NILES — A member of a nationally recognized R&B group is set to make an appearance at Thursday’s Niles Summer Concert Series.

Billy Shelton, founding member of doo-wop group The Spaniels, will sing a few songs with Past Time, the headlining band of the evening.

The Spaniels formed in the late 1940s in Gary, Indiana. They are best known for their 50s hits “Goodnite, Sweetheart, Goodnite” and “Baby It’s You.”

After disbanding in 1970, The Spaniels were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the New York UGHA Hall of Fame and the Boston Symphony Hall of Fame.

Now, a new group of musicians have taken over the group’s moniker and are known as The Spaniels Forever.

Shelton, a bass, is the only original member of the Spaniels to perform with the group.

“It’s really a big deal to have Billy there,” said Past Time drummer Jan Trapani. “He’s the real deal. He’s been in the music hall of fame several times. He’s record royalty.”

While Shelton will sing a few songs with Past Time, the strictly ‘50s and ‘60s cover band based in Bridgman will play for the majority of the 6 p.m. event.

Like Shelton to The Spaniels Forever, Past Time has its own personal connections to decades past. It originally formed in 2011 as a tribute band to ‘60s Benton Harbor rock band The Princetons, whom Trapini’s father was part of.

The group has since expanded past The Princeton’s discography, but it keeps its genre tight, Trapini said. She thinks the mood the genre elicits brings people to good times, simplicity and reminiscence.

“We just found that there is an affluent desire for this kind of music,” she said. “We have good crowds wherever we go.”

It is not the first time Past Time has performed for the concert series. Last Thursday, it was one of three bands to perform at the series’ Hometown Reunion, an event coinciding with the Fourth of July meant to bring people back to their hometown.

Trapini reunited with someone herself. She met with concert series organizer Caryn Adler, who worked with her at a hospital years ago.

The Past Time drummer said that the lineup, even without Shelton, will be different from last Thursday.

So, too, will be the nonprofits in attendance. Members of Tennessee-based organization Working Dogs for Vets and Western Michigan Gold Star Mothers will be collecting donations for their nonprofits.

Working Dogs for Vets seeks to match veterans with service dogs.

Western Michigan Gold Star Mothers is a nonprofit composed of mothers whose children have died or became missing in action while serving.

In May, the local Gold Star Mothers chapter raised $8,500 for Working Dogs for Vets through a fundraiser and a community walk.

 

Correction, 10:49 a.m., 7/10/19: A previous version of this article stated that Thursday’s Niles Summer Concert series starts at 7 p.m. It actually starts at 6 p.m. Changes have been made.