The Association – Paramount Hudson Valley

November 14, 2014 8:00 pm

The Association are one of the greatest rock vocal groups of the 1960s. Million selling hit singles include #1 “Windy”, #1 “Cherish”, #2 “Never My Love”, #5 “Along Comes Mary”, #9 “Everything That Touchs You”. How many people have seen the Windy 7up commerical with Brad Garrett? Thousands of people used “Cherish” or “Never My Love” as their first dance at their wedding reception. “Never My Love” is the second most played song on the radio of all time.

The Association have sold more than 80 million records, CDs and DVDs, earning six gold and two platinum discs. Their album, “The Association Greatest Hits” on Warner Brothers, continues to be one of the longest running, best-selling albums in the history of the company.

The Association was formed in 1965 after the breakup of an 11-man electric folk group call The Men, the first “folk rock” group. The six-man The Association rehearsed for five months and then began performing in nightclubs, like The Troubadour and The Ice House, and at other venues like coffeehouses, folk clubs, colleges, proms and parties throughout Southern California. They had a huge fan base in Los Angeles that became millions as “Along Comes Mary” and “Cherish,” both from their first album, topped the charts.

The Association was 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, Saratoga Performing Arts Center and more. “Never My Love,” “Windy and Cherish,” “Along Comes Mary,” “Everything That Touches You,” “Six Man Band,” “Time for Livin’” and “Requiem For the Masses” were top 10 hits. They were nominated seven times between the 1966 and 1967 Grammy Awards. Also, in 1967 they were nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Music and won the Foreign Press Award for the film “Goodbye Columbus.”

The Association appeared on many television variety shows including “Ed Sullivan”, “The Smothers Brothers”, “American Bandstand”, “Shindig”, “The Carson Show”, “The Cavett Show”, “The Joey Bishop Show” (with Regis Philbin), “The Andy Williams Show”, “The Dean Martin Show” and more.

For more information visit: http://paramounthudsonvalley.com/events/event/the-association

Red House Entertainment LLC (“RHE”) was formed by Kurt Heitmann for the single purpose of reviving and operating the Paramount Theater in Peekskill, NY, as a vibrant downtown venue, to be supported by diverse and week-round programming, which unquestionably has the potential to be the “ultimate” venue in the Hudson Valley for Live Music and HD quality digital entertainment. It was selected by the Peekskill Common Council, as a result of an RFP issued in November 2012, in competition with known interest from at least 2 known NYC venue/performing arts operators and Tarrytown Music Hall and a consortium formed by an established local hospitality service businessman. It signed a lease commencing May 2013 for an initial term of just under18 years, with a renewal and purchase option, to be the exclusive operator and manager of the venue for commercial, nonprofit and community related uses and forms of entertainment and hospitality.

The Paramount Theatre was designed by George and Charles Rapp, architects for Netco Theatre Corporation, a subsidiary of Paramount Pictures, in 1929 and was completed in 1930 as a 1500 seat movie “palace”. Until 1973 when it was sold to a private party, it was owned and operated by Paramount Pictures. The City of Peekskill acquired the structure through a tax lien in 1977.

The Paramount Theater has been designated a Westchester County Landmark and is on the New York state and National Registers of Historic Places. In 1977 the City leased the building to the not-for-profit Peekskill Area Arts Council, Inc, which in 1984 changed its name to the Paramount Center for the Arts, a 501(C)(3) corporation. Improvements were made to the stage, and seating count reduced, but real restoration occurred in 2002 aided by a $1 million grant from NY State in 2006 and significant donations by Entergy Corporation. Improvements included extensive restoration of the walls and ceilings with original detail recreated on a canvas wallcoverings, the addition of an annex with dressing rooms and backstage dock, the incorporation of a full fly system and a full array of lighting and sound, renovation of seating and restrooms.

With a key focus on having high-quality acts consistently, an improved physical venue, and persistent messaging and interactivity with the community, Kurt formed a management team for the RHE that includes experienced executives from the fields of video and audio in entertainment production; arts and nonprofit management including marketing, communications, public relations, operations, and educational programming; artist management, event sponsorship, concert production and promotion; television development and sales, and brand development, licensing and merchandising. Kurt Heitmann was born and raised in Peekskill New York, and now resides 10 miles north in Garrison.