Artist ID: 79
From the group's beginning, the goal of THE ENTERTAINERS has been to create an unmatched sound, coupled with high-energy choreography rarely seen in the Carolinas. Added to this fine-tuned precision unit were the ultimate in sound system technology, concert lighting effects, and quality wardrobe design.
In 1980, THE ENTERTAINERS scored their first regional smash hit with LIVING FOR THE SUMMER, a song that propelled the group to the forefront of beach music, and which led to their playing the finest clubs along the Grand Strand of Myrtle Beach and other clubs, from Virginia to Florida.
The group's years of performing experience culminated in the release of their first album, simply titled, THE ENTERTAINERS. Highlighting the group's incredible vocal harmonies and full bodied sound, this album is still played up and down the east coast.
At the Third Annual Beach Music Awards in 1988, THE ENTERTAINERS were nominated for both the Group of the Year and Single of the Year. The group's second album, DON'T LET YOUR LOVE GROW COLD, won Album of the Year honors.
In 1991, after 16 years with the Catalinas and 11 years with the Embers, Johnny Barker, on keyboard and vocals, joined partnership with Earl Dawkins as co-owner of the group. Barker, a noted musician and writer in the beach music industry, lists credits such as: Love Me, Always In Love, Facts of Love, and the fourth most popular beach music song of all time, Summertime's Calling Me, a song that spawned a new generation of beach music dance styles and tempo changes. Barker also co-produced the last six Embers albums.
Dawkins, founder of The Entertainers, as well as lead singer/front man, co-wrote the groups first regional hit, "Livin for The Summer." He appeared as a Male Vocalist contestant in1985 on "Star Search."
On sax and vocals is Beaver Robinette, a graduate from Appalachian State University with a degree in music. Beaver also plays trumpet and flute and teaches in the North Carolina school system. His energy and soulful sax solos are always present.
Eddie Brooks on drums, has been singing and playing drums for over twenty years. His strong vocals, easy to dance to beat, and spectacular solo ability sets him apart from the rest.
On guitar and vocals is Benjie Weaver. Benjie's guitar playing, unique vocal talents and friendly stage presence make him one of the most popular musicians around.
Mr. Farber - I am writing you on behalf on myself, my family and my guests who were at my daughter/son-in-laws wedding the past Saturday-October 22, 2011. The Entertainer's played for us and ABSOLUTELY were awesome. Not only was the music out of this world, the entertainment was just as good. Numerous guests told me the band was great! I have never been so pleased with the personel interaction with our crowd. The dance floor was packed from the minute they began to sing up until the very last song. They were great to work with and I would have them back to any function I host. At one time, one of the bridesmaid's asked if we could do this again next weekend!! Awesome, awesome band!!
Sincerely,
Debbie H. (Oct. 22nd, 2011)
Wedding
Dear JR - We wanted to let you know that the band you booked for our daughter's wedding reception on June 25, 2011, The Entertainers, was a hit for us and for our guests. Everyone so enjoyed their music. We even had a neighbor share that during the reception, she sat on her porch several yards away and listened to our music - she said it was wonderful.
Earl Dawkins had a warm and inviting manner. He was a great encourager to get people up and dancing - something that was important to us. He was very sensitive to playing the music that John, Dori, and Lucy (the Mom) had requested. He stayed responsive to our needs to make announcements and was a pleasure to talk to. We spent time after our guests had left talking about his daughter's mission trips. The band was easy to get along with and a joy to be around. Our guests had a great time celebrating John and Dori's wedding and marriage. It was a special day for all of us, with The Entertainers' music helping to make it such a blessing.
Hope you have an enjoyable weekend.
Sincerely,
Lucy and Ted Corwin
Lucy and Ted C. (June 25th, 2011)
Parents of the Bride
The Entertainers did a fantastic job for us at last October's (Charleston Symphony Orchestra) Benefit Ball: "Artists Helping Artists". This band lives up to its name, in many ways! In particular, Earle Dawkins was a true gentleman and a class act; he went the extra mile, to help us with our event! I would hire them again (in a minute!) and will be interested in attending any future event where this talented band is playing.
