Silvertones singing for 20 years

Back when Sun City Summerlin was just getting off the ground, a group of residents formed the Silvertones. Now, the singing group is marking its two-decade milestone with a performance, "20 Years of Music."

The show is slated for 7 p.m. Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the Starbright Theatre, 2215 Thomas W. Ryan Blvd.

Everything started with a neighborhood meeting to see what clubs residents in the fledgling retirement community wanted. Formation of the singing club is credited to Lynn Burdick, who sang and played the piano. There were no tryouts, just a desire to sing.

Mary Webb was one of the original members.

"That first meeting, only a few of us came," she said. "Then, at the next one, there were about a dozen or so, and from there, we just took off."

Along with Webb, who acts as the group's historian, other original members include Adam Sampsel and Kay Cosgrove.

St. Patrick's Day 1990 marked the group's first public appearance. Its first show was November 1990 at the Mountain Shadows Community Center, the only Sun City Summerlin community center at the time. The show was called "Fun in the Sun ---- Sun City Skitso Review." It sold out.

"It was action-packed with lots of music and skits, and everything had to be memorized," Webb said. "Of course, we were younger then, so it (memorizing) was easier."

The following year saw four performances. The trend continued from there.

Normally, the Silvertones musical director would choose what each show would entail.

For "20 Years of Music," the show will encompass songs the Silvertones did in the past. To decide which ones they would be, the members, now more than 50 strong, were asked to submit suggestions.

"I asked what they'd recommend, and everyone had ideas," said George Pucine, musical director for the past 12 years. "Now, you can't do 50 songs or you'd be singing for about four hours."

Happily, some of the suggestions were duplicates, making Pucine's job that much easier.

The show will open with "New York, New York" and then go on to include what Pucine called "a flavoring of Sinatra and a flavoring of Broadway" among the 25 songs. Other titles are "Sweet Heaven," "Perhaps Love" and "And I Love You So." Expect also to hear some blues. The show will close with a medley from "Oklahoma!"

When Pucine first joined the group, the Silvertones sang every song in unison. He set out to change that and determined different notes that the altos or the tenors could sing to complement the melody. That morphed into more intricate arrangements and singing in "tiers," until now since they sing in harmony.

"It's such a joy for me to sit at the piano and make these arrangements. I can hear the voices singing it as I put the notes down on (paper)," he said. "If something doesn't sound quite right, I can change it."

Piano accompaniment is by Martha Olson.

For those who can't get enough of the Silvertones, the group has been invited to sing at the dedication of Fire Station No. 107 in June.

Tickets for "20 Years of Music" are $8. For more information, call Don Paretto at 256-6220.

Contact Summerlin/Summerlin South View reporter Jan Hogan at jhogan@viewnews.com or 387-2949.