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The name Doo-wop is given to 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 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, 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.^[1]

Origins[link]

The Chiffons with Joan Carrasco of The Earth Angels.

African-American vocal groups such as The Ink Spots and The Mills Brothers, both from Cincinnati, Ohio, had record hits during the years of the second world war that set important precedents for the genre. The Ink Spots had a string of record successes in 1939-40, both in the USA and in Britain, with "My Prayer", "Bless You" and "Whispering Grass" and The Mills Brothers followed suit in 1943-44 with "Paper Doll", "You Always Hurt The One You Love" and "Till Then".

These were generally slow songs in swing time with simple instrumentation and close four-part harmony reminiscent of the barbershop quartet - which The Mills Brothers once had been. The subject of the lyrics was generally love and relationships. Already a preference is heard for the typical chord progression I - vi - IV - V that had generated several American 1930s hits such as Rogers and Hart's "Blue Moon" (1934), Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields' 1936 "The Way You Look Tonight" and Hoagy Carmichael's "Heart and Soul" (1938), but would later become so closely associated with doo-wop that it is now sometimes referred to as the 50s progression. Early groups were more diverse musically, performing blues and jump blues.

Randy & The Rainbows at the Benedum Center, Pittsburgh

At this time singers would gather on street corners and in subways, generally in groups of three to six. Since instruments were little used, a cappella arrangements used wordless onomatopeia to mimic instruments; the bass singing "bom-bom-bom", a guitar rendered as "shang-a-lang" and brass riffs as "dooooo -wop-wop". "Count Every Star" by The Ravens (1950), for instance, includes vocalizations imitating the "doomph, doomph" plucking of a double bass. This art goes back to The Mills Brothers, who had first come to fame in the 1930s with their mimicking of instrumental music. Radio, gramophone and cinema inspired imitation in many cities of the U.S. The late 1940s and early 1950s brought the so-called "bird groups"; The Swallows, the Ravens, The Orioles, The Penguins, The Crows, The Flamingos and The Larks. A number of band names are also drawn from cars (The Edsels, The Cadillacs, The Fleetwoods, The Impalas, and Little Anthony & The Imperials). The Orioles helped develop the doo-wop sound with their hits "It's Too Soon to Know" (1948) and "Crying in the Chapel" (1953). Doo-wop scored 1951 R&B chart hits such as "Sixty Minute Man" by Billy Ward and His Dominoes, "Where Are You?" by The Mello-Moods, "The Glory of Love" by The Five Keys, "Shouldn't I Know" by The Cardinals, "I Will Wait" by the Four Buddies, and "Will You Be Mine" by The Swallows.

The Doo-wop years[link]

The term "doo-wop" is first known to have appeared in print in 1961 in the Chicago Defender, when fans of the music coined the term during the height of a vocal harmony resurgence.^[2] The phrase has been attributed to the radio disc jockey Gus Gossert but Gossert himself said that "doo-wop(p) was already being used [before me] to categorize the music in California."^[3]

There is general acknowledgement that the first hit record to use the syllables "doo-wop" in the refrain was the 1955 hit, "When You Dance" by The Turbans (Herald Records H-458).^[4] Previously the scat backing vocal "doo-wop" can be heard in The Clovers' 1953 release "Good Lovin'" (Atlantic Records 1000) and in the chorus of Carlyle Dundee & The Dundees' 1954 song "Never" (Space Records 201). The 1955 song "Mary Lee" by The Rainbows on Red Robin Records, a Washington DC regional hit on Pilgrim 703, contains the background "do wop de wadda": the 1956 song "In the Still of the Night" by The Five Satins features a plaintive "doo-wop, doo-wah" refrain in the bridge. After some time, the term "doo-wop" finally caught on as a description and category for R&B vocal group harmony. The definition expanded backward to include rhythm and blues groups from the mid-1950s and then even further back to include groups from the early 1950s and even the 1940s.

The Cleftones during their participation in the doo wop festival celebrated in May 2010 at the Benedum Center.

Doo-wop songs had fast beats as frequently as slow ones. In 1954 doo-wop groups played a significant role in ushering in the rock and roll era when two big rhythm and blues hits by vocal harmony groups, "Gee" by The Crows and "Sh-Boom" by The Chords crossed over onto the pop music charts. Quickly other R&B vocal groups entered the pop charts, particularly in 1955, which saw such cross-over doowop hits as "Sincerely" by The Moonglows, "Earth Angel" by The Penguins, and "Only You" by The Platters and The Turbans' "When You Dance" became the first hit to use the "doo-wop" syllables. The same year saw a number one pop chart hit, "The Great Pretender" by The Platters. In 1956 Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers appeared on the Frankie Laine show in New York, which was televised nationally, performing their hit "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?". Frankie Laine referred to it as "rock and roll" but Lymon's extreme youth made the style appeal to a young and enthusiastic audience. His string of hits included "I Promise To Remember", "The ABCs of Love" and "I'm not a Juvenile Delinquent". In 1958 "Book of Love" by The Monotones became an icon of the style.