Peggy V. (October 2010)
Chairperson – CSO Benefit Ball
Hi Doug! - First let me say that I hope your 4th of July weekend was as great as ours. Just wanted to drop you a line or two to let you know that the band "The Entertainmers" was GREAT!!! OMG! They played songs that took everyone at the park back (BIG SMILE). They had folks of all ages up dancing and singing and having a good time! We definately picked the right band for our July 4th celebration! They were truely worth every penny spent. Thanks for helping me book them. We had so much fun with them, I think I'm going to have to create another event so I can have them back!!! Thanks again Doug!
Kim M. - Special Events Coordinator
City of Columbia Parks & Recreation Dept.
The Entertainers were fantastic, Barry!
The kids and their parents had a wonderful time and after about an hour got warmed up and danced. We received many e mails telling us it was the party of the weekend, and that was saying a lot since there were numerous parties. I appreciate your help and we will enjoy their cd for years to come. I would highly recommend this band!
G. Morrison
Larry,
I wanted to give you feedback on our daughter's wedding reception last Saturday night, March 26, at Bonterra Dining and Wine Room in Charlotte. We booked The Entertainers to play for us back in May, 2010. It's hard to find the words to describe how pleased we are with that decision.
My husband and I have been following Earl and his band for many years, and we knew they would put on a great show. What we never could have anticipated is how accommodating Earl and the entire band would be. From the very beginning we had concerns about the venue we wanted to use. There was no stage, the area for band setup was limited, and tables would have to be cleared after dinner to make room for the dance floor. Earl offered to make a special visit to the venue early on to see if he thought they could make it work. All of the rest of the planning hinged on that decision. He called back to say they could do it. That was the best news I could have gotten since we really, really wanted The Entertainers.
Throughout the planning process, I made several special requests of Earl. We asked for special songs. We asked Earl if he would arrive a little early and emcee the event. We even asked if my husband could sit in with the band for a song or two. Earl was always very prompt in responding to my emails and phone calls, and his answer was always "yes". This was so reassuring.
The day of the event, the setup crew showed up right on time, were extremely polite and very flexible. Earl even called me that afternoon to make sure everything was OK and to see if there were any last minute requests.
My husband and I knew the music and showmanship would be flawless, which it was. From the very first note, the guests were in "party mode". Since we are a little older crowd, we were concerned that many of our guests might leave early. But once The Entertainers' show started, no one was thinking about getting out of there anytime soon. Most of the guests were still on their feet for the last song.
After the show, Earl and the band and crew were so engaging and complementary of our group. As I said, we knew the show would be great, but we had no idea just how warm and engaging Earl and the entire band and stage crew would be. Thanks to The Entertainers, it was just about a perfect evening. We are so happy with our decision to book them and will do it again when our son gets married.
Please know that if you ever need a reference for The Entertainers or East Coast Entertainment, I am one very satisfied customer!
Thank you very much.
Mrs. Campbell (March 26th, 2011)
Mother of the Bride
The Entertainers were fabulous. People stayed longer this year in my 14 years of attending the Art Ball and I am sure it was because of the band. Everyone had a great time. Please thank the Entertainers for a great party.
Thanks, Joy
Joy Futrell
Cary Visual Art
Hi Ellie, I think everyone really enjoyed the Entertainers - they sounded great and there was a lot of dancing going on!! It was amazing - the ceremony was outside - beautiful sunny day!! - the reception was outside - stayed mostly sunny - some clouds. When the couple was leaving and all the guests had sparklers in hand - it started to drizzle and after they left the rain came!! Someone up there was looking out for us.
Thanks for all your help, Ellie. We really appreciated your input in booking the Entertainers.
Cissy Brown
Mother of the Bride
Earl Dawkins and The Entertainers were the perfect addition to our Block Party. In fact, they became the main attraction as more than 400 people strolled the main street of the NC Research Campus in celebration of our 3rd College President.
