Doo-Wop Guide: 11 Popular Doo-Wop Groups

Doo-wop is a style of music where vocal groups sing harmonies and use sounds to make rhythm. The name comes from the kinds of musical background noises that backup singers will make when they perform (I.E. doo-wop-doo-wop). The style was popularized by Black American musicians in the mid-twentieth century, though white groups became involved in the scene as it gained popularity.

Doo-wop songs may contain little to no background instruments because the vocal arrangement serves as the accompanying music. Typically one tenor or soprano singer will sing the song’s melody, while a trio or quartet will support the singer with backup vocals providing the instrumentation. This style of music is influenced by rhythm-and-blues, rock and roll, soul music, and barbershop quartet. Popular doo-wop groups include the Marcels, the Drifters, the Penguins, the Cadillacs, and the Orioles.

The origins of doo-wop trace back to the 1930s and 1940s, when popular groups like the Mills Brothers simulated the sounds of reed and string instruments with their voices. Another early doo-wop group is The Ink Spots, which featured a tenor singer supported by low-voiced singers who sang the bass line.

By the 1950s, doo-wop became a popular style among Black singers in New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Baltimore because of its accessibility. Many young singers at the time didn't have access to instruments or music lessons, making a cappella music like doo-wop an inexpensive creative outlet. Doo-wop groups would rehearse in public spaces like street corners and subway stations that offered good acoustics.

Doo-wop influenced some of the biggest Motown groups of the era, such as the Temptations. As doo-wop continued to gain popularity, white artists like Dion and the Belmonts and Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons adopted the style.

Here are a few characteristics of doo-wop music.

1. 1. Vocal group harmony: Doo-wop is characterized by vocal group harmony with groups featuring a lead vocalist—who is usually a tenor or a soprano—supported by lower-voiced bass singers.
2. 2. “Doo-wop” background: The backup singers in doo-wop groups typically use nonsensical syllables (the "doo-wop-doo-wop," “wah-wah-wah-wah”) as background instrumentation.
3. 3. Light instrumentation: Many doo-wop groups eschew instruments and use only their voices to highlight the vocal harmonies of the group. If they’re not singing a cappella, there may be very light or simple background instrumentation.
4. 4. Simple songs: Doo-wop lyrics are typically very simple and easy to enunciate. Dating, love, longing, marriage, and heartbreak are typical subject matter for doo-wop songs.

Here are some of the most famous and influential doo-wop songs.

1. 1. "Earth Angel" by the Penguins (1954): The Penguins—made up of four black high school students from Los Angeles—recorded the romantic, tender track "Earth Angel" in a garage. It went on to become the second doo-wop song to enter the top 10 on the Billboard charts in 1954.
2. 2. "Sincerely" by the Moonglows (1954): This 1954 song, recorded by the five-man doo-wop group the Moonglows, reached number one on the US R&B charts and number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100.
3. 3. "Speedoo" by the Cadillacs (1955): With lyrics telling the story about a man who wastes no time pursuing girls, “Speedoo” by the Cadillacs reached number 17 on the US pop charts in 1955.
4. 4. "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" by Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers (1956): This 1956 song propelled lead singer and soprano Frankie Lymon to stardom. With lyrics that ruminate on the pointless swooning of lovelorn fools, this song became a massive hit, spending 19 weeks on the Billboard charts in 1956.
5. 5. "Maybe" by the Chantels (1957): “Maybe” by the Chantels is considered one of the first girl group hits, reaching number two on the Billboard R&B charts, and being named #199 in Rolling Stone’s list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Arlene Smith sings lead on this track, which follows the thoughts of a young woman who outlines a series of “maybe” scenarios in which her lover might return to her.
6. 6. "Little Star" by The Elegants (1958): The Elegants were one of the first Italian-American doo-wop groups to record a hit. "Little Star" adapted the lullaby "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" into a doo-wop hit that reached the top of the R&B best sellers and Billboard Hot 100 charts in 1958.
7. 7. "I Wonder Why" by Dion and the Belmonts (1958): Another Italian-American doo-wop group Dion and the Belmonts had their first hit with “I Wonder Why,” which reached number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song expresses a young man wondering why his sweetheart loves him.
8. 8. "I Only Have Eyes for You" by the Flamingos (1959): The Flamingos turned this 1930s oldie into a doo-wop hit in 1959, which peaked at number 11 on the Billboard charts.
9. 9. "Blue Moon" by the Marcels (1961): This doo-wop cover of the 1934 classic “Blue Moon” reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.
10. 10. "Sherry" by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons (1962): Led by singer Frankie Valli, the Four Seasons reached number one on the Billboard charts in 1962 with "Sherry," in which Valli tries to convince a girl named Sherry to “come out tonight.” The song remained number one for five consecutive weeks and made Frankie Valli one of the most popular doo-wop singers of his generation.
11. 11. "My Girl" by the Temptations (1964): Written by Smokey Robinson and Ronald White of the Miracles, "My Girl" was recorded by the Temptations in 1964 as a doo-wop song and it became their first number one hit.

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