Celebrating 50 years

When the Country Club of Florida held a gala dinner dance to celebrate the club's 50th anniversary, they called on Ted Knight for the music. Planners considered Ted's eighteen-piece big band but chose his eleven-piece orchestra instead.

The black-tie affair turned out to be the biggest event in the club's history, with more than 300 members in attendance, and space was at a premium.

Photography by Sandy McPherson of Palm Beach. Click photos to enlarge.

The band, the sound

The band included trumpet, trombone, and two saxes. The rhythm lineup consisted of keyboard, bass, guitar, and drums, with added vibes and percussion. Knight Music also provided stage lighting and a lighting technician, as well as a six-piece jazz group for cocktails on the patio.

The capacity crowd brought the need to use three rooms in addition to the main dining room. Ted picked up the band's sound with wireless mics, and used small, unobtrusive amps to relay the mic feed in each extra room.

Musical variety

By arrangement with the event planners, the mix started with jazz and swing but moved quickly to modern dance styles.

Dancers enjoyed Glenn Miller's "String of Pearls" and the Duke's "Things Ain't What They Used to Be," but it was Kevin Campfield's version of "Disco Inferno" that really packed the dance floor.

Kevin also did a "Boogie Shoes" medley from KC and the Sunshine Band, as well as Bobby Darin's swing version of "More" and the Sinatra standard, "You Make Me Feel So Young."

Evelyn Russell was a hit with "At Last," ""We Are Family," and "Just the Way You Are." Kevin sang backup on her leads, and Evelyn returned the favor.

Whenever Ted and guitarist Harry James chimed in, it was four-way vocal power. Ted sang the lead on "Old Time Rock and Roll," "Jailhouse Rock," and "Save the Last Dance for Me." 

Harry played a fine guitar solo on "Old Time Rock and Roll," and some sweet blues licks on "At Last." Several dancers were caught slow dancing near the stage just so they could follow his every move. No one could blame them, when hearing guitar played so well with backing by real horns is such a treat.

Past, present and future

Club president Ernie Mahler spoke briefly at one point during the gala, presenting a "50th birthday gift" for the club, a big box wrapped in gold.

When servers entered with a sparkler-lit parade of desserts, the band played "Happy Birthday to You" to symbolize the club's respect for tradition. Then they jumped into a rocking version of the Beatles' "Birthday," to the delight of dancers.

The one-two punch was arranged by Ted with club manager John Collier, bridging the members' respect for tradition with the need to shake things up a bit, and have some fun in the process.

The weekend also included an outdoor PowerPoint presentation by a local historian, with images from the club's past 50 years. Ted wondered if the club's sound system would be strong enough to handle the event, and volunteered his backup system.

Sure enough, more than 300 people turned out, far more than expected. The manager said that despite windy conditions and the unexpectedly large turnout, the Knight Music system saved the day with near-theater quality sound.

It was a lot of fun...

Toward the end of the gala, the dance floor overflowed as Ted sang "What a Wonderful World." The disco ball twinkled slowly to the mellow beat, and couples swayed together in blissful romance.

Afterward, people were buzzing about what a wonderful time they had. It was one of those special occasions where everything came together thanks to a lot of planning and preparation. It really was a lot of fun, which makes it all worthwhile.

Afterward, the manager, the president, and event chairs Karl and Carol Scott were in complete agreement when it came to the music: "Perfect." more pictures