You know what I dig about doo-wop, and vocal groups in general? There was just so damn many of them, and they all had to distinguish themselves from one another within the confines of some sort of unwritten code of conduct. Every group had to have at least four to five members, they had to have a snappy name for their group, they had to have promo photos that showed one or more with pleading hands or some kooky ass version of jazz hands, and they all had wear matching get-ups. Other than that, the sky was the limit. Weird vocal inflections, nutty lyrics, or wild backing bands, in varying amounts, all served to get a little attention. But more often than not, not enough to top the charts. Some of it was too wild, too nutty, or just plain crappy. There's a lot, by groups you and I have never heard of, and the non-hits, as with most forms of music, are almost guaranteed to be more interesting than some boring chart toppers.The Twilight's "Little Richard" is a good example. It's not about the Little Richard, but a little Richard, as in a kid. A kid who throws a rock the singer's head, slashes his tires, and throws mud at him. Sh-boom, sh-boom, your life might be a dream, but I'm digging the hijinks.
I've mentioned Rock 'n' Soul Ichiban's Vocal Group of the Week series before. A 45 a week, of five guys hollering. Kogar the Swinging Ape. a frequent poster over there, just put together a compilation of them, so there's a link below, and another to their posts tagged as Vocal Group of the Week, so you can hear them individually. If you want to get real lost, you can dip your toe in Doo-Wop Juke Box. Scroll down that page and, yeah, get lost.
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Listen:The Twitlights - Little Richard mp3 at Beware of the Blog
The El Torros - Doop Doop A Walla Walla mp3 at Beware of the Blog
The Holidays - Aw Aw Baby mp3 at Beware of the Blog
Beware of the Blog's Vocal Group of the Week posts Two pages of them, click "next page" at the bottom.
The Bel-Airs - White Port and Lemon Juice mp3 at Doo Wop Juke Box
The Hollywood Flames - Buzz Buzz Buzz mp3 at Doo Wop Juke Box
The Cadets - Stranded In the Jungle mp3 at Doo Wop Juke Box
The Del-Knights - Don't Cry Anymore mp3 at Doo Wop Juke Box
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