The group was well received and projected positive energy that rippled through the crowd. Our audience was diverse in every way. The Entertainers made us all feel right at home at our "Block Party" with good music for our souls.
Thanks for your recommendation. I look forward to working with East Coast Entertainment again.
Natasha Lipscomb
Rowan-Cabarrus Community College - Director, Student Life & Leadership Development
I just want to let you know we were very pleased with The Entertainers band performance for my daughter's wedding reception. I think they did an excellent job and people danced and danced. It was exactly what my daughter wanted for her reception. Thanks again,
Cathy Ritchie
Wedding Buyer
I wanted to let you know what a great time we had at Benedict's Friday Feb. 6 - thanks to Earl Dawkins & The Entertainers. All 155 guests have ranted & raved about how great & TALENTED these guys were. Ages of those present ranged from 25 to 75 so it can be hard to please everyone but this group sure did!! Earl has great rapport with an audience & really charmed all who attended. I saw couples who usually leave right after dinner (about 9:30 pm) still dancing & partying after midnight. Earl called the week before our event to check with me on any special requests, dress, etc. - extremely professional AND personable. Wish we had a reason to book these guys every month. I will be spreading the word to friends having daughters getting married to not look any further than Earl & The Entertainers. WHAT A GREAT GROUP!!!! Thanks for everything!
Debbie Little
The Bendict's Club
The Entertainers let by Earl Dawkins have given two extremely successful performances for Providence Country Club in Charlotte NC. They played for both our Member Gala and New Year's Eve Gala in 2008. Each person in the band and crew was a pleasure and extremely professional and respectful to everyone they came into contact with at the Club. The band played a variety of songs to keep everyone happy! They catered to song requests and had everyone on their feet dancing!
For our New Year's Gala, Mr. Dawkins even went as far as to customize a CD of songs requested by our members to play during their breaks. Everything went smoothly from the clean and efficient set-up all the way through the night until the final song was played. I would recommend this band with high regards - anyone would be lucky to attend one of their performances!
Jamie Grauel, Providence Country Club
Memership Event Coordinator
We were absolutely thrilled with the performance. It could not have been better from the music during dining to the dancing! We had many people tell us they had never heard a band so good here at Linville Ridge. We would and do highly recommend them to anyone and would be more than happy to serve as a reference at any time. Earl and the band members went out of their way to be sure our needs were met and they played and played and played. Blisters on my feet can attest to that.
Donna Nix
We were absolutely thrilled with the performance. It could not have been better from the music during dining to the dancing! We had many people tell us they had never heard a band so good here at Linville Ridge. We would and do highly recommend them to anyone and would be more than happy to serve as a reference at any time. Earl and the band members went out of their way to be sure our needs were met and they played and played and played. Blisters on my feet can attest to that. We appreciate, as well, your efforts to help us.
Donna Nix
Earl Dawson and the Entertainers were unbelievable at my daughter's wedding reception. They were so much more than expected! Their music, professionalism and desire to ensure that our wishes were met went above and beyond anything we had hoped for.
Our daughter had put a great band above all other wedding necessities and she received exactly what she had asked for THE ENTERTAINERS.
I would definitely recommend The Entertainer to anyone looking for a band that plays wonderful music and is fun to dance to.
Theresa "T" Huffman
I wanted to let you know how pleased I was with the Entertainers. They played at my wedding reception in February. Their music was wonderful, and they were so nice to work with. Everyone danced all night, and I just got the DVD from the reception last week and enjoyed seeing everyone on the dance floor again. My only regret was that as the bride I had to talk to everyone and couldn't be on the dance floor all night! Everyone really enjoyed themselves, and I credit The Entertainers for that. I would recommend them to anyone. Thanks so much.
Jaye
Wedding Buyer
These guys were great. From the moment the tech guy pulled into the parking lot until they left the building they were great to work with. Our people really enjoyed them and responded well. We had a ton of new faces that attended that night and that is why we do things like this. I couldn't have been happier with the results. My hat is off to you and "The Entertainers"
Jeff
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