Paul Kasofsky

The Flamingos - loved by fans, revered by fellow singers and enshrined forever into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as eternal proof of it all. From the time he wrote and sang lead on "Lovers Never Say Goodbye", Terry Johnson , knew he had created something transcendent. With the release of Terry's arrangement of  "I Only Have Eyes for You" a year later, The Flamingos' reputation was cemented as the pre-eminent vocal group of their era. Rolling Stone Magazine even called them, "one of the, if not the, best" of the time. Billboard Magazine states "The Flamingos are hailed as one of the finest and most influential vocal groups in music history." The singles and the albums - totaling 9 national smash hits - all musically and vocally produced and some authored by Terry Johnson, just kept on coming,  and even though the original group splintered when Terry left in 1962, The Flamingos live on today with Johnson's new spotlight companions. "This has been viewed as one of the best shows we have ever offered our guests." by Tom Ducey, Asst. Director of Marketing, Atlantis Casino Resort Spa, Reno, NV.

A SCRATCH MADE IN HEAVEN

~Florida Lottery Teams with Doo-Wop Band The Flamingos
to Debut New Scratch-Off Game~

• TALLAHASSEE — The Florida Lottery is introducing a new Scratch-Off ticket in style through a campaign featuring Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Terry Johnson and the Flamingos’ world-famous  “I Only Have Eyes For You.”  The new $20 Scratch-Off game, $3,000,000 FLAMINGO FORTUNE, showcases the reimagined new Florida Lottery logo and debuts in a TV campaign that begins today.
• $3,000,000 FLAMINGO FORTUNE offers three top prizes of $3,000,000, 10 prizes of $100,000 and over $150,000,000 in total cash prizes. The commercial, which can be viewed by clicking here: Florida Lottery Ad, depicts a woman pulled from her grocery shopping routine into a dream sequence when she sees the new Scratch-Off game in a Lottery vending machine across the store.  She is serenaded by the Flamingos’ “I Only Have Eyes For You” as she is drawn to the Lottery vending machine.  The spot ends with everything around her snapping back to reality while she continues to slow-dance with the machine as shoppers pass her in the store.
• “In a case of good Lottery fortune, the Flamingos were excited to partner with the Florida Lottery on this new game,” said Florida Lottery Secretary Cynthia O’Connell. “As we continue our mission to deliver more winning moments, it’s serendipity that all these elements came together in a wonderful campaign and new game.”
• The spot, shot at a Sedano’s, a Florida Lottery retailer in Orlando, was created and produced by Jacksonville-based St. John & Partners. In addition to being featured in the TV campaign, Terry Johnson and the Flamingos will appear in a Florida Lottery sponsored live concert at The Villages, Florida, on March 9.
• “I Only Have Eyes For You” was first heard in 1934 in the Movie, “Dames.” However, it was not until 1958 when Terry Johnson and the Flamingos recorded it, that it became one of the biggest hits of the rock and roll era. The current members of the group who appear in the commercial are all full time Florida residents.
• “Rolling Stone” magazine ranked the Flamingos version as #157 of the 500 greatest songs of all time.
• Terry was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001; inducted into the Group Harmony Association Hall of Fame in 1992; inducted to the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2000; and 2003 Grammy Award Winner/Grammy Award Hall of Fame. Terry also received the Rhythm and Blues Pioneer award in 1996.
• “We are thrilled with this partnership,” said O'Connell. “The new game, campaign and extending it into a live performance for our players is the type of well-rounded promotion we hope to provide our customers.”
• The Florida Lottery offers more than 60 scratch-off games at any given time through vending machines and counter displays at more than 13,000 retailers statewide. Scratch-off games are an important part of the Lottery's portfolio of games, making up approximately 58 percent of ticket sales and generating more than $495 million for the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund (EETF) in fiscal year 2011-12.