The Quotations live in concert at the Benedum Center, Pennsylvania

The contribution of Hispanics to these groups is often overlooked. In the early development of doo-wop, especially in U.S. East Coast cities, Puerto Ricans were the lead singers in some groups with black and white members; such groups included The Crests, Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, the Five Discs and the Tune Weavers.^[5] "Racially integrated" groups with both black and white performers included The Del-Vikings, who hit big in 1957 with "Come Go With Me" and "Whispering Bells" and The Crests whose "The Angels Listened In" appeared in 1960. All-white doo-wop groups were also appearing; The Mello-Kings' 1956 "Tonight, Tonight" and The Diamonds' chart-topping "Little Darlin'" in 1957, The Skyliners' 1959 "Since I Don't Have You" and 1960 "This I Swear", The Tokens' 1961 "Tonight I Fell In Love" and "I Love My Baby" all saw success.

1958 also saw the rise of Italian American doo-wop groups. Like African-Americans, the Italians generally attended churches which gave them much singing experience. By the late 1950s, Italian street corner doo-wop groups were seen in urban cities like New York, especially the Bronx and Brooklyn. Some of the Italian groups who had national chart hits included Dion and the Belmonts in 1958 with "I Wonder Why", The Capris with "There's A Moon Out Tonight" in 1960, The Demensions, The Elegants, The Mystics, The Duprees, Vito & the Salutations, The Gaylords, Johnny Maestro, and The Del-Satins. Other Italian groups included Randy & the Rainbows, who charted with their 1963 hit single "Denise".

1961 might have been the peak of doo-wop, with hits that include The Marcels' "Blue Moon". There was a revival of the nonsense-syllable form of doo-wop in the early 1960s, with popular records by The Marcels, The Rivingtons, and Vito & the Salutations. A few years later, the genre had reached the self-referential stage, with songs about the singers ("Mr. Bass Man" by Johnny Cymbal) and the songwriters ("Who Put the Bomp?" by Barry Mann) in 1961. Other important groups including The Coasters, The Drifters, The Midnighters, and The Platters, helped link the doo-wop style back into the mainstream and the future sound of soul music. It can be heard in the music of The Miracles, particularly in their early hits such as "Got A Job" (an answer song to "Get a Job"), "Bad Girl", "Who's Loving You", "(You Can) Depend on Me", and "Ooo Baby Baby".Also, in the early days of The Famous Flames, led by James Brown, the group recorded several Doo-Wop hits, including "Please, Please, Please", "Try Me", "Bewildered", "Oh Baby Don't You Weep" and their hit cover of The "5" Royales' "Think" .

Doo-wop's influence continued in soul, pop, and rock groups of the '60s, in The Four Seasons and in various girl groups of the '60s. In vocal surf music, like that of Jan and Dean and of the Beach Boys, the influence^[2] was heard in such hits as "Surfer Girl" and "Surfin'"^[6] before it regressed towards less sophisticated pop and psychedelic rock songs with less complex, "modern" and "experimental" anti-vocal harmonies.^[6][7]

Revivals[link]

Kathy Young with The Earth Angels performing Kathy's hit A Thousand Stars during the festival of this genre celebrated at the Benedum Center for the performing arts in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in May 2010

The genre has seen revivals at various points in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. Its main artists are concentrated in urban areas (New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, Newark, Los Angeles, and others). Revival shows on TV and boxed CD sets (ex. DooWop Box 1–3) have kept people's interest in the music. In December 1968, Frank Zappa's band The Mothers of Invention released a doo-wop parody/tribute album called Cruising with Ruben & the Jets. An early notable revival of "pure" doo-wop occurred when Sha Na Na appeared at the Woodstock Festival.

Groups have done remakes of doo-wops with great success over the years. Part of the regional beach music or shag music scene, centered in the Carolinas and surrounding states, includes both the original classic recordings and numerous remakes over the years. Britain also made a notable contribution in the mid-late 1970s with the group Darts, who successfully (and with some authenticity) revived revered doo-wop standards such as "Daddy Cool", "Come Back My Love" and "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart".

Other artists have had doo-wop or doo-wop-influenced hits in later years, such as Led Zeppelin's 1973 song "D'yer Mak'er", David Bowie's 1973 hit "Drive-In Saturday", Billy Joel's 1984 hit, "The Longest Time". Punk bands like the Misfits, The Ramones, and The Riverdales also included a healthy amount of doo-wop in their songs. The last known doo-wop hit was "It's Alright" by Huey Lewis and the News, which reached number 6 on the U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary chart in June 1993. "Someone," a B-side from the 2002 Red Hot Chili Peppers' album By The Way is an example of the doo-wop style in the 2000s. In fact, much of the album was noted to contain some doo-wop style. Another song from the By The Way sessions to feature a doo-wop influence was a cover for "Teenager In Love," originally recorded by Dion and The Belmonts. Mr. Bungle also displayed doo-wop influences on their final album, California, particularly on the song Vanity Fair.

