Beatin' the blues
Billy Vera and The Beaters rock ABC Saturday
By John Sollenberger 07/15/2010
Legendary rocker Billy Vera, who will be appearing with his band the Beaters on Saturday at the Arcadia Blues Club, started singing early in life, releasing his first single when he was a teen growing up in New York City in the early 1960s.
After seeing regional success in the South and Northeast, he penned songs that were picked up by Ricky Nelson (“Mean Old World”) and Barbara Lewis (“Make Me Belong to You”). Other hits followed before Vera hit a slump in the late 1960s. Then, in the 1970s, Dolly Parton had a hit with Vera’s song, “I Really Got the Feeling,” and things really picked up.
Vera relocated to LA and formed Billy and the Beaters, which became a huge club hit in the late 1970s. After recording and playing around the area for several years, his song “At This Moment” was picked for an episode of the hit TV series “Family Ties” and the song climbed to No. 1.
He landed acting and singing appearances on several TV shows and in the cult movie “Buckaroo Banzai,” as well as Oliver Stone’s “The Doors.” Since then, he’s cranked out hits for numerous stars, including Bonnie Raitt, Tom Jones and The Shirelles.
The Bobby Bluehouse Band opens at 7 p.m. Saturday followed by Billy Vera and the Beaters. Tickets are $15. Arcadia Blues Club is at 16 E. Huntington Drive, Arcadia. Call (626) 447-9349.
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