Posted on 12/15/2012 12:21:10 PM PST by JoeProBono
This list represents the biggest and most popular doo-wop songs of all time, as determined by Billboard chart rankings. These are not necessarily the best doo-wop songs ever -- although they're classics all -- but they remain the most popular, the ones that have stuck with us through decades of changing trends and styles. 1. "At The Hop," Danny and the Juniors Singular 711 (11 November 1957) b/w "Sometimes" recorded October 1957, Philadelphia, PA
Originally conceived by the songwriter as "Do The Bop," no less an authority than Dick Clark convinced Danny and the Juniors to rename this song to take advantage of the record/sock hop craze (after all, Danny and the Juvenairs -- as they were known before their manager got to them -- were discovered at a hop). Modeled as a sort of doo-wop take on Jerry Lee Lewis' "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On," this went on to define an era where you could calypso and chicken. 2. "Duke Of Earl," Gene Chandler Vee-Jay 416 (13 January 1962) b/w "Kissin' In The Kitchen" recorded November 1961, New York, NY
Already dated when it was cut, perhaps, but time smooths out those edges in our memory, anyway, and Chandler's whole rep is based on this late-period doo-wop classic. The Dukays, Gene's group, turned their vocal "doo doo doo"s into "Duke"s, and Dukay Earl Edwards provided the finishing touch to the name. The result is a pledge of fidelity only matched in its era by Ben E. King's "Stand By Me." 3. "Blue Moon," The Marcels Colpix 186 (February 1961) b/w "Goodbye To Love" recorded 15 February 1961, New York, NY
Laid down in the last ten minutes of a recording session and done in one unbelievable take, this came about because the Marcel's producer wanted the group to combine the intro of one song, the Collegians' "Zoom Zoom Zoom," with the Rodgers-Hart standard "Heart And Soul." One problem: the band didn't know that song. But they did know another standard by the same team. The rest, as they say, is history. Murray the K made this one a smash, playing the acetate over and over before it was even turned into a record! 4. "The Lion Sleeps Tonight," The Tokens RCA Victor 47-7954 (September 1961) b/w "Tina" recorded 21 July 1961, New York, NY
One of the stranger anomalies in rock history, "Lion" began life as a spontaneous recorded outburst by a Zulu tribesman, morphed into a misinterpreted folk smash, found its way to a Noo Yawk doo-wop group, and eventually wound up in the hands of the Sam Cooke producing duo known as Hugo and Luigi, who added tympani, silly woodwinds, and an opera singer. You have to hear it to believe it. But you already have. 5. "Little Star," The Elegants Apt 25005 (June 1958) b/w "Getting Dizzy" recorded October 1957, New York, NY
Staten Island made its most enduring contribution to New York Italian-American doo-wop with these five teens, who adapted the words if not the actual melody of Mozart's "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" (itself an adaptation) to create one of the era's most breathlessly beautiful odes. Recast as a romantic idyll, it shot up the charts, but the Elegants, like many of their brethren, never found success again. 6. "Stay," Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs Herald 552 (October 1960) b/w "Do You Believe" recorded July 1960, New York, NY
Written way back in '53 by the composer of "Little Darlin'," this was one of the finer entries in doo-wop's latter-day Golden Era; if it sounds flat, that's because the producer wanted the vocals sung just that way so that Joe Average could hum it on the street. And that's just what happened. Matters may have been helped by the abbreviated length (1:36), as this remains the shortest ever Number One record. 7. "Little Darlin'," The Diamonds Mercury 71060 (February 1957) b/w "Faithful And True" recorded February 1957, Chicago, IL
When is a parody not a parody? This white quartet (Canadians, no less!) takes a lot of heat to this day for covering the (black) Gladiolas' original and then inserting a silly spoken-word bridge. But if it's just a joke, then why is it such an improvement, right down to those immortal opening castanets? Writer Maurice Williams went on to front the Zodiacs ("Stay") and the Diamonds went on to "The Stroll. 8. "16 Candles," The Crests Coed 506 (30 November 1958) b/w "Beside You" recorded 12 August 1958, New York, NY