Doo-wop is popular among barbershoppers and collegiate a cappella groups due to its easy adaptation to an all-vocal form. Doo-wop, at the turn of the century, experienced a resurgence in popularity, with PBS's doo-wop concert programs: Doo Wop 50, Doo Wop 51, and Rock, Rhythm, and Doo Wop. These programs brought back together, live on stage, some of the better known doo-wop groups of the past. In addition to The Earth Angels, doo-wop acts in vogue in the second decade of the 21st century range from The Four Quarters^[8] to Street Corner Renaissance.^[9] The ultimate longevity of doo-wop has been disputed.^[10][11]

See also[link]

	African American portal
	Music portal

• List of doo-wop musicians
• Scat singing
• Vocalese
• 50s progression

References[link]

Bibliography[link]

• Baptista, Todd R (1996). Group Harmony: Behind the Rhythm and Blues. New Bedford, MA: TRB Enterprises. ISBN 0-9631722-5-5.
• Baptista, Todd R (2000). Group Harmony: Echoes of the Rhythm and Blues Era. New Bedford, MA: TRB Enterprises. ISBN 0-9706852-0-3.
• Cummings, Tony (1975). The Sound of Philadelphia. London: Eyre Methuen.
• Engel, Ed (1977). White and Still All Right. Scarsdale, NY: Crackerjack Press.
• Goosman, Stuart L (2005). Group Harmony: The Black Urban Roots of Rhythm and Blues. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania. ISBN 0-8122-3886-9.
• Gribin, Anthony J., and Matthew M. Shiff (1992). Doo-Wop: The Forgotten Third of Rock 'n. Roll. Iola, WI: Krause Publications.
• Gribin, Anthony J., and Matthew M. Shiff (2000). The Complete Book of Doo-Wop. Iola, WI: Krause Publications.
• Groia, Phil (1983). They All Sang on the Corner. West Hempstead, NY: Phillie Dee Enterprises.
• Keyes, Johnny (1987). Du-Wop. Chicago: Vesti Press.
• Lepri, Paul (1977). The New Haven Sound 1946-1976. New Haven, CT: [self published].
• McCutcheon, Lynn Ellis (1971). Rhythm and Blues. Arlington, VA.
• Pruter, Robert (1996). Doowop: the Chicago Scene. Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0-252-02208-4.
• Rosalsky, Mitch (2000). Encyclopedia of Rhythm & Blues and Doo Wop Vocal Groups. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow.
• Warner, Jay (1992). The Da Capo Book of American Singing Groups. New York: Da Capo Press.

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2010)

The Five Satins
Fred Parris in 2007
Background information
Origin	New Haven, Connecticut, United States
Genres	Doo-wop
Years active	1954–present
Website	http://www.fivesatins.net
Members
Fred Parris Richie Freeman Eugene Dobbs Nadina Perry
Past members
Lou Peebles Larry DiSalvi Stanley Dortch Ed Martin Jim Freeman Al Denby Tommy Killebrew Jessie Murphy Bill Baker Sylvester Hopkins Wes Forbes Corky Rogers Jimmy Curtis Nate Marshall

The Five Satins are an American doo-wop group, best known for their 1956 million-selling song, "In the Still of the Night."

Career[link]

The group, formed in New Haven, Connecticut, consisted of leader Fred Parris, Lou Peebles, Stanley Dortch, Ed Martin and Jim Freeman in 1954. With little success, the group reorganized, with Dortch and Peebles leaving, and new member Al Denby entering. The group then recorded "In the Still of the Night", which was originally released as the b-side to the single, "The Jones Girl". The single was initially issued on the tiny local "Standord" label and after some local Connecticut sales, it was released the following year on the New York label "Ember", and "In the Still of the Night" ended up charting at number three on the R&B chart and number 25 on the pop charts. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc.^[1] Parris entered the Army soon after, and the group reorganized again, with Martin, Freeman, Tommy Killebrew, Jessie Murphy and new lead Bill Baker. This lineup hit with another highly successful song, Billy Dawn Smith's "To the Aisle".

Upon Parris' return from the Army, a new lineup was assembled, consisting of Parris, Lou Peebles (who was in a previous incarnation of the Five Satins), Sylvester Hopkins, Richie Freeman and Wes Forbes. The group would be briefly known as "Fred Parris and the Scarlets", until the Baker-led group split up. At this point, they reverted to the Five Satins name, but had little success on the charts.

By the early 1970s the group was Parris, Peebles, Richie Freeman, Jimmy Curtis and Corky Rogers, and they continued recording into the 1980s, with Parris, Richie Freeman, Curtis and Nate Marshall. Meanwhile, Bill Baker started his own Five Satins group in 1981, with former Satin Sylvester Hopkins and Hopkins' brothers Arthur "Count" Hopkins, Sr. and Frank. By the late 1980s, this group consisted of Baker, Harvey Potts, Jr., Anthony Hofler and Octavio DeLeon. In 1990, the group was joined by Jimmie Wilson stepping into the first tenor position for Don Simpson.

