Name	Doo-wop
Bgcolor	#0000E1
Color	white
Stylistic origins	Rhythm and blues - Harmony vocal group - A cappella - Barbershop - Gospel - Ballads - Jump blues - Blues - Swing
Cultural origins	1940s–early 1960s, United States
Instruments	Double bass - Electric guitar - Saxophone - Drums - Piano - Harmony vocals
Popularity	Significant from 1950s to early 1960s
Derivatives	Beach music - Beat music
Subgenrelist	List of R&B; genres
Regional scenes	New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, Los Angeles, Cincinnati
Other topics	50s chord progression }}

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.

Origins

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. 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

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. 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."

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). 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.

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.

thumb|240px|The Quotations live in concert at the Benedum Center, PennsylvaniaThe 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. "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 was heard in such hits as "Surfer Girl" and "Surfin'" before it regressed towards less sophisticated pop and psychedelic rock songs with less complex, "modern" and "experimental" anti-vocal harmonies.

Revivals

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 to Street Corner Renaissance. The ultimate longevity of doo-wop has been disputed.

See also

List of doo-wop musicians

Scat singing

Vocalese

50s progression

References

Bibliography

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.

Category:Rhythm and blues music genres Category:African American music

bg:Ду-уап ca:Doo-wop cs:Doo-wop de:Doo Wop es:Doo wop fr:Doo-wop hr:Doo wop it:Doo-wop he:דו-וופ la:Doo-wop hu:Doo-wop nl:Doo-wop ja:ドゥーワップ no:Doo-wop pl:Doo wop pt:Doo-wop ro:Doo wop ru:Ду-воп sk:Doo-wop sh:Doo woop fi:Doo-wop sv:Doo wop th:ดูวอป

name	The Five Satins
background	group_or_band
origin	New Haven, Connecticut, United States
genre	Doo-wop
years active	1954–present
website	http://www.fivesatins.net
current members	Fred ParrisRichie FreemanEugene DobbsNadina Perry
past members	Lou PeeblesLarry DiSalviStanley DortchEd MartinJim FreemanAl DenbyTommy KillebrewJessie MurphyBill BakerSylvester HopkinsWes ForbesCorky RogersJimmy CurtisNate Marshall
notable instruments	}}

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

Career

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. 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.

Awards and recognition

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

Present day

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 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

External links

'The Five Satins' Vocal Group Hall of Fame Page

Bill Baker gravesite

Tom Simon's article on The Five Satins

Category:Musical groups established in 1954 Category:American vocal groups Category:Doo-wop groups Category:Cub Records artists Category:Musical quintets Category:Article Feedback 5

de:The Five Satins sv:The Five Satins

name	The Chantels
background	group_or_band
origin	The Bronx, New York, United States
years active	1950–1970
current members	Arlene SmithSonia GoringRene MinusLois HarrisJackie Landry Jackson
past members	}}

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

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. The lead singer, Arlene Smith, had received classical training and performed at Carnegie Hall at age twelve. Smith provided the group with both lyrics and music. The girls were discovered by Richard Barrett, lead singer of The Valentines and by summer 1957 signed to End Records, owned by George Goldner. Their first single was "He's Gone" (Pop #71) in August 1957, written by Arlene Smith. Released in December 1957, The Chantels had a hit with their second single, "Maybe" (#15 ''Billboard'' Hot 100; #2 R & B chart) in January 1958. "Maybe" sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. 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''.

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' "Hit the Road, Jack. 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. 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.

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, 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

Albums

{|class="wikitable" |- !Year !Year |- |1958 |''We Are The Chantels'' |- |1962 |''The Chantels On Tour'' |- |1962 |''There's Our Song Again'' |- |1964 |''The Chantels Sing Their Favorites'' |}

Singles

{|class="wikitable" |- !rowspan="2"|Year !rowspan="2"|Title !colspan="2"|Peak chart positions |- |USPop |USR&B; |- |1957 |"He's Gone" |align="center"|71 |align="center"|— |- |rowspan="3"|1958 |"Maybe" |align="center"|15 |align="center"|2 |- |"Every Night (I Pray)" |align="center"|39 |align="center"|16 |- |"I Love You So" |align="center"|42 |align="center"|12 |- |1959 |"Summer's Love" |align="center"|93 |align="center"|29 |- |rowspan="2"|1961 |"Look in My Eyes" |align="center"|14 |align="center"|6 |- |"Well I Told You" |align="center"|29 |align="center"|— |- |1963 |"Eternally" |align="center"|77 |align="center"|— |- |}

References

External links

Official site

The Chantels

'The Chantels' Vocal Group Hall of Fame Page

History of Rock page on The Chantels

Category:Carlton Records artists Category:Doo-wop groups Category:American rhythm and blues musical groups Category:American girl groups Category:African American musical groups Category:People from the Bronx Category:Musical groups from New York Category:Musical groups established in 1957 Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1970

de:The Chantels es:The Chantels it:The Chantels tr:The Chantels

Earl Lewis is Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs 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

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

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

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

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

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

References

External links

Biography at Emory University Department of History

Category:Living people Category:University of Minnesota alumni Category:American academics Category:African American academics Category:Year of birth missing (living people)