"Those Oldies But Goodies" - Little Ceasar & The Romans

Good morning peeps!!  "I love music...any kind of music"...so said The O'Jays. Well, the same goes for me! I was raised in a home that valued music as a form of entertainment and enjoyment. Some of my happiest memories from very early childhood include music as a back drop. My mother, Vergie, fancied herself as a singer and would always harmonize along with the Doo-Wop artists of her generation: The Clovers, The Heartbeats, Shep and The Limelight's, The Platters, The Dells, The Spaniels, The Five Keys, The Five Satins, The 5 Royales, Billy Ward and The Dominoes and The Drifters to name a few of her favorites. Then there were the various "bird name" groups: The Penguins, The Ravens, The Orioles, The Wrens, The Flamingos, The Crows, The Larks and so on. I can't forget the "car name" groups: The Cadillacs, The Edsels, and The Fleetwoods. So, what is "Doo-Wop?" A young friend of mine recently asked me this question upon learning about my preference for this type of music. Now, I thought it would be an easy enough question to answer until he offered examples of what he thought it was. His frame of reference only went back to the late sixties or early seventies, and his examples were groups like The Temptations, Stylistics, Delfonics and Whispers. I thought about his choices, then explained that although these groups sang in a style that was influenced by Doo-Wop, these are not really Doo-Wop groups. So, what is Doo-Wop?"

When the style of music we now call Doo-Wop was introduced to our culture, it was not called "Doo-Wop." This style of group harmonizing was originally sung by gospel groups and influenced by blues singers. These groups often sang "A Capella" which is an Italian term that means, "in the style of the chapel." However, it has taken on the meaning of singing without instrumental accompaniment. Credited as being an African-American vocal style that emerged from the streets of Northeastern and industrial Midwestern cities like New York, Pittsburgh, Chicago and Baltimore, this music was called "Rock and Roll" or "Rhythm and Blues." When performed by Black artists, it was also referred to as "race music." However, when the same songs were "covered" by Caucasian artists, it was called, "pop" or "mainstream" music.

One of the earliest groups to sing in the style that was later labeled "Doo-Wop" were The Ink Spots, who recorded a nifty tune called, "My Prayer" in 1939; a song which was later covered by The Platters. Rhythm and Blues groups usually consisted of anywhere from three to six members; singing in 3, 4 or even 5 part harmonies. Bass singers held exalted positions in Rhythm and Blues groups; (think Bill Pinkney singing bass on The Drifter's White Christmas) Okay, when did it become "Doo-Wop?"

The term "Doo-Wop" first appeared in 1961 at the height of a vocal harmony resurgence. The first hit record (don't quote me on this) to use the actual syllables "doo-wop" in the refrain was the 1955 hit, When You Dance" by The Turbans. Other songs using this particular set of syllables soon emerged including, In The Still Of The Night, by The Five Satins. This song incidentally, is often considered the greatest "Doo-Wop" song of all time by some loyalists. Now I am certain that there are other schools of thought regarding what constitutes "Doo-Wop" music, but this is my opinion, backed by some informal research and readings. Regardless of the origins of this music, it will always hold a most favorite place in my heart...and soul.