Fred Parris and Richie Freeman continue to perform. Bill Baker died in 1994.^[2]

Awards and recognition[link]

In 2003, the Five Satins were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.

Present day[link]

Satins - Freeman, Perry and Dobbs.

One of the original members of the Five Satins now works in the cafeteria at the University of New Haven. Jim Freeman lives in Norwalk, Iowa and owns a pest control company. Wes Forbes is a psychologist in the State of California, currently employed with Alliant International University as a Training Director. Richie Freeman is the house sound engineer at NY's famed Iridium jazz club.

Fred Parris and Richie Freeman are still actively performing occasionally with the Five Satins. The lineup now also includes Eugene Dobbs, originally the lead singer and founder of Nu-Cullers^[3] and Nadina Perry.

They are supported by musicians Pat Marafiote (keyboards), Jerry Langley (bass) and James Moore (drums).

The group performs regularly throughout the Northeast and they continue to actively record new material.

References[link]

External links[link]

• 'The Five Satins' Vocal Group Hall of Fame Page
• Bill Baker gravesite
• Tom Simon's article on The Five Satins

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (April 2011)

Earl Lewis is Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs^[1] and the Asa Griggs Candler Professor of History and African American Studies at Emory University. He is the university's first African American provost and the highest ranking African American administrator in the university's history.

Early career[link]

Before joining the Emory faculty in July 2004, Lewis served as dean of the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies and vice provost for academic affairs/graduate studies at the University of Michigan. He was director of the Center for Afro-American and African Studies and also the Elsa Barkley Brown and Robin D.G. Kelley Collegiate Professor of History and African American and African Studies. From 1984 to 1989 he was on the faculty in the department of African American Studies at the University of California, Berkeley.

Published work[link]

Lewis, trained in history and psychology, earned his Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota in 1984. He is author and coeditor of seven books, among them In Their Own Interests: Race, Class and Power in 20th Century Norfolk (University of California Press, 1993) and the award-winning To Make Our World Anew: A History of African Americans (Oxford University Press, 2000). Between 1997 and 2000 he coedited the eleven-volume Young Oxford History of African Americans. Lewis coauthored Love on Trial: An American Scandal in Black and White, published in 2001 by WW Norton. His most recent books are The African American Urban Experience: Perspectives from the Colonial Period to the Present, coedited and published with Palgrave (2004), and the cowritten Defending Diversity: Affirmative Action at the University of Michigan, published by the University of Michigan Press (2004).

Other published material[link]

Lewis has also written essays, articles, and reviews on different aspects of American and African American history that have appeared in many academic journals.

Positions currently and formerly held[link]

He is a current or past member of a number of editorial boards and boards of directors, including the Graduate Record Exam, Southern Spaces, and the American Council of Learned Societies. He is the past chair of the board of directors of The Council of Graduate Schools and is National Chair of the Woodrow Wilson Foundation's Responsive Ph.D. Project. Lewis’s research and projects have been funded by the Rockefeller, Ford, Mellon, and National Science foundations.

Awards[link]

In 1999, Lewis was a recipient of Michigan's Harold R. Johnson Diversity Service Award.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Biography at Emory University Department of History

The Chantels (not to be confused with the reggae group The Chantells) were the second African-American girl group to have nationwide success in the United States, preceded by The Bobbettes. The group was established in the early 1950s and attended St. Anthony of Padua school in The Bronx. The original five members consisted of Arlene Smith (lead), Sonia Goring, Rene Minus, Jackie Landry Jackson and Lois Harris. They derived their name from that of a rival school, St. Frances de Chantal.

Career[link]

The Chantels by 1957, then in high school, had been a group for seven years. Unlike some black groups of their time, the quintet was under the influences of classical music and Latin hymns.^[1] The lead singer, Arlene Smith, had received classical training and performed at Carnegie Hall at age twelve.^[1] Smith provided the group with both lyrics and music.^[1] The girls were discovered by Richard Barrett, lead singer of The Valentines, and by summer 1957 signed to End Records, owned by George Goldner.^[1] Their first single was "He's Gone" (Pop #71) in August 1957, written by Arlene Smith.^[1] Released in December 1957, their second single, "Maybe" was a hit (#15 Billboard Hot 100; #2 R & B chart) in January 1958. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc.^[2] Following releases were less successful but End did release an album originally titled We Are The Chantels. The original cover had a picture of the group. The album was soon withdrawn and repackaged with a picture of two white teenagers picking out a song; the title was shortend to The Chantels.^[3]

