|
Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZDOO-WOPA cappella style developed by vocal groups in NYC streets c.1945-55; also to some extent in other big US cities, but most importantly in Harlem, Brooklyn and the Bronx, named after 'doo-waaah' device often used by backing singers. Teenagers sang on the corner for pleasure and to attract girls, influenced by the Ink Spots, Mills Bros, Delta Rhythm Boys, other 'race' stars; then they rehearsed on the corner, or in an alley or in a tenement hallway for the acoustics, hoping to get a chance to make a record. The typical group sang four-part ballad harmony, with a high tenor (often with a sweet falsetto), a mellower second tenor lead, a blending baritone and a bass. Deborah Chessler, a young white Baltimore woman who worked in a shoe store, wrote songs but couldn't get them sung the way she wanted them; then in September 1948 the Orioles, a black singing group, had a no. 1 hit in the Billboard black chart with her 'It's Too Soon To Know', which Greil Marcus describes in retrospect as the first rock'n'roll record. An uncountable number of doo-wop records were subsequently made; few of them made much money at the time, but they are collectors' items today. There were more 'bird' groups: the Crows, Penguins, Ravens, Wrens, Flamingos, Robins, Cardinals, Meadowlarks (satirist Stan Freberg wrote that 'Rankled record buyers complained that after a while these records molted'); others named after cars: the Cadillacs, Lincolns, Coupe De Villes, V-Eights; also the Chords and the Cleftones, the Valentines, Valentinos, Valtones, Velons, Velvets, Veneers, Versatiles, Vibraharps, Vibrations, Vocaleers and Vocaltones. Inevitably there was confusion over names: Velvetones in NYC and Chicago; Vibranairs in Baltimore and Vibranaires in Asbury Park. Among the best-loved who never had a hit big enough to reach the charts were the Harptones: the Skylarks '52 became the Harps, then the Harptones '53, when they first recorded; Willie Winfield, lead tenor; Nicky Clark, second lead and first tenor; Bill Dempsey, second tenor; Bill Galloway, baritone; Bill Brown, bass; pianist Raoul J. Cita could double as tenor or baritone. The Clovers had huge R&B hits 1951-9, the Platters were the first to have a no. 1 pop hit '55. The popular groups of the late 1950s-60s came out of the tradition: the Drifters, Four Tops, Temptations and the rest; see also Hank Ballard, Harvey Fuqua, Clyde McPhatter, Frankie Lyman. Relic Records had more than 80 doo-wop compilations available on vinyl albums in 1987; Street Corner Memories '87 on Ace celebrated the Italian-Americans, with tracks by the Orients, Vito and the Salutations etc; Doo Wop Box '94 on Rhino and Doo Wop Box 2 '96 are four-CD compilations; there are single CDs on Rhino, Ace, Specialty and Collectables. They All Sang On The Corner '83 by Philip Groia traces personnel changes in NYC groups; other books celebrate Chicago (Robert Pruter), Los Angeles (Steve Propes and Galen Gart); White And Still All Right is by Edward R. Engle, Doo Wop: The Forgotten Third Of Rock And Roll by Gribin and Schiff. |