103-466: The Del-Vikings (also known as The Dell-Vikings ) were an American doo-wop musical group that recorded several hit singles in the 1950s and continued to record and tour with various lineups in later decades. The group is notable for the hit songs " Come Go with Me " and " Whispering Bells ", and for having been a successful racially mixed musical group during a period of time when such groups were rare. The Del-Vikings were formed in 1955 by members of
206-619: A gold disc . The song was later featured in the films American Graffiti (1973), Diner (1982), Stand by Me (1986), Joe Versus the Volcano (1990), and Set It Up (2018). Rolling Stone listed "Come Go With Me" as no. 449 on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time . The Dell-Vikings also released " Whispering Bells " in May 1957, another Clarence Quick song, with Kripp Johnson singing lead vocals. (The Dot label referred to Johnson as "Krips Johnson".) "Whispering Bells" reached No. 5 on
309-471: A high tenor singing the intro and a bass spoken chorus. The Mills Brothers, who were famous in part because in their vocals they sometimes mimicked instruments, were an additional influence on street vocal harmony groups, who, singing a cappella arrangements, used wordless onomatopoeia to mimic musical instruments. For instance, " Count Every Star " by the Ravens (1950) includes vocalizations imitating
412-460: A Clarence Quick-penned song, released on Fee Bee Records as catalog number FB-205. In late January 1957, Dot Records re-released "Come Go With Me" as Dot 45–15538. The song was written by Clarence Quick. The song became a hit, peaking at #5 on the US Billboard Top 100 Pop Charts (a predecessor of the 1958 established Billboard Hot 100 chart.) It sold over one million copies and was awarded
515-596: A Detroit vocal harmony group called the Matadors, met the producer Berry Gordy , who was beginning to take up new styles, including doo-wop. Gordy wanted to promote a black style of music that would appeal to both the black and white markets, performed by black musicians with roots in gospel, R&B, or doo-wop. He sought artists who understood that the music had to be updated to appeal to a broader audience and attain greater commercial success. Early recordings by Gordy's Tamla Records , founded several months before he established
618-557: A backing track on these a capella songs, which included an early version of "Come Go with Me". The eight-song album subsequently released by Luniverse was titled "Come Go With The Del Vikings". Also one single was released from these Luniverse overdubs—"Somewhere Over The Rainbow"/ "Hey Senorita". For legal reasons the LP was pulled off the market shortly after its release in July 1957. Johnson's Dot group had an extra advantage—he had been discharged from
721-842: A bass instrument. Doo-wop's characteristic vocal style was influenced by groups such as the Mills Brothers, whose close four-part harmony derived from the vocal harmonies of the earlier barbershop quartet . The Four Knights ' "Take Me Right Back to the Track" (1945), the Cats and the Fiddle 's song "I Miss You So" (1939), and the Triangle Quartette's even earlier record "Doodlin' Back" (1929) prefigured doo-wop's rhythm and blues sound long before doo-wop became popular. In The Complete Book of Doo-Wop , co-authors Gribin and Schiff (who also wrote Doo-Wop,
824-400: A crucial role in creating a market for Italian doo-wop. Ritzy Lee The Del-Vikings (also known as The Dell-Vikings ) were an American doo-wop musical group that recorded several hit singles in the 1950s and continued to record and tour with various lineups in later decades. The group is notable for the hit songs " Come Go with Me " and " Whispering Bells ", and for having been
927-474: A distributor in marketing the group on an independent label. They cut six sides, one of which was a doo-wop ballad written by Chessler called " It's Too Soon to Know ". It reached no. 1 on Billboard's national Most-Played Juke Box Race Records chart, and, in a first for a doo-wop song, the record crossed over to the mainstream pop chart, where it reached no. 13. The Du Droppers formed in Harlem in 1952. Members of
1030-407: A high tenor singing over the chords of the blended mid-range voices and a strong bass voice. Their lead singer, Sonny Til , had a soft, high-pitched tenor, and like the rest of the group, was still a teenager at the time. His style reflected the optimism of young black Americans in the postmigration era. The sound they helped develop, later called '"doo-wop", eventually became a "sonic bridge" to reach
1133-437: A hit, peaking at #5 on the US Billboard Top 100 Pop Charts (a predecessor of the 1958 established Billboard Hot 100 chart.) It sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc . The song was later featured in the films American Graffiti (1973), Diner (1982), Stand by Me (1986), Joe Versus the Volcano (1990), and Set It Up (2018). Rolling Stone listed "Come Go With Me" as no. 449 on its list of