The group was dropped by End in 1959, and Arlene Smith decided to embark upon a solo career. Harris left to pursue a college education. That year, Chantels singles led by Richard Barrett were released on the End subsidiary of Gone. In 1960, Annette Smith (no relation) replaced Arlene Smith. Narrowed down to a quartet, the group moved on to Carlton Records where they had their second huge hit with "Look in My Eyes" (#14 pop, #6 R&B). Other releases on Carlton didn't do as well. One of them was "Well I Told You," a response to Ray Charles's "Hit the Road, Jack.^[1] A Carlton album was released in 1962 titled The Chantels on Tour but featured no live recordings whatsoever and only seven of the tracks were recorded by the actual group. The other three tracks were by Gus Backus, Chris Montez, and Little Anthony & The Imperials.^[4][5] To cash in on "Look in My Eyes", End pulled together an album titled There's Our Song Again, a compilation of previously recorded material.^[3]

The Chantels switched record labels a few more times. Personnel changed throughout the rest of the 1960s. Arlene Smith fronted a new group of Chantels in the 1970s which featured up and coming disco diva Carol Douglas for oldies shows and continues to perform. The remaining original Chantels reformed as well and hired Noemi (Ami) Ortiz as their new lead singer. On the PBS special Doo Wop 50, Smith reunited with the surviving original members of the Chantels and dedicated "Maybe" to Jackie Landry, who died in 1997.

The Chantels were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2002. In 2001, they made the final ballot for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,^[6] but did not get enough votes for induction. Despite continued appearances since then on Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ballots by 1950s doo-wop groups, the Chantels did not get enough votes to reach any subsequent ballot until September 2009, when it was revealed that they were one of twelve nominees to be inducted to the Hall in 2010.

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

Singles[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official site
• The Chantels
• 'The Chantels' Vocal Group Hall of Fame Page
• History of Rock page on The Chantels

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The Capris are an Italian-American Doo Wop group originating in the Ozone Park section of Queens, New York in the late 1950s.

Biography[link]

The group originated in Ozone Park, Queens in 1957 when they were teenagers.^[1] The original members were Rosario Morice (aka Sonny Boy, Lead), though he left the group before recording he has always been recognized by the group when attending a performance. Nick Santamaria (aka Nick Santo, lead), Mike Mincieli (first tenor), Frank Reina (second tenor), Vinnie Naccarato,(baritone), and John Cassese (bass). They were all around 15 years of age at the time and still in school. Rosario, Vinnie, Mike, Tony, and John all went to John Adams High School, while Nick was a student at Woodrow Wilson and Frank attended Franklin K. Lane. Mike Mincieli, started the group and recruited the members. In the spring/summer of 1958 the final member was recruited and really got things together. They originally called themselves "the Supremes" but soon changed to "The Capris." It is often thought their name came from the island of Capri, since the boys were all Italian, but Nick confirmed in a 1993 interview with Greg Milewski, that they named themselves after the 1957 Lincoln Capri.

By 1958 the group had started gaining experience and popularity by performing at local venues, school dances and churches. They attracted the attention of independent record producers. Soon they would record their first single.

Career[link]

Their break came when they responded to an ad placed in a local paper by two wanna-be producers. At the audition, they sang a ballad, "There's A Moon Out Tonight" (words and music by Joseph Luccisano, Alfonso Gentile & Alfred Striano) and soon they found themselves at Bell Sound Studios New York cutting the song, along with an uptempo number, "Indian Girl." Released on Planet Records in the autumn of 1958, the record became an almost instant obscurity. (An original Planet pressing of the single can now fetch up to $1500 in collectors circles.) "There's A Moon Out Tonight" has a unique ending, chiming down from falsetto to bass instead of the other way around. Each Capri sings the tune's title in turn, but slightly lower (and slower) than the preceding member. Along with that song, they only recorded one other song, entitled “Indian Girl,” on the flip side.

An obsessive record collector named Jerry Greene (later the owner of the reissue label Collectables) was working at Times Square Record Shop (a legendary purveyor of records located in the heart of Times Square, Broadway and 42nd Street), not for money, but in exchange for hard-to-get records. Under the wise ownership of Irving "Slim" Rose, the subway arcade shop influenced radio play and record sales nationwide in the early sixties. Since the doo-wop sound was still current in New York City in the early sixties, it was possible for some 45s specifically reissued at Slim's behest to receive much wider airplay, as new singles, since they were not national hits (or, in many cases, even known) on first release. "There's a Moon Out Tonight," The Shells' "Baby Oh Baby," the Chanters' "No, No, No," and, notably, the Edsels' doo wop classic, "Rama Lama Ding Dong," all began their long ascent of the national charts from that lowly subway arcade.

In 1960 a customer brought in a copy of "There's a Moon Out Tonight" for credit against more expensive records in the store. This was a unique practice Jerry had devised to get collectors to bring in hard-to-find records so he could resell them. Greene gave the customer a $50 credit for the Capris single and brought it to DJ Allen Fredericks to be aired on his "Night Train" radio show.