A real crowd favorite, this sweet little number -- originally titled "21 Candles" but quickly changed once the teenage market started booming -- retained its popularity long enough to inspire a Eighties teen sex comedy. The Crests never had another big hit after this ode to the coming-of-age milestone, but leader Johnny Maestro went on to success with the Brooklyn Bridge ("Worst That Could Happen"), while writer Luther Dixon went on to pen hits for the Shirelles. 9. "There Goes My Baby," The Drifters Atlantic 2025 (May 1959) b/w "Oh My Love" recorded 6 March 1959, New York, NY
One of the strangest and yet most breathtaking productions in rock history, this number -- another important soul milestone, but more urbane and filled with Latin inflections and off-tune tympani -- caused Atlantic's Jerry Wexler to threaten to throw the master out the window. There's no denying the dizzying romantic swell of the orchestration, however, which would guide singer Ben E. King through his own solo career. 10. "Come Go With Me," The Del-Vikings Fee Bee 205 (December 1956), Dot 15538 (16 February 1957) b/w "How Can I Find True Love" recorded November 1956, Pittsburgh, PA
Another example of a hit that shouldn't have been; this integrated group of Air Force buddies recorded this classic, written by their bass vocalist, as the b-side. One of the rare doo-wop records from this era that incorporates the feel of a real rock and roll band, it led to two more hits -- rather, two more hits for members using the group name. (It's complicated.)
YUP....O well
Village People?
I saw "the Drifters" (one of a number of "Original Drifters" groups) perform "White Christmas" in Washington, DC in September, 1979. They exuded some early Yuletide cheer.
Wow, pretty influential for a song that couldn’t be played on the radio!
Doo-wop is a style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music that developed in African American communities in the 1940s and achieved mainstream popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. It emerged from New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Washington D.C and areas of greater Los Angeles including El Monte and Compton. Built upon vocal harmony, doo-wop was one of the most mainstream, pop-oriented R&B styles of the time.
As a musical genre, doo-wop is a type of vocal group harmony with the musical qualities of many vocal parts, nonsense syllables, a simple beat, sometimes little or no instrumentation, and simple music and lyrics. It is ensemble singing with single artists appearing with a backing group. Solo billing usually implies that the individual is more prominent in the musical arrangement
As far as I’m concerned, Elvis died when he went into the army. After he got out, the only stuff he produced was mostly sappy ballads and awful movies. I don’t know if Colonel Parker led him down that path or Elvis always wanted to go mainstream, but the total artistic worth of the crap he produced music-wise and movie-wise after he got out of the army doesn’t amount to one of the Elvis on velvet paintings.
If songs like "Work With Me, Annie" couldn't be played on the radio, there was nothing the FCC could do to keep them from being played on juke boxes. Both "Work With Me, Annie" and "Annie Had a Baby" rose to the top of the R & B charts in 1954.
Huzzah! You didn't forget El Monte!
Memories of El Monte--The Penguins (1963)
Thanks for the link. That sent me on a listening excursion that lasted most of the afternoon ;-)
Yup, that would have been the old analog channel TV 13. It was on for a short period of time unfortunately and began with a hokey looking rocket ship carboard cut out zooming across the screen.
Sound tracks of some of the period movies like
Bronx Tale are excellent too i.e. it has Nights in White Satin; Ten Commandments of Love; I only have eyes for you, and for your precious love amongst others on it.
The early songs on part of the Goodfellows sound track are excellent also: Sincerely, Rags to Riches, Speedo, Baby I love you amongst others.
And last and best: American Grafitti with too many to list.
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This great song qualifies as doo-wop.
Oo-Wee--The Interludes (1958)
My personal #1 of all time?
Donna The Prima Donna by Dion.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kI4olJiJEeE
Tell Me, Darling--The Gaylarks
This group is apparently from the Oakland, Calif. area. I have a 78 rpm version of this tune.
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