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#17328523182801236-523: A long illness on April 23, 2010, at age 72. Donald Edgar "Gus" Backus died on February 21, 2019, in Germering, Germany, at age 81. Corinthian "Kripp" Johnson died of cancer on June 22, 1990, in Detroit, Michigan, at age 57. Billy G. Woodruff died on January 26, 2019 Roalf E. "Ritzy" Lee died on June 27, 2020. On June 3, 2022, Kenneth Boulden, Jr United States Individual of Delaware filed an application with
1339-749: A major outlet for doo-wop performers to be discovered by record company talent scouts. In 1951, Robinson started Robin Records, which later became Red Robin Records , and began recording doo-wop; he recorded the Ravens, the Mello-Moods, and many other doo-wop vocal groups. He used the tiny shop to launch a series of record labels which released many hits in the US. Robinson founded or co-founded Red Robin Records, Whirlin' Disc Records, Fury Records, Everlast Records, Fire Records and Enjoy Records. Arthur Godfrey 's long-running (1946–1958) morning radio show on CBS, Talent Scouts ,
1442-413: A melodramatically heartfelt recitative addressed to the beloved. Harmonic singing of nonsense syllables (such as "doo-wop") is a common characteristic of these songs. Gaining popularity in the 1950s, doo-wop was "artistically and commercially viable" until the early 1960s and continued to influence performers in other genres. Doo-wop has complex musical, social, and commercial origins. Doo-wop's style
1545-625: A model for success. The Swallows began in the late 1940s as a group of Baltimore teenagers calling themselves the Oakaleers. One of the members lived across the street from Sonny Til, who went on to lead the Orioles, and their success inspired the Oakaleers to rename themselves the Swallows. Their song "Will You Be Mine", released in 1951, reached number 9 on the US Billboard R&;B chart. In 1952,
1648-538: A native of South Carolina, was an independent record producer and songwriter in Harlem who helped popularize doo-wop music in the 1950s. He got into the music business in 1946 when he opened "Bobby's Record Shop" (later "Bobby's Happy House") on the corner of 125th Street and Eighth Avenue , near the Apollo Theater , a noted venue for African-American performers. The Apollo held talent contests in which audience members indicated their favorites with applause. These were
1751-615: A near-original line-up of Clarence Quick, Kripp Johnson, Norman Wright, David Lerchey, and William Blakely. The group re-recorded their old hit for Scepter Records ; a new version of "Come Go With Me" made the Bubbling Under The Hot 100 chart in 1973 (it also wound up on the Easy Listening chart, where it peaked that year at #32). They performed " Come Go with Me " on the April 27, 1973, episode of The Midnight Special . The line-up
1854-576: A new group with the returning Don Jackson, Chuck Jackson , Arthur Budd, and Ed Everette. This group recorded the Kripp Johnson-led " I'm Spinning ", billing themselves as the Dell-Vikings. Around this time, some old demo tracks had been sold to an up-and-coming record company, Luniverse, who overdubbed a backing track on these a capella songs, which included an early version of "Come Go with Me". The eight-song album subsequently released by Luniverse
1957-577: A new version of "Come Go With Me" made the Bubbling Under The Hot 100 chart in 1973 (it also wound up on the Easy Listening chart, where it peaked that year at #32). They performed " Come Go with Me " on the April 27, 1973, episode of The Midnight Special . The line-up was Billy G. Woodruff, Roalf "Ritzy" Lee, Kripp Johnson, Clarence Quick, and Terry Young. Norman Wright, David Lerchey, and Wright's two sons, Norman Wright, Jr. and Anthony Wright performed as The Del Vikings for PBS show "Doo Wop 50" in 2000, and Wright toured and performed with his sons for
2060-498: A part in developing the vocal potential of the doo-wop groups, but Chicago doo-wop was "created and nourished" on the street corners of the city's lower-class neighborhoods. The Chicago doo-wop groups, like those in New York, started singing on street corners and practiced their harmonies in tiled bathrooms, hallways, and subways, but because they came originally from the deep South, the home of gospel and blues music, their doo-wop sound
2163-525: A successful racially mixed musical group during a period of time when such groups were rare. The Del-Vikings were formed in 1955 by members of the United States Air Force stationed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania , with Clarence Quick, Kripp Johnson , Don Jackson, Samuel Paterson, Bernard Robertson and guitarist Joe Lopes. Because all of the members were in the armed forces, the group constantly ran
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#17328523182802266-544: A successful solo career. Meanwhile, the original group had begun to fall apart. Gus Backus was re-stationed, and was replaced by the groups guitarrist "Joe Lopes". The Mercury Del