Concert promoter sued over 1950s singers' cancellations

In the 1960s, Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits sang that he must be "into something good."

But Noone and 1950s teen heartthrobs Fabian and Bobby Rydell may have stumbled into something bad when they were caught in the crossfire between warring concert promoters.

In a lawsuit filed in State Supreme Court in Riverhead, West Islip promoter Robert Albanese said Noone and Fabian, under pressure from Manhattan promoter Dick Fox, canceled their appearances two years ago at a concert at Half Hollow Hills High School East in Dix Hills.

Albanese, president of LAR Enterprises, is demanding "reasonable monetary damages" from Fox in the suit filed last month. He also accuses Fox of scuttling an autograph session by Rydell last year at a New Jersey music festival.

Fox, who produces oldies shows at the NYCB Theatre at Westbury, formerly known as Westbury Music Fair, and manages Fabian and Rydell, declined to comment Thursday. Fox filed a defamation lawsuit earlier this year against Albanese in State Supreme Court in Manhattan.

Through spokespeople, the Westbury theater and Noone declined to comment. Fabian and Rydell could not be reached.

In court papers, Fox and Albanese each say the other is trying to put him out of business.

Fox forced Fabian and Noone to drop out of the Half Hollow Hills concert by threatening to dump the singers from future shows, including Noone's potential future appearances at Westbury, Albanese's attorneys, Michael Borrelli and Alexander Coleman of Carle Place, said in court papers.

When the high school show was canceled, Albanese did not make a planned $3,000 donation to the nonprofit Hills Foundation, which raises money for local educational programs, they said.

In addition to the donation, the Hills Foundation lost several thousand dollars in proceeds from concert program ads, said the group's former president, Bob Gordon of Dix Hills. Gordon said he used surplus from the previous year and additional fundraising to compensate for the loss.

"We plan these things a long time in advance, so when we have a shortfall we have a hard time making that up," he said.

A spokeswoman for the Half Hollow Hills School District declined to comment. Neither the foundation or the school district are involved in the suit.

Fox's suit says that LAR Enterprises' website posted e-mails from fans criticizing Fox's alleged attempt to block a breast cancer fundraiser in Connecticut sponsored by Jon "Bowser" Bauman of Sha Na Na.

In court papers, Albanese's attorneys said federal law protects website owners from responsibility for messages on their sites posted by visitors.