The Cascades

We received an e-mail from Charles Crews, who identified himself as Cascades producer. He said that our item about the Lettermen and the Cascades on July 14 is “highly inaccurate” which needs to be corrected.

In our item we said “The Lettermen, considered as the original boy band of the ’60s, and The Cascades (featuring Gabe Lapano and Tony Grasso), the hugely-popular Grammy Award-winning band, will perform together for the first time on the same stage during the gala night on July 27.”

According to Charles Crews, The Cascades never won a Grammy Award.

He said: “The Cascades released their first single, ‘There’s A Reason,’ in the summer of 1962. This was followed by the November 1962 release of the Cascades mega-hit, ‘Rhythm Of The Rain.’ Both songs were written by Cascades founder John Claude Gummoe. Both hits were sung on the record by John Claude Gummoe. Note that every single one of the Cascades famous hits was sung on the original recordings by John Claude Gummoe. Further note that for the past four Cascades tours of the Philippines, beginning in 2004... all of the Cascades hits, known and loved by generations of Filipinos, were sung in concert throughout the country by Cascades founder, writer and lead singer John Claude Gummoe, and no one else.

“Those songs, which we refer to as ‘The Magic Twelve,’ include ‘Rhythm Of The Rain,’ ‘Shy Girl,’ ‘The Last Leaf,’ ‘Angel On My Shoulder,’ ‘Dreamin,’ ‘There’s A Reason,’ ‘My First Day Alone,’ ‘Punch And Judy,’ ‘I Wanna Be Your Lover,’ ‘Was I Dreamin,’ ‘Let Me Be,’ and ‘Lucky Guy.’

“Neither Gabe Lapano nor Tony Grasso were in the Cascades when any of these songs were recorded and released. Neither Gabe Lapano nor Tony Grasso played nor sang on any of the aforementioned hits.

“Tony Grasso joined the Cascades in 1964; nearly two years after these tunes were released to the public. Gabe Lapano joined a later version of the Cascades, after John Claude Gummoe left the group, in September 1966, nearly four years after these songs were released to the public.

“When all of the aforementioned hits were recorded, the original lineup of the Cascades consisted of founder and lead singer John Claude Gummoe, co-founder and drummer Dave Wilson, keyboardist Dave Szabo, bassist Dave Stevens, and guitarist Eddy Snyder.

“Gabe Lapano was not there, and had not yet even met the Cascades. So why are these two calling themselves ‘The Cascades’ and ‘Grammy Award Winners?’ I’m sure your readers would like to know.”

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Fil-Am heiress in a socially conscious play

Leslie Lewis-Sword, elder daughter of Fil-Am Loida Nicolas-Lewis, a native of Sorsogon, and the late African-American billionaire Reginald Francis Lewis, stars in “Miracle in Rwanda,” a one-woman show she created and which runs till July 22 at Insular Life Theater in Makati.

The show is based on the true story of Rwandan genocide survivor Immaculée Ilibagiza, a real life messenger of hope and forgiveness. After premiering in Naples, Florida and a triumphant Soho run in New York City in 2007, the one-hour play inspired a world tour that has spanned 17 cities and five continents and generated critical acclaim at each stop.

For its Philippine premier, major sponsors include Oscar J. Hilado of Phinma Foundation Inc. and Mariposa Foundation, Inc. and Rene “Butch” S. Meily of PLDT-Smart Foundation, Inc. together with various civil society groups.

Leslie’s work has been nominated for an Amnesty International Freedom Expression Award, an Audele award for best solo performance, and honored by numerous prestigious festivals.

Leslie made her New York debut as Dorothy Dandridge in a solo show at the National Black Theater of Harlem. Other credits include co-starring with Billy Zane in the short film “Starving Hysterical Naked,” a biopic about the Beat Generation Writers. She graduated from Harvard University cum laude, and received her MFA in acting from UCLA’s Department of Theater. Leslie and her husband have adopted two children from Rwanda, and she divides her time between NYC, Los Angeles, and Vancouver.

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Kim Chui named most beautiful face

ABS-CBN’s Kim Chiu has been hailed by YES! magazine as the most beautiful face in local showbiz today. Kim graces the cover of YES! Magazine Special: 100 Most Beautiful Stars which was launched recently at Crowne Plaza.

Instead of ranking the year’s most beautiful stars, YES! sorts them out in over 25 different categories. Joining Kim in this year’s line-up are Marian Rivera, Dingdong Dantes, Sarah Geronimo, John Lloyd Cruz, among others.

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Tidbits: Happy b-day greetings on July 21 go to Ding Mercado, Dr. Nenita Lee-Tan, Patrick Nolasco, Candy Mendoza, Ghi Diola Gopez, Dr. Carrie R. Legaspi, Judy Manuel, Manniz Igrobay, Eric John Salut of ABS-CBN.