The young entrepreneur saw a good thing evolving and with three other collectors chipped in and bought 100 copies from the defunct Planet label and sold them to Irving "Slim" Rose for a tidy profit. They sold out in about a week and Jerry repeated the buy-and-sell formula. When he returned to Planet for a third try the owner told him all the records were gone but he'd sell Jerry's cartel the masters for $200. The investing collectors bought the masters but passed up purchasing the publishing rights for $10 more, because they felt they'd spent all they could — in retrospect, not a good move. Jerry then reissued it under Lost Nite Records, a label that he and his pals had formed in 1960.

Original Lost Nite Label - 1961

He pressed 330 copies on red plastic vinyl and gave out a few to local disc jockeys. Within a week the record was on the air and more orders were coming in than the fledgling label could handle. When Jerry saw that the record was getting too big for his little operation, he turned it over to Hy Weiss at Old Town Records for distribution.

Old Town Label - 1961

After that one release, the group disbanded. They all got regular day jobs, Mike got married, and the leader, Nick, enlisted in the army.

In July 1960 (almost two years after The Capris originally recorded "There's a Moon Out Tonight"), Nick returned from the army. He received a call from an old friend, who informed him that the song had been playing all over the radio. He and the other group members got wind of their new release. Mike, now driving a bus, came home just in time to get a call from Nick exclaiming that the record was on a New York radio station.

Their song "There's a Moon Out Tonight" ended up in the hands of Murray the K at WINS. He had a show called “Rate the Record.” On the show there were five records going up against each other, one of them being “There’s a Moon Out Tonight” by The Capris. The Capris won one night and came in second to “Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” which was a major hit by The Shirelles. The Capris had all quit their jobs and reunited. A week later they were at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, then at the Brooklyn Paramount, The Regal in Roanoke, Virginia. They were all over the place and were on the rise. No one believed the song could be a hit on Lost Nite, but when Old Town got involved, the record hit the charts in the first week of 1961, and stayed there for 14 weeks. When it stopped climbing the charts, it had peaked at #3. This was the highest ranking an Old Town record would ever achieve. On January 13, 1961, they appeared on Dick Clark's American Bandstand in Philadelphia.

The group now re-formed and Hy Weiss, not wanting to lose track of his budding stars, assigned a manager named Charles Merenstein to work with them. (Actually Merensteids duties were more like a baby-sitter's; his real profession up to that time had been a job as a pretzel salesman). By February 27, "Moon" was the number three record in the country, displacing The Shirelles' hold on that same number on the previous week. For all its airplay, however, the song is reported to have sold only about 160,000 copies during its chart run. Since then it's sold three to four times that.

Hot on the heels of "Moon," the group released their recording of "Where I Fell In Love," on Old Town Records. A ballad that received some air play but didn't make the charts.

The group then released another original ballad in the late spring, "Tears in My Eyes," that never charted. In September, they tried again with "Girl in My Dreams," a ballad that spent one week nationally at number 92 before failing. The group continued to work, even doing a 1961 behind-the-curtain backup for Dion on a Clay Cole TV appearance.

On April 1, 1961, the group appeared in "The Easter Parade of Stars" with Clay Cole and Murray the K, at the Brooklyn Paramount Theatre. Other performers were: Dion, Chubby Checker, Ben E. King, the Shirelles, Bobby Rydell, Carla Thomas, Bobby Vee, Johnny Burnette, Jimmy Clanton, Maxine Brown, Freddy Cannon, the Marcels, Rosie, Del Shannon, Little Anthony & the Imperials, the Isley Brothers, the Olympics, Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs, Frank Gari, Andy Rose, Johnny Tillotson, Johnny Mathis, Chuck Jackson, the Landon Sisters, Bobby Bongard.

By 1962, The Capris had signed to Mr. McPeeke Records and tried to capitalize on the limbo craze with their first up-tempo, A-side, "Limbo." It lasted one week at number 99 and was the last Capris chart record. It was also their last new record for the next 20 years. In the fall of 1962, Chubby Checker recorded "Limbo Rock," which reached #2 on the national charts, becoming Checker's last Top Ten hit, and eclipsing the Capris version.

On September 8, 1962, the group appeared on "Murray the K's Golden Gasser Show of Stars," at the Brooklyn Fox Theatre which featured The Shirelles, Chuck Jackson, the Four Seasons, the Ronettes, Bobby Vinton, Mike Clifford, the Marvelettes, the Del-Satins, Tony Orlando, Little Eva, the Dovells, the Thornton Sisters, Tommy Roe, the Majors, and Fabian.

In 1962 Nick left the group to try to make it on his own. That never worked out so he became a New York cop. Frank took over lead as the group toured with New York disk jockey Clay Cole in "Clay Cole's Twist-A-Rama Revue" with the Ronettes and Lou Dana & The Furys. Later, the Ronettes were replaced by The Delicates.

Clay Cole's Twist-A-Rama
The Capris with the Ronettes

Clay Cole's Twist-A-Rama - 1963
The Capris with the Ronettes

As part of the show, The Capris performed their upcoming recording of the "Limbo," with members of the audience joining in to duck under the limbo pole. They performed the "Limbo" for the next fifteen years as part of their act, with Frank challenging members from the audience to come up and do better than him. He had to give it up when his knees gave in.

