Duprees: The songs
remain the same

By Rita Charleston
For the Times

They were one of the first "white" groups to sing at the revered Apollo Theater in Harlem, their performance honored with a standing ovation.
Decades later, The Duprees — though there are no members of that original lineup — continue the legacy of romantic interpretations of some of the top love ballads of the past. And in their current incarnation — Tommy Petillo, Phil Granito, Jimmy Spinelli and Tony Testa — the crooners are tuning up for performances at Resorts Atlantic City, where they’ll be Jan. 6-7 and Jan. 9-11.
The ensemble got its start during the early ’60s in Jersey City, N.J., when Michael J. Arnone, Joey Canzano, Joseph Santollo, John Salvato and Tom Bialoglow became The Duprees. The group caught the attention of the president of Coed Records, George Paxton, a big-band leader during the 1940s, He had them record You Belong to Me, a Jo Stafford ballad that became an instant hit in 1962 and the group’s first million-seller.
The Duprees followed with more classics, including You Belong to Me, My Own True Love, Why Don’t You Believe Me? and It’s No Sin.
Time brought a lot of changes. Bialoglow left in ’63, Salvato also sought new career directions, and the other three founding members have died — Santollo in 1981 at 38, Canzano (known as Joey Vann) in ’84 at age 40, and Arnone, who was 63 when he died two years ago.
These days, Testa, who began with the group as a guitarist in the ’60s, is the emcee and leader of the current Duprees.
"I’ve taken over leadership of the group and have been entrusted to adhere to the true standards The Duprees have always had," Testa said during a recent interview. "But I do tell my audience who they are watching and listening to. This is more than a tribute group put together specifically to honor another group. This group has been totally evolving since its inception. When someone left, someone else came in so that now we’ve been together almost twenty years."
Testa likes to dispute the longtime characterization of The Duprees as a "doo wop" group. "I don’t mean to sound disparaging of such groups, but doo-wop singing is very simple harmony, which is certainly great music, but not our kind of music," Testa said. "Ours is more lyrical, more melodic, and more involved as far as harmony is concerned, and has broader appeal. In fact, when we play down in Florida for older people, if they don’t know The Duprees, they definitely know the music they heard by such artists as Patti Page, Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra and others. They like us a lot for that reason."
He also likes to think his group delivers a versatile show that appeals to a wide audience. "Because we put on the kind of show that is very broad-based, we tend to appeal to all age groups. We try to make a concerted effort to make ours a very entertaining show for everybody," he said. "That’s why I never really script a show. I want to feel what the audience is into at that moment in time and go from there."
The major challenge the group now faces, said Testa, is to always try to make each show better and better. "And for whatever reason — mainly our hard work — it’s working. We just played another casino several weeks ago. We did five nights that were sold out. We had fourteen-hundred people in the audience every night," he said. "And we’re hoping for the same results when we appear at Resorts."
The Duprees were inducted last year into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame. And so the music continues. Although not the original Duprees of the ’60s, this group carries the torch as The Duprees of today.
And will this group ever be retired?
"Well, I certainly won’t retire," Testa replied. "Why would you retire from something you love? I’m having the time of my life, as are the others. It’s so wonderful to be able to do what you love, so unless God takes the breath from my lungs, I’m not gonna ever stop." ••
For times and ticket information, call 1-800-736-1420.