Perry Young. Sept. 4, 2016. Labor Day weekend. Ocean Grove near the boardwalk. Paul Goldfinger photo. ©
Paul Goldfinger, Editor Blogfinger.net 2016 original post:
I struck up a conversation with Perry when I spotted his Planotones shirt. We chatted near the large American flag. Perry is from Milton, New Hampshire. Originally he was from Queens, NY, but he left there in 2003.
Perry was at the World Trade Center on 9-11, and in his words, “I was fortunate to escape the falling north tower.” Perry was a member of the Painters Union.
Perry Young has been visiting Ocean Grove for nearly 40 years. He says that it is a very special place for him and he is drawn to it and loves to come here each summer. His favorite hotel is the Shawmont. He knows a lot about the town and this area.
Perry and his daughter Christine are Blogfinger fans. In a subsequent email he said, “I along with my daughter Christine will always be following Blogfinger.net. I enjoyed looking at all the photos you have posted on your website. I also thought your history in the medical field was awesome. Your friend, Perry.”
We became fast friends, and Perry asked me to pose for a picture, but I agreed only after he said I could take his picture in the Planotone shirt. We sent a copy of the photo to Christine, and she was thrilled.
We talked about Kenny Vance and his marvelous falsetto and close harmonies with his group. I should have asked Perry to do the Planotone walk. Maybe next time we could find two porkpie hats and some shades to do a video.
We agreed that one of Kenny’s most evocative songs was “Gloria”—–a beautiful and sad love song that all the fans of that era know to be the gold standard for excellence from that musical genre.
Perry confided that his favorite Planotone song is “Oceans of Time.” I never heard that song before, but you can appreciate why Perry favors it:
NOTE: This past June, 2022, Perry returned once again to the Grove. He stays at OG hotels. Perry is a creature of habit as you can see from his history of returning here every year.
After the June visit he sent me a note: “For my last night I went to Brando’s for linguine Sinatra. Since I went home I went to the supermarket and bought all the ingredients for that dish: scallops, shrimps, clams, Greek olives, and capers. That for dinner tonight.
Find enclosed tickets from 2009 when I saw Kenny Vance and the Planotones in the Doo Wop show in the GA. I will miss those shows.”
All the best, Perry.
2023 Perry Young update: Perry has remained a fan of the Grove and of Blogfinger. We keep in touch and try to get together when he visits here. This season Perry came with 12 relatives and they had a wonderful time.
He got to celebrate his birthday in the Grove, and I just heard from him by phone about the birth of his first great-grandson Henry Huggins. Perry says that we should do lunch next year, and I promised him to repost this piece along with some of those Kenny Vance songs which he still loves.
Kenny is now 78 years old and still tours with the Planotones. In December he will be at the Count Basie in Red Bank.
And here is a Kenny Vance medley from his recent album: Lost and Found Vol 2.