Limbo - Mr. Peeke Records

In 1962, while Nick was gone, the group recorded the “Limbo” on Mr. Peeke Records. The Limbo was a popular form of contradancing that originated on the island of Trinidad and which was originally just a dance set to music, but they now added their own lyrics to it. They had previously performed this dance in their club acts.

Palisades Amusement Park -1962
Vinnie and John perform the "Limbo Rock" on the free act stage

By 1965, Vinnie (d. 30 December 2008) and John had left the group. To replace them, in 1966, they recruited John Apostle (d. 24 December 2003) to sing bass. For the next three years, the group performed in various local clubs, and since they were only a three member vocal group, hired various local backup musicians to work with them.

In May, 1969, John Apostle, wanting to have a more stable and permanent show group, approached Bill Chefalas, the lead singer and bass player of The Carasels, a New York City area, top-40, show group—formed in 1965—and asked him if he would be interested in combining groups, and thus, the Capris became a seven member, self-contained show group. They now consisted of Frank Reina (Lead Singer), Mike Mincieli (First Tenor), John Apostle (Bass), Bill Chefalas (Falsetto, Bass Guitar, Music and Show Arranger), Al Dimone (Second Tenor, Guitar), Mickey Henry (Keyboard), Johnny Harris (Drums). Before playing bass guitar, Chefalas received formal piano training, studied drums with Louie Belson, and played with various jazz groups. He sang backup falsetto on many recordings by Help Truth and the Portraits and was formerly the lead singer and bass player with The Resounders. The group now again had five vocalists that could cover the range of the original founding group, of which, two of them were also musicians.

The Capris - 1969[link]

Top R to L: Al Diaz, Mickey Henry, Johnny Harris; Center L to R: John Apostle, Bill Chefalas; Bott. L to R: Mike Mincieli, Frankie Reina

The newly formed group rehearsed for a few months and on July 10, 1969, recorded the “Freedom Medley” at Town Sound Studios in Englewood, NJ. The recording was a combination of “People Gotta Be Free” and “Abraham, Martin and John” and was produced and arranged by Chefalas. To this day, it was the only studio recording the Capris ever made that used a full orchestra, including violins. It was submitted to six record companies but never picked up. The recording they were told, did not have the "oldie" sound and was too contemporary. On September 6, 1969, the new Capris, ready to go on the road, performed their first night club act at the Quiet Village in Levittown, NY. From then on, all the club shows were arranged and scored by Chefalas.

In the early 1970s there was a renewed interest in America for oldies music from the 1950s. You can thank “American Graffiti” and the TV show “Happy Days” for helping the revival thrive. And with this increased interest came a desire for fans from the sock hop era to see their heroes in concert one more time and for new fans to discover what all of the fuss was about. Soon, a series of “rock and roll revival” concerts were held in New York City, and on November 29, 1969, The Capris were the opening act at Richard Nader’s Rock & Roll Revival, Volume II, at Madison Square Garden’s Felt Forum, which headlined Jackie Wilson, and Bill Haley and the Comets. Nader died on December 9, 2009.

Album Cover - Recorded Live

Mirasound, in an unusual recording session, went to Madison Square Garden armed with telephone lines and microphones that connected directly to their 57th Street Studio’s main board, and recorded the show, which became part of Buddha’s rock and roll revival series.

Rock & Roll Revival-Volume II 1969
Program Cover with Ticket Stub

In March, 1970, Mickey Henry, the keyboard player left the group and was not replaced. In December 1970, Andy Katchianos replaced Johnny Harris (d, December 1972) on the drums.

For the next eleven years, the group continued to perform over four hundred shows in numerous night clubs, concerts, and private affairs in and around the tri-state area and along the east coast. On June 2, 1972, the group performed at Richard Nader’s Rock & Roll Spectacular, Volume VIII, at Madison Square Garden, which headlined Fats Domino, Bo Diddley, Chubby Checker, and a surprise appearance by Little Richard. The show was recorded and released as “Live at Madison Square Garden 1972.” That performance, which was reportedly released two different ways—the original Warner Bros. LP was heavily sweetened in the studio, where the subsequent reissues were made from untouched tapes from the original show.

Andy Katchianos was replaced by Al “Baby Al” Puglisi on drums in 1975. In 1976, Al left to join Tommy James and the Shondells and was replaced by Tony Danno on drums. In 1982, Danno switched places and became baritone singer with The Capris and consequently left the group in 1985 to join Lenny Coco and the Chimes. He now sings with The Manhattan Skyline. Tony was the original drummer for Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes and played on many of their albums.

In 1976, Tom Ferrara, who had been an original member of the Del Satins (Teardrops Follow Me), which had become Johnny Maestro (d, March 24, 2010) & The Brooklyn Bridge, replaced John Apostle. Tom's brother Fred, was also a member if the Del Satins and went on as a member of the Brooklyn Bridge. Apostle died December 24, 2003. John was well known in the entertainment industry, with more than 25 years of experience as a performer, booking agent, personal manager, concert promoter, theatrical producer and publisher. In 1972, he formed Banner Talent Associates, through which he represented artists such as Gary U.S. Bonds, The Brooklyn Bridge, The Five Satins, The Belmonts, The Capris, Chubby Checker and The Drifters. He managed the careers of The Brooklyn Bridge, The Belmonts, The Dovells, The Crystals, Bullet, Jay and The Americans, Tommy James and The Shondells, and Wild Cherry. Apostle had promoted concerts at Madison Square Garden, Nassau Coliseum and various other venues in the New York metropolitan area.

The group appeared as a closing act at many New Year's Eve celebrations at the Colonie Hill Resort in Hauppauge, L.I., including 1977 with Gloria Gaynor, 1978 with Enzo Stuarti, 1979 with Robert Goulet, and in 1981 with Frankie Avalon.

In 1980, Chefalas and Dimone retired and left the group, and in 1982, Nick Santo rejoined and resurrected the group and they went into the studio to record a new album, “There's a Moon out Again,” for Ambient Sound (Records). Besides doing covers of some doo wop classics, The Capris also included a couple of original tunes. One of these was a song called "Morse Code of Love," a song that Nick had started writing in 1961, but never finished until 1981. It was also released as a single in 1982, backed with "There's a Moon out Again," and featured Nick singing lead, Tommy Ferrara singing bass, Mike Mincieli singing first tenor, Frankie Reina singing second tenor, and Tony Danno singing baritone. Although a new record, oldies stations started picking up the song (after it was released as a single), as the tune sounded like it came right out of the late '50s, and thinking it was a hot oldie they had overlooked, "Morse Code Of Love" eventually became the number one requested "oldie" in Pittsburgh, Boston and Philadelphia. The song got even more exposure when it was covered by the Manhattan Transfer, as "Baby Come Back To Me" in 1985. This version peaked at # 83 on Billboard.

Over the years, "Morse Code of Love" has only grown in popularity and has become one of the most requested tunes on oldies-type radio stations. Once again, The Capris scored a home run with a 1950s sound that touched the heartstrings of the listeners and evoked the spirit of a time when life was simpler.

On December 1, 1996, The Capris performed as part of a super reunion benefit concert at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, on Long Island. The concert, hosted by Bruce (Cousin Brucie) Morrow, featured over forty rock & roll artists and groups of the previous forty years. The net proceeds were used to help offset the medical expenses of LaVern Baker (d. 10 March 1997), who in 1955, recorded Latin-tempo, "Tweedlee Dee."

The Capris - 2003
L to R: Nick Santo, Frank Reina, Tom Ferrara, Tony Sergi, Lou Esposito

The group was featured on the PBS special DOO WOP 50 show with Santo, Reina, Ferrara, Sergi,and Esposito. The show, at The Benedum Center for the Performing Arts, Pittsburgh, PA, in May 1999, featured some of doo wop’s greatest groups.

"DOO WOP 50" was a PBS national production by WQED Pittsburgh in association with Rhino Entertainment and showcased once-in-a-lifetime performances recorded over two nights. More than 20 of the original groups and performers popular in the 1950s and 1960s appeared, making this the most comprehensive live doo wop show ever. Many of the original groups reunited specifically to perform in this 50th anniversary special. These performances brought back special memories for those who grew up on doo wop, and the excitement, energy, and sheer fun of the whole thing that won over young fans as well, introducing them to singers and songs that have stood the test of time.

Currently[link]

Of the original members, first tenor Mike Mincieli is retired and living in Florida, second tenor Frank Reina is a traffic forwarder at JFK International Airport, baritone Vinnie Naccarato was in the moving business, he died on December 26, 2008 at the age of 66, bass John Cassese owns a company making hair pieces, and lead Nick Santo was retired from the 112th Precinct Forest Hills Division of the New York City Police Department.

On November 6, 2008, The Capris were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall Of Fame;Class of 2007.

The Capris - 2007 Vocal Group Hall Of Fame induction ceremony

As of 2007, they were still performing for public and private bookings. However, at an appearance in Las Vegas in November 2007, Santo announced his retirement, effective immediately, and the dissolution of The Capris, due to health reasons. Tom Ferrara left the group shortly thereafter, and was replaced with John Monforte, who sang bass with the Impalas.

As of 2010, The Capris are back performing. Frank Reina (who along with Mike Mincieli, are the legal owners of the group name), has hired a new lead singer (Wayne Smith), along with Lou Esposito on guitar and baritone vocals since 1997, and Tony Sergi who has been the Capris drummer since 1985 and sings first tenor. They appeared on March 13, 2010, in Westbury, New York, as part of a "Dick Fox" doo-wop show.

Nick Santo (Nick Santamaria) died on December 30, 2010, from heart failure, at the age of 69.^[2]

Discography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• The Capris at Answers.com
• Interview with Nick Santamaria
• The Street Corner Groups