By: Mark Fitzgerald Delivering on his promise to stage the most energetic convention-closing party NAA has ever had, outgoing Chairman William Dean Singleton channeled the spirit of rock impresario Bill Graham with a show that featured three Boomer faves: The Four Tops, Three Dog Night, and a "surprise" band led by former Beach Boy Al Jardine.
Singleton, MediaNews Group Inc.'s CEO, knew his audience. With the opening chords of "California Girls," the dance floor quickly filled with publishers not normally associated with full-tilt boogie attitude. First on the floor by
E&P's reckoning: Wehco Media Inc. CEO and President Walter E. Hussman Jr. Astonishingly for one of these affairs, dancers outnumbered wallflowers, and just about everyone stayed until it ended, long after the downtown Seattle bars had closed up, with Three Dog Night belting out "Joy to the World."
"This is not your father's NAA convention party," said a beaming Singleton, who joined the Four Tops on stage for a few background vocals. In mid-concert, Singleton's successor as NAA chairman, Tony Ridder, presented him with a gold record showing his face and the words, "Outstanding Performance: William D. Singleton for Best Music Collection in Newspaper Association History."
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