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John “Wopp” Mina - Rich “Richie” Beattie - Tom “Cool T” Welter
Billy “Billy D” Louth - Jason “Jay Bird” Sullivan
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John “Wopp” Mina
Dr.
John "Wopp" Mina started singing doo-wop in 1973 with his first group
"Johnny Crash and the Hot Rods". Since then he has been in a number of
groups including The "Uptown Express". In 1991 he, along
with "Richie" Beattie, put together "Brylcream" and has been directing
the group ever since.
"Wopp"
does many of the original arrangements regularly performed by
Brylcream. The two original songs recorded by Brylcream,
"Rockin' the Neighborhood" and "Ready to Go", were written by John Mina
and Roy Schelper.
In addition to singing doo-wop, John Mina is a podiatrist, is married to Debbie and has five
children, does community theatre, is a Rotarian, and a published science fiction author.
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Rich “Richie” Beattie
Richie
began his professional singing career as a member of the Columbus
Boychoir (now the American Boychoir) of Princeton, NJ back in the 70s
when he was able to sing in places such as Radio City Music Hall,
Carnegie Hall, and at the Vatican for Pope Paul VI.
He
continued singing in different groups throughout high school and
college. But it wasn't until after getting married and moving to SW FL
that he began singing in earnest. First with the Ft Myers
Barbershop Chorus and later with Uptown Express where he met John
"Wopp" Mina.
After one year with Uptown Express, Wopp and Richie broke off and started Brylcream. He has been married since 1984,
has 4 daughters and has been singing with Brylcream since it's inception in 1992.
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Tom “Cool T” Welter
Tom
“Cool T” Welter took up Barbershop singing in ‘91, then joined up with Richie
and Wopp to help form Brylcream in 1992. Soon after, Tom also joined “Gully”
and “Greasy Lou” to form a 50s/60s Rock and Roll group called Camuflage
which occasionally takes it’s place as backup group for Brylcream.
Currently,
“Cool T” is single with 5 brothers, 5 sisters, and almost 2dozen neices
and nephews.
A resident
of Cape Coral, Florida, Cool T can be found most monday nights at the
Rotino Senior Center / Cape Coral Yacht Club area singing with the Cape
Coral Barbershop Singers.
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Bill “Billy D” Louth
Billy
grew up in the Motor City and has performed with such notables
as Diana Ross and the Supremes, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles,
and Nathanial Mayer (“Village of Love”). He was also in a back
up group for Freddie “Boom Boom” Cannon (Way Down Yonder In
New Orleans and Palisades Park).
Billy left
the waning Doo Wop scene in the 1960 only to return in the mid ‘90s to
reviving the Doo Wop genere with Brylcream.
Recently, Billy
has also had the priveledge of traveling with the current “Crests” and
has performed in locations along the eastern US as well as the Carribean.
On of his most memorable “gigs” was when “The Crests” and “Johnny Maestro
and the Brooklyn Bridge” were featured on a 50s/60s Carnival Cruise.
Billy currently
sings second tenor and performs lead on many Brylcream songs.
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Jason “Jay
Bird” Sullivan |
Jason “Jay Bird”
Sullivan
The
“visual timekeeper” and low man on the totem poll, Jason is no newcomer
to the music scene. He is a life long musician and singer, and although
he is only 30, he has an “old soul” suited for the streetcorner harmonies
of the 1950s.
A
native of New Jersey and a member of a musical family, Jason grew up on
the 4 and 5 part harmonies of The Halos, The Skyliners, and the Turbans.
His bass styles
and baritone melodies lend depth and substance to the group and his on-stage
antics delight and entertain.
“Jay Bird”
has become a fixture in Southwest Florida after 24 years, and loves the
local Doo Wop crowd.
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Other
notables who lend a hand in bringing Brylcream to the center
stage are the talents of Gary “G Man” Groneman, Jay Bronx,
and on occasion, local radio ledgend, Dr. Doo Wop who occasionally
MC’s local Brylcream appearances and other local Doo Wop and
Rock and Roll groups around Southwest Florida.
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- All Rightes Reserved
No Portion Of This Site May Be Reproduced Without Written Permission
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Jay Productions - Cape Coral,
FL |
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