Doo-Wop 50's and early 60's

[Generals64]

Here is agood one for you, how many true do-wop songs and the REAL talents that sang them. This will probably be a short thread but wow will the memories come back:...............The Great Pretender (The Platters) Good Golly Miss Molly
Little Richard....."Anyone out there ready to Rock and Roll?" Alan Freed....Hmmmm Where are you Redskins/General?

[Edmond Earl]

Little Richard and the Platters by no definition would be considered doo-wop

[Generals64]

[QUOTE=Edmond Earl;190361]Little Richard and the Platters by no definition would be considered doo-wop[/QUOTE----
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You're probably right however, Good Golly Miss Molly came ou in 1955 and the great pretender was there right along with it. Alan Freed was the truest form of Rock 'n roll promoters and he was the promoter the doo-woop era which was in the early fifties. Who do YOU remember as true Doo Wop?

[Generals64]

Correct me if I'm wrong but Elvis was noted as
THE King of Rock'n Roll....right....His career was started on the Louisiana Hayride in 1953........1954 he came out with Heartbreak Hotel....Rock'n Roll was initiated at that time.....where does do-wop, Rock & roll, the Beatles Era.....How do they all fit in??? Don't forget Buddy Holley...now when he became know the rock'n roll era was just starting..... Good night Sweetheart... Do wop? Little Anthony (1953) Do-wop? the Imperials...1953...Do Wop?help me and teach me I am a good learner...

[foodiefan]

Have some CDs from a OETA promo a few years back--title is Rock, Rhythm, and Doo-Wop (The Greatest Songs from Early Rock and Roll). Not sure everyone will agree , but here are a few:

Shimmy,Shimmy, Ko-Ko-Bop - Little Anthony and the Imperials
My Prayer - The Platters
Just Like Romeo and Juliet - The Reflections
Little Star - The Elegants
Little Darlin - The Diamonds
Come Go With Me - The Dell-Vikings
Ooby-Dooby - Roy Orbison and the Teen Kings
Mr Blue - The Fleetwoods
Tears on My Pillow - Little Anthony and the Imperials
Silhouettes - Hall Miller and The Rays
AND (drum roll. . . .)
In the Still of the Night - Fred Parris & The Satins

[Generals64]

Have some CDs from a OETA promo a few years back--title is Rock, Rhythm, and Doo-Wop (The Greatest Songs from Early Rock and Roll). Not sure everyone will agree , but here are a few:

Shimmy,Shimmy, Ko-Ko-Bop - Little Anthony and the Imperials
My Prayer - The Platters
Just Like Romeo and Juliet - The Reflections
Little Star - The Elegants
Little Darlin - The Diamonds
Come Go With Me - The Dell-Vikings
Ooby-Dooby - Roy Orbison and the Teen Kings
Mr Blue - The Fleetwoods
Tears on My Pillow - Little Anthony and the Imperials
Silhouettes - Hall Miller and The Rays
AND (drum roll. . . .)
In the Still of the Night - Fred Parris & The Satins

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You're there...I have the same collection I remember as a young kid..(8-12 years old) we use to go to a dance on thrusday nights at the Lions club on So. Robinson. Then at age 11-12 we got to go on Friday...could take a date....(a date? with a girl?) No way...things change a couple of years though.

[USG '60]

Doo-wop got its name from the "dowop, dowop oh babies" that served as the "instrument" sounds for street corner kids singing harmony who had no instruments to play. When producers began recording them they would add some instrumentation but it was incidental, by and large. The voices WERE the instruments. This was before the Wall Of Sound, etc. I think a good distinction between Doo-wop and other early rock (and even early r&b) would be that if there was any memorable musical riffs or if there were electric guitars, it was NOT doo-wop. Lines can get blurry when we think of the over all feel of them. Like you Gen 64 I think of the platters as a doo-wop group, but they really weren't. Instumentation was lush in their songs. As the doo-wop groups progressed over time more and more music was added so the lines blurred even further there. Like you, too, in my memory's mind all the music from '54 when I first heard Hearts Made of Stone (dooda wah, dooda wah) by the Charms through the arrival of the Beatles, including Elvis and Johnnie Cash, and Jerry Lee and buddy Holly and Wanda Jackson and Bill Haley were all just the music we loved to listen to on WKY and KOMA. Genres didn't mean squat to us really. NOW we go back and catagorize them for the sake of studying them and learning more from them, but REALLY the songs were just the songs of our little young hearts (not of stone.) And I still truly love it all.

[USG '60]

Hmmm, it doesn't take long for me long to catch on......

After mentioning the Charms in my last post, it dawned on me that life is a circle. I went to Taft Jr. High in the 7th grade ('54-55). The Cafeteria was in the basement and there was a empty room with a jukebox in it just a few feet down the hall. After eating many of us would go down to listen to music. As the room was usually full us little ones mostly were listening out side the door. The hot pop songs of that time were things like Mr Sandman. I still remember the first time I heard Hearts Made of Stone, I literally got chills. A few days later a friend told me to hurry and finish eating because "Marie is doing the dirty bop." I wiggled through the croud and got my first glimps of nasty dancing. What a great day it was. Bopping (both dirty and clean were barred after that. But, by George, I saw Marie doing it.

Here is the funny part. I am typing this approximately 300 yds from where that Juke Box sat. Marie would be 68 yrs old now (an older chick....you know) and I wonder where she dances now. Marie, are you out there?

[Generals64]

alright old man, you have rattled the cobwebs and now let the fun begin. My wife is only 2 years younger than me as am i of you. She doesn't like the Do-wop or even Elvis...But, Led Zepplin, Steppin Wolf, that ear...Kris Kristofferson, John Prine, Mickey Newberry now that's her bag. Funny you mention Wanda Jackson, and Old Southsider that even dated Elvis for a while until Priscilla came on the scene.