plenty of those from Yo La Tengo's riveting performance in a rare Pittsburgh area appearance.

Kaplan and bandmates Georgia Hubley (drums) and James McNew (bass and drums) delivered a night of wide-ranging dynamics ― from face-melting alt-rock to pretty ballads ― and rugged psychedelic-tinged rave-ups ("Sinatra Drive Breakdown") to spacey, funky soul ("Here to Fall.")

The New Jersey avant-garde trio took turns on lead vocals, as when Hubley stepped out from her drum kit and took center stage to sing "Aselstine," off the highly praised new album "This Stupid World."

The majority of lead vocals went to Kaplan, who also sheepishly took a moment to lament the death earlier that day of New York Knicks legend Willis Reed.

Named for a 1962 New York Mets incident (it's a long, amusing story you should Google), Yo La Tengo utilized all sorts of configurations, including a couple of instances where McNew and Hubley both played drums ― not in a Grateful Dead lockstep way, but with more nuance and subtlety.

More: Steve Martin, Martin Short returning to Pittsburgh

This wasn't a singalong show, it was more of a bob and sway and let the music wash over your experience.

"You can quote me on this," WYEP-FM morning man Joey Spehar said as he spotted me in the crowd, "this is the most perfect volume I've heard at a show."

Yeah, loud and crisp but my ears weren't ringing.

Primed to reach its 40th anniversary next year, Yo La Tengo proved it's still a masterful band.

More: Jackson Browne returning to Pittsburgh

Scott Tady is entertainment editor at The Times and easy to reach at stady@timesonline.com.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Tady: Gatlin's a 'Gambler' with Kenny Rogers band gig in Beaver Falls