In the early 1950's, black music was categorized as "race music" in the record and radio industries. White artists did "cover" releases of black soul harmony. The Crew Cuts, who changed Doo Wop into Boo Wabba pop, re-recorded "Sh Boom" by the Chords, "Earth Angel" by the Penguins, and countless other "black music" and despite theirs were poor renditions, they got the top 40 radio air play, the credit and the record sales. Despite the fact that The Moonglows wrote and recorded the legendary "Goodnight Sweetheart," it was The Mc Guire Sisters who zoomed to #1 because few radio stations would play "race music."

Decca, Mercury, Coral and Lawrence Welk's Dot Records were notorious for stealing and re-recording black street corner harmony. Pat Boone rose to stardom singing Little Richard's "Tutti Fruiti" and Fats Domino's "Ain't That A Shame," for Dot and it's A&R guy, Randy Wood (Welk's son in law).

A popular, but discredited disc jockey, Alan Freed would change all that from a powerful radio station in New York, WOR-AM. He defied the station administration and played the original black versions of blues adapted to rock and roll (as he named the music) and immediately the young audiences "dug it." Frankie Lymon & The Teenager's classic "Why Do Fools Fall In Love" zoomed to the top of the "white" charts and once the hole in the damn was made. R&B flooded the airwaves. Perhaps then, Freed became a "marked man" by the powers that be.

The Jive Five were neck and neck with Dion & The Belmonts, The Dubs were right along with The Duprees. The Five Satins' "In The Still Of The Night" became the anthem of Doo Wop and when 60's-80's "Best Hits" (a CBS radio invention to kill the demographically unfavorable 50's in their opinion) air their annual listener's top 100 survey, they are constrained to play the 1957 "In The Still Of The Night" which unvariably comes up to the top 3.

In the 80's and 90's, many radio stations aired their local Sunday night Doo Wop weekly shows. Don K. Reid had "The Doo Wop Shop" on WCBS-FM 101 in New York, John Summers hosted "Sunday Night Doo Wops" on Dallas/Fort Worth's KLUV-FM 98.7,the late Hubcap Carter did the same on Plano, TX KAAM, and Golden Gup Gascione drove listeners to "Doo Wop Drive" on AM 1250, WMTR on Friday nights. These to name a few of many

Doo Wop lives on. It gets pledges for the public television station when New Jersey's T. J. Lubinsky, grandson of Herman Lubinsky, owner of Savoy-De Lite Records and producer of Kool & The Gang, produced several Doo Wop re-union concerts as well as 50's and 60's pop concerts, getting together aged but still great sounding original members of such groups as The Cadillacs, The *Gladiolas (who first recorded "Little Darlin,'" not The Diamonds). The Regents (first to record. "Barbara Ann," not The Beach Boys) and many others.

In middle school talent shows. kids today are performing many 50's Doo Wop songs, because they can harmonize and the songs are as much fun now as when kids sang along to them on MusicRadio AM stations in the fifties.

When Major Radio "Doo Wopped" Amidst Disco Duck and Death Metal In the 1970's, a resurgence of interest and affinity for the back street harmony, doo wops, brought about weekly shows featuring the music, usually on Sunday nights, Don K. Reed hosted "The Doo Wop Shop" in New York on WCBS-FM for 27 years until "Oldies101" became "JackFM" in 2005, then "Greatest Hits" in 2006, with only slight nods now and then to fifties' Doo Wops. Similarly, John Summers did the same at Dallas' KLUV ("I K-Love My Oldies") bouncing from FM to AM then to FM again until that CBS owned station went "Greatest Hits," which precluded the 50's..

Some local low power AMers endeavored to keep up the tradition, Hubcap Carter on Central Texas' KAAM (Carter died in 2005), Golden Gup on North Jersey's WMTR (Gup left when the station went cookie cutter "Good Time" 60s 70s syndie, then back again to Classic Oldies, Bobby Zee on Upstate New York's WFAS, cancelled a few years ago. for examples. However, for the most part, Doo Wop radio has faded from major markets thanks to the demographic beagles at the major advertising agencies. (Funny, this writer is 66. between A&P, Walgreens, Sears and Fingerhut. I spent over 2G's on merchandise...I'm not a viable consumer? Where do kids get their iPods from? Mommy, Daddy, Grandma and Grandpa!).

Be assured we at Oldies Television are working hard to bring you more 50's and 60's street corner harmony performances both on our TV menu channels and our Classic Oldies Video Juke Box and now, especially on our Doo Wop Boulevard On Demand Web Radio stream. Thanks to you, your vote of confidence and listener response, we were able to set up a new studio arrangement for it beginning with our November edition. Keep on lovin' your Doo Wops!

OUR MOST VIEWED DOO WOP VIDEOS AT OLDIES TELEVISION
THE DEL VIKINGS
"Jitterburg Mary"
click here

THE PLATTERS featuring TONY WILLIAMS
"Only You"
click here

on the Oldies TelevisionClassic Oldies Video Juke Box:
THE RAYS
"Silhouettes"
click here

THE DUPREES
"You Belong To Me"
click here


You'll also find more Duprees, The Toys
The Exciters, The Diamonds, The Four Seasons
& more doo wop groups performing at

where all the good shows and the good songs have gone

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