Rock Superstars, The Association, come to the Weill in Sheboygan

In the Sixties there was a lot of great music to listen to and one of the most requested vocal groups of the decade was The Association. On Friday, April 16, the hits of The Association will resonate through the Weill Center in Sheboygan as this legendary group takes the stage.

The Association is one of the most popular and successful bands to have come out of the Sixties. They have sold over eight million records, tapes, CDs and DVDs, earning six gold and two platinum discs. Their album The Association Greatest Hits (Warner Brothers) continues to be one of best-selling albums in the history of the company.

Their number-one hits, Never My Love, Windy and Cherish have achieved 'standard' statutes, and receive almost as much airplay today as they ever have.

At the turn of this millennium, BMI's announcement of the “top 100 most-played songs of all time” placed The Association hits Never My Love at 2, Cherish at 22, and Windy at 61. Never My Love has logged more than 7 million airplays. One million performances of a song represents 5.7 years of continuous airplay. Never My Love equals more than 40 years of back-to-back play.

The Association was formed in 1965 after the breakup of an 11-man electric folk group called The Men, the first “folk rock” group. The six-man Association rehearsed for five months and then began performing in nightclubs (The Troubadour, The Ice House, etc.), coffee houses, folk clubs high schools, and colleges throughout Southern California.

Before the release of their first album, the group had a huge fan base in California, especially in Los Angeles. That base soon became millions as Along Comes Mary and Cherish, both from their first album, topped the charts.

The Association is the first electric group to break through the anti-rock biases in many of the major venues across the country. They were the first rock ‘n’ roll band to perform at Hollywood’s Greek Theatre, The Coconut Grove, The Copacabana, Tanglewood Music Festival, Blossom Music Festival, The Latin Casino, Saratoga Performing Arts Center and Ravinia Park. In 1967, The Association was given the honor of opening the first international pop festival in America, The Monterey Pop Festival, and shortly after took part in the Rome Pop Festival.

In addition to the “big three” – Cherish, Windy, and Never My Love – Along Comes Mary, Everything That Touches You, Six Man Band, Time For Livin’ and Requiem for the Masses were top-10 hits and showcase the versatility, the carefully crafted vocals and the intricately woven instrumentation that is the signature of The Association, a cornerstone of American pop music. Between the 1966 and 1967 Grammy awards, they were nominated for the Golden Globe award for best original music in the film, “Goodbye Columbus,” and won the Foreign Press award for the same movie.

The Association appeared on every major television variety show at the time – “Ed Sullivan” (twice), “The Smothers Brothers” (three times), “American Bandstand” (multiple performances), “Shindig,” “Hullabaloo,” “The Carson Show,” “The Cavett Show,” “The Joey Bishop Show” (with Regis Philbin), “The Andy Williams Show,” “The Carol Channing Special,” “Hollywood Palace,” “The Dean Martin Show “ – the list goes on and on.

Being on the road for so many years – with more than two thousand concerts and television performances – took its toll and the group began parting ways in 1972 to pursue individual careers and interests. After a one-time reunion for a cable music special in 1979, The Association, with much industry encouragement, got together again and put it on the road. “On the road” is right. Since the ‘80s, The Association has sung and played in every state in the union, the Canadian provinces, Bermuda, Athens, South America, the Philippines, major showrooms in Atlantic City, Las Vegas, Reno and Tahoe, The Happy Together tour in 1984 and the Dick Clark’s American Bandstand Concert Tour in 1989. They have played with many symphony orchestras, music festivals, colleges, fairs, every large theme park on the continent, supper clubs, hotels and conventions, and television shows. In 2003, they were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame and in the last couple of years, have appeared on two PBS specials. Warner Bros. Records has released a double CD, Just the Right Sound, The Association Anthology with 50 tunes, a 40 page biographical booklet, and a lot of pictures.

Tickets for The Association performance at the Weill Center at 7:30 p.m., Friday, April 16, are on sale at the Weill Center ticket office at 826 N. 8th St. in Sheboygan, by phone at (920) 208-3243 or online at www.weillcenter.com.