American Music Roots: Doo-wop

The doo wop genre originated in African-American communities around the 1940's. Usually in bigger cities, such as Chicago, Los Angeles, Detroit, and New York. It did not become a huge deal and an official "era" until the 1950's, after World War II. This genre included a blend of rhythm, blues, and gospel. It mainly consists of vocal harmonies. Many teens spent their time on practicing harmonies. The term "doo wop" actually refers to an a capella singing of nonsense syllables, but there are some actual words and instruments in many of the songs.

Doo wop usually withheld a four cord progression. The beats were simple, the music was simple, lyrics were repetitive, and there were basic instruments included. It also contains nonsense syllables, such as "doo wop." Some of the instruments that were being used included the piano, saxophones, guitars, and drums. The instruments remained in the background, but had songs most likely had an instrumental break after a couple of verses. Sometimes, there were no instruments involved. 

Around the doo wop time, there were many teenagers that wanted to figure out new ways of presenting vocal harmony. The first few groups were referred to as the "bird groups." There were the Robins, the Orioles, and the Ravens. The Ravens Jimmy Ricks, knows as Ricky, as a bass lead singer. They were one of the first vocal groups to influence the doo wop sound, but they did identify as a successful R and B group.

An early group of doo wop era are the Mills Brothers. The brothers and their father all sang, so experimenting with harmonies was natural for them.The brothers originally performed as the "Four Boys and a Guitar," but began experimenting with their voices and made themselves sound like instruments from a trumpet to a tuba. They have made appearances with other popular artists like Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald. In 1936, the oldest Mills brother, John Jr., died from complications with pneumonia. Their father, John, Sr., then joined the group to take over the low notes for the absence of his son. Their biggest hit song was called “Paper Doll,” selling six million copies around that time. Here is a picture of them along with their biggest hit, "Paper Doll:"

 

Another famous group of the doo wop genre were The Classics. They were a white harmony group from Brooklyn, New York. The group consisted of four members; Emil Stucchio, Tony Victor, Johnny Gambale, and Jamie Troy. They had begun singing together in high school and then became known in their neighborhood inside of clubs and dances. The group broke up in 1966 just because their output of songs could not compete with all the other songs that were being released. They were struggling to make it onto the charts because rock and roll was changing and so were were society's preference of music. The other kind of vocal music that was selling were the ones that were more beat driven. Here is "Till Then" by the Classics:

The doo wop can be split into several stages:

 Paleo doo wop was around in 1952-54. It mainly consisted of older men along with the styles of R and B and gospel.

Classical doo wop (1955-1959) contained sweeter harmonies with lyrics about love. The bass singers were stronger, as they played more of a background role in the past. The performers were also much younger.

In Neo doo wop (1960-1965), instruments played a stronger roll and the philosophy of the music was "the more, the better." The bass became even heavier, and the nonsense syllables came in more of a complicated pattern. For example, from "Zoom Zoom Zoom," by Donald Hayes and Harlen Jackson: "Buh Buh Bon Bon Bon"

The doo wop era did not only consist of male groups. The Shirelles was an all girl group. They were the first Arfrican American female group to top any of the charts. The were first formed in high school in 1956. Their first single was released in 1958 called "I Met Him on Sunday." They did try to leave a label in 1964 but they were not allowed for legal reasons. One of the singers, Doris Kenner, did leave at some point in order to take care of her family, but she did return again in 1970. They performed all the way up until 1982. 

Maxwell, Elissa. “The Shirelles (1956-1982) •.” •, 31 May 2021,                        www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/groups-organizations-african-american-history/shirelles-1956-1982/. Accessed 11 Nov. 2023

“Origins of Doo-Wop – the Mills Brothers.” Geezer Music Club, 27 Dec. 2010, geezermusicclub.com/2008/09/20/origins-of-doo-wop-the-mills-brothers/. Accessed 12 Nov. 2023.

“The Classics Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More.” AllMusic, www.allmusic.com/artist/the-classics-mn0000063795. Accessed 12 Nov. 2023.

“The Doo-Wop Sound.” The Vocal Sound, www.history-of-rock.com/vocal_group_sound.htm. Accessed 12 Nov. 2023.