The Royals will perform an end-of-summer dance party on Saturday, Sept. 29 at Riverhead Polish Hall.
The musical journey of the Riverhead-based band dates back to 1964, when John Schaefer, John Czygier, Bob Dunkirk, Butch Langhorn, Ed Gatz and Ted Jasinski started making music together.
Their repertoire reflects the most popular music of ‘60s and ‘70s rock, R&B and pop with covers of a wide variety of artists from that era.
The group has been rehearsing together on Saturday afternoons at Schaefer’s Aquebogue home, prepping for a concert that has become, more or less, an annual event.
“It takes a lot of work, but it’s also a lot of fun,” said Langhorn.
They weren’t always known as the Royals. “Early on we called ourselves Marble Cake,” Langhorn said. “You can imagine why,” he said with a smile — Langhorn is the band’s sole African-American musician.
Then they played under the name Liquid Measure.
But the name that stuck originated with their fans, Bob Dunkirk said.
“We came across jackets that were royal blue with black velvet collars. We wore them with black shirts,” he said. “Back then, that’s what bands did,“ he explains, referring to band members adopting a common style of dress.
“The crowd started calling us the Royals,” he said.
The group played a lot of clubs around the region and had a loyal following.
Two of the band’s original members, Gatz and Jasinski, have passed away. Bass player Billy Dunkirk joined the group in 2007 and drummer Butch Cavouto in 2015.
Czygier plays keyboard, Schaefer and Bob Dunkirk guitar. Langhorn, a percussionist, and Bob Dunkirk are the group’s lead vocalists.
The upcoming concert at Polish Hall starts at 7 p.m. on Sept. 29. Tickets are $30 per person. For ticket info, call Butch Langhorn (631-369-1619), John Schaefer (212-689-1422) or Polish Hall (631-727-9200).
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