Doo Wop The acapella street corner sounds

Scenario:

1.  Elvis goes into the army.

2.  Chuck Barry gets arrested.

3.  Jerry Lee Lewis Scandal.

4.  Plane crash kills 3 big stars.

There was a big gap in music that needed filling.  New groups auditioned for a place in the music industry on the street corners.

Doo-wop: a distinctly American musical form that flourished in the 1950's, emerging from urban centers such as New York and Chicago. It's vital statistics? Groups comprised of four to five members, bass/baritone/tenor (or a first and second tenor) and lead, singing in three or four part harmony; frequent use of falsetto; predominance of "nonsense syllables"; dynamic bass parts; instrumentation subservient to vocals or nonexistent; simple but heavy backbeats and lyrical themes that espouse love and longing for "the one." It's pedigree? The vocal harmony groups of the 1940's, such as the Ink Spots and the Mills Bros., rhythm and blues, which incorporated elements of jazz and swing; country and gospel. Each of these individual cells would develop into the matrix called rock and roll, of which doo-wop is considered a part.

The "Rock 'n Roll Jubilee Ball," presented by legendary dee jay Alan Freed in 1955, featured acts the Clovers, Drifters, Harptones and Moonglows, a spectrum of talent that was representative as any of the musical trends of this dynamic period.

large view Dion and the Belmonts	The DelVikings	Johnny Maestro and the Brooklyn Bridge
Moonglows	The Bobbettes	large view The Cadillacs
large view The Five Satins--in the Still of the night	large view Little Anthony and the Imperials (Shimmy Shimmy Coco Pop)	Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers ( "Why Do Fools Fall In Love" )
large view The Penguins (Earth Angel)	large view The Platters (Only You" The Great Pretender" "My Prayer" "Twilight "Time "

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