How did street corner harmony become Doo Wop? Back in the fifties and sixties, there was no such term for musical style as "doo wop."
The songs or the music was referred to as 'back street harmony' or simple ' vocal group.'
It wasn't until the late 70's when a Palm Beach, Florida disc jockey used the term "doo wop"
in passing and it caught on. By the 80's, Don K. Reed was hosting "The Doo Wop Shop"
Sunday mnights on WCBS-FM in New York while John Summers hosted "Sunday Night Doo Wops."
on KLUV-FM in Dallas, Texas. Hubcap Carter hosted a syndicated Doo Wop show via Crawford Broadcasting until
his death in 2005/
DJ HOSTED DOO WOP RADIO IS BACK!
It caught on as far as Mexico with Wolfman Jack Doo-Wopping on XMEX, Case Kasem and Hubcap Carterin syndication, (Wolfman and
Hubcap now deceased). The "Doo Wop" catchword went on and on on the oldies & :greatest hits" radio rendevouz and
the term stuck, used on on every vocal harmony group from The Duprees to The Five Satins to Jersey's The Knockouts who
humorized it with Darling Lorraine "yangs-yangs" (mimicking the also Jersey Dynatone's Lorraine.
The Del Vikings recorded Jitterbug Mary under the name Del Tones and the song never
entered the top 40; it "bubbled under," as Billboard magazine use to phrase it. As
jocks played the tune on weekend doo-wop blocks on oldies radio stations, the song became
a classic. Oldies Television was fortunate to unearth the clip of the Del Vikings singing
the tune on, we believe, on Ed Sullivan's Sunday night CBS show, then called Toast Of The Town.
The clip had no lead in or out. Some differ that it was The Tommy & Jimmy Dorsey Show on
NBC, which gave unknown rock & roll performers (including Elvis Presley) their first appearance
(prior to Dick Clark's emergence on ABC) (Continued...).
With The Del Vikings' first appearance on "The Tommy & Jimmy Dorsey Show,"
the Dorsey weekly variety series also presented Tony Williams & The Platters,
Little Anthony & The Imperials, Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers. So it would be
fair to say that the swing era bandleaders, on long before Dick Clark and
Alan Freed, were the first to present back street harmony R&B (a/k/a Doo Wops)
to a national audience, albeit host/producer Al Jarvis at WOOK-TV ch 49 was doing it locally on UHF via a
black version of the early 50's lily white dance shows on other area independent stations.
Jarvis, as well as Alan Freed, turned America on to the original R&B versions ripped
off in Boone/Crew Cuts pop music covers. Tommy & Jimmy Dorsey, who
always paid tribute to swing music pioneers such as Duke Ellington,
recognized, we would say, the great harmony of streetcorner created
groups and songs. Doo Wop, as well as R&B and Rock & Roll,
is here to stay. Next: Del Vikings Bio.
About The Del Vikings
While "Jitterbug Mary" may be one of the lesser known songs by the De; Vikings, no one, not even those
into Oldies but not Doo Wops, would not remember their catchy hit, Come Go With Me
Members changed from time to time, but The Del Vikings crooners include Donald "Gus" Backus (born c. 1942 in Southhampton, Long Island, NY),
Chuck Jackson (born on July 22, 1937, in Winston-Salem, North CarolinaC),
Corinthian "Kripp" Johnson (born c. 1933 in Cambridge, Maryland-er lost him June 22, 1990);
Dave Lerchey (born c. 1946 in New Albany, Indiana), Clarence Quick (born c. 1944 in Brooklyn, New York),
Norman Wright (born on October 31, 1937, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania).
After a few lackluster charting releases, The Del Vikings finally reached the national top ten with Come Go with Me and Whispering Bells
The group, however, had more than a fair share of dissension among the members.
Their manager attempted to break theot contract with Fee Bee Records, a small independent,
because most of the members except Johnson were minors when the record contract was executed.
Apparently, a court agreed, because they went to Chicago giantMercury Records.
To add to the mix, Whispering Bells was released "split label: (a common practice in the late
50's and 60's, for whatever reason) and was released in 1957 by Dot Records (who usually released "white" versions
of "race" music (a la Pat Boone's awful rendition of Little Richard's Tutti Fruittu).
Followups Willette, "I Want to Marry You,
barely broke Billboard's national top 100.
An almost re-staffed Del Vikings (Backus, Blakely, Lerchey, along with original members Quick, and Wright)
released Cool Shake, "Sunday Kind of Love on the Mercury label.
Ultimately, a federal judge awarded the name Del Vikings to Mercury.
Who are The Deltones???
When we received the 16mm film transfer of Jitterbug Mary kinescope
from a then monochrome CBS Toast Of The Town (early Ed Sullivan)
the leader read The Deltones whom visitors from the MSN Doo Wop fan group
told us they were actually The Del Vikings.
Remember, there's more Video Doo Wops on the Oldies Television Video Juke Box,
the ORIGINAL performances, not re-stages. BTW: Before Dion teamed up with The Belmonts,
The Del Vikings backed him for a few Morris Levy Roulette cuts. Typical of Levy,
who was convicted of Federal Tax Fraud charges, The Del Vikings received no credits...or royalties.
Don't forget to check out
ch81 Doo Wop Boulevard here at Oldies Television.
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Don't forget to visit
DOO WOP BOULEVARD-TV on OTV ch81
featuring Don K. Reed & Many More 50's Doo Wop Groups Performing On Video
also check our The Classic Oldies Video Juke Box with yet even more
Video Doo Wops only on Oldiestelevision.com (Video Juke on main page)
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