Santa Fe caters to doo-wop fans

     By Damon Hodge
     View staff writer
      June means "doo wop" at the Santa Fe.
      Doo-woppers The Happenings kick off a month-long ode to swing with concerts Friday and Saturday at the hotel, 4949 N. Rancho Drive.
      Performances will take place in the Ice Lounge. There will be two shows nightly, at 7 and 9:30 p.m. The $10 tickets include two drinks and are available at the casino cage. Only 150 tickets will be sold for each performance.
      "This something new that we're trying," marketing manager Lesly Wright said.
      The Ice Lounge's typical slate includes local groups crooning in country, top-40 or Frank Sinatra styles, Wright said. Every couple of months, groups from '50s and '60s perform.
      The Happenings followed their 1996 national chart-topping debut ,"See You in September," with "Go Away Little Girl," "I Got Rhythm," and "My Mammy." The three-member group is led by vocalist Bob Miranda.
      The Legends of Doo Wop, which has recorded more than 60 songs, is set to perform June 16 and 17. The group is comprised of three former '60s-era lead singers and a bassman.
      Jimmy Gallagher sang on the The Passions hit "I Only Want You." Tony Passa recorded "Chapel Bells" as lead vocalist for The Fascinators. Frank Mancuso sang lead for The Imaginations, who scored hit singles such as "Guardian Angel" and "Hey You." Steve Sharks performed with the 5 Sharks on the hit single "Stormy Weather."
      The Del Vikings are set to begin their two-day stint June 23. Louis Velez, hand-picked as the band's successor by band founder Clarence E. Quick, will lead in reprising their '50s and '60s hits such as "Come Go With Me" and "Sunday Kind of Love." The group, which will not have any of the original members, will also perform June 24.
      The "punkiest girl group of the '60s" takes the stage June 30 and July 1. The Shangri-La will perform instant bubble-gum hit, "Leader of the Pack."