ONLY 'SOMETHING BIG' COULD BRING
"GREAT PRETENDERS"
BACK FOR ONE MORE SHOW

"AN EVENING WITH THE GREAT PRETENDERS: 30th Anniversary Show"
with Hot Spot Cabaret
held Saturday, March 16 at the Boston Marriott Hotel at Copley Place
as a Fundraiser for The Brendan Grant Foundation

BELMONT, MA -- All tickets had been sold out prior to the event. This was the 30th Anniversary show for the Great Pretenders, the 1970's oldies group,  who all graduated from Belmont High School and went on to become one of New England's top night club acts with a national presence into the 80's. "Only something important, like raising money for The Brendan Grant Foundation, could bring us back together like this," says Rick Freeman. "In fact, this is something people have been asking us to do over the years. And, we were very excited to be back on stage for our fans for such a good cause!"

It all began in the early 70's as a gag for a Belmont New Year's Eve party that eventually became The Great Pretenders, one of the hottest New England bands of the 70's and 80's, that today includes Rick Freeman, Billy Freeman, Robert "Horace" Greeley, Rick Ford, Bob DiGiovanni, Bobby Freeman, Belinda Bridgeman Freeman, Kathi Zerkle, Jacob Pitts and Michael Thomas. "No matter where we live now, we still have Belmont in our hearts," said Billy Freeman before taking the stage. "We're always blown away that people still want to see us. And, when it's for a cause as good as the Brendan Grant Foundation, the gig is a win-win-win for us, the crowd and for a non profit."

The evening's entertainment began with the Hot Spot Cabaret, another outstanding oldies group comprised of Rob Bezubka, Bobby Lee, Bill Burke, Sandy Strate, Trish McLaughlin, Billy Freeman, and Mario Cruz on piano and Duane Cantera on drums. Then, Rick Freeman introduced his daughter, Lyndsay, who graduated from Belmont High last year and was a close friend of Brendan's. She sang Mariah Carey's "Hero" because, as she said on stage prior to her song, "Brendan was my hero. This is my way of paying respect to him - to sing my heart out on his behalf, even though it's one of the hardest things I've ever done."

It was the tragic death of Brendan Grant during a Babe Ruth baseball game last June that has pulled the group back together.  While chasing a routine fly ball from his position in left field, Brendan collided with the center fielder and sustained fatal injuries from the impact. The Brendan Grant Foundation has been created in his memory to focus on three main initiatives - improvements to local athletic facilities, an ongoing scholarship fund to honor athletes who embody the spirit with which Brendan approached sports, and parent/child mentoring programs. 

Thanks to a large donation by former Red Sox outfielder Dante Bichette, several other fundraisers held since the summer and donations from people from around the world who heard of the tragedy, several of the Foundation's efforts are underway, including major improvements to the Belmont baseball field & scholarship awards.

The members of the original group are all in businesses other than show-biz these days. "But," says Rick Freeman, "not one of them hesitated for a moment when I asked them to do this show. We're all excited to help - and we're all excited to meet our `fans' again. We may all have a few gray hairs these days - but we still put on one great show!"

The Brendan Grant Foundation extends its most sincere thanks to all the members of the Great Pretenders and the Hot Spot Cabaret, recognizing the countless hours of rehearsing and preparation to prove that are still indeed "great" and "hot"!  In addition, appreciation is extended to the Boston Marriott Hotel/Copley Place who contributed space, and the cadre of volunteers who provided significant support with planning, ticket sales, and publicity.  Overall, the evening was a great success!