Doo-Wop
tagStarted 1948Peak 1954-1962Last big hit 1963From United States
Located in 1 route
Street-corner vocal R&B built on nonsense syllables, a soaring lead tenor, and a walking bass voice chanting under sweet falsetto harmonies. Sparse or absent instrumentation; the voices carry rhythm, melody and chord changes. Triplet ballads and up-tempo shuffles, dripping with reverb and teenage romance.
History
Emerged from 1940s gospel and pop-vocal quartets in Black urban neighborhoods of New York, Philadelphia, Chicago and Baltimore, where teens harmonized on corners and in stairwells. Indie labels like Chess, Atlantic and Gee pressed the hits. Italian-American groups soon joined, and the style fed directly into 60s soul and girl-group pop.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doo-wop
- https://www.allmusic.com/style/doo-wop-ma0000002654
- https://www.britannica.com/art/doo-wop