50 years of Cascades Music

MANILA, Philippines - Cascades music has been very much a part of Pinoy life and — believe it or not — is already 50 years old. Fifty summers ago, There’s A Reason hit the Top 10 charts in the US. A few months later, November 1962 to be precise, Rhythm Of The Rain was released and became a worldwide phenomenon. Not only was it a smash, it was recognized by BMI publishing as the ninth most performed song of the century in 2000 having been performed in excess of seven million times in the US alone. Rhythm Of The Rain also has the distinction of being recorded by hundreds of top-rated artists worldwide including Gary Lewis and the Playboys, Dan Fogelberg, Johnny Tillotson, Sarah Brightman, Neil Sedaka, Stephen Bishop, Johnny Rivers, Bobby Darin, Jason Donovan, The Ventures, Floyd Cramer, Lawrence Welk, Percy Faith, Sylvie Vartan, etc. Rhythm Of The Rain, There’s A Reason, All The Way To Yesterday and other Cascades hits were written by group leader John Claude Gummoe who also sang lead on all the songs on the first legendary album Rhythm Of The Rain. After recording and touring with the group for a few years, John left and pursued a solo career. The second generation Cascades which included Gabe Lapano and Tony Grasso stepped in. They also toured and recorded an album but their success paled in comparison with the original that included John. They slowly faded into the sunset and disbanded- hence the rumor that they died in a plane crash. 

I’ve always believed in the yarn they perished in a plane crash until I met Chuck Crews who was the musical director of Friends of Distinction and told me the group leader and lead singer John is much alive but retired from the concert circuit. I e-mailed John several times inquiring if he’s interested to come to Manila but he graciously declined. I didn’t give up though and flew to L.A. to personally convince him to tour again. We talked and he intimated his apprehension of making a comeback and talking to the surviving band members with whom he hasn’t spoken to in decades. I told him since he sang all lead vocals on the Rhythm Of The Rain album he was all I needed and would give him a great back-up band Area One (John Lesaca, Bert de Leon, Cash Manalang, Roy Marinduque, Carlo Gaa and Benjie Santos). I have been successful doing this with Pat Upton, the lead singer-composer of Spiral Starecase and sold-out three concerts in February 2004. Way back in the ’60s, there were lots of bands wherein the lead singer came first and recorded an album with the band coming later when touring was necessary. In fact, in the Rhythm Of The Rain album, premium session musicians like Hal Blaine (drums) Carol Kane (bass) and Glen Campbell (guitar) who was just starting his singing career were utilized extensively. 

Because I never stopped bugging John about doing a concert in the Philippines, he finally agreed but with the condition that he bring two members of the second generation Cascades Tony Grasso and Gabe Lapano with Chuck Crews as the MD. I agreed of course and a year later the Cascades made history by selling out two shows within six months at the Araneta Coliseum and in the process stimulating the concert industry. After the smash over sold Araneta Coliseum concert in April of 2005, the new revitalized Cascades made me their manager and exclusive agent for the next three years. Within those three wonderful years I managed the Cascades, they performed in so many Philippine sites outside Manila, Cebu, Davao, Bacolod, Iloilo, Cagayan de Oro, Roxas, Tacloban, Ormoc, Antipolo, Angeles, Subic and Tagaytay, just to name a few. Internationally, the Cascades performed in Japan, Malaysia and in several US cities. The Cascades performed to hundreds of celebrities, VIPs, industry captains and politicians that include former President GMA, former VP Noli de Castro, VP Jojo Binay, Madam Imelda Marcos, senators, congressmen, mayors and cabinet officials. Towards the end of 2007 which was also when my management contract ended, personal differences ended the Cascades three-year reunion and they did the farewell tour. I attempted to get them to reunite for the second time in 2009 to no avail. 

Currently, Tony and Gabe are currently pursuing their country and Western career while Chuck Crews is still the much in demand musical director/producer for so many US artists and John is singlehandedly keeping the fire burning with John’s Cascades as he did 50 years ago. He has been active in the US concert circuit and will be performing at the Midas Hotel & Casino Atrium on May 16. He will be aptly backed by choice Pinoy musicians led by musical director Carlo Gaa whom John has always trusted from the first day he stepped on Philippine soil over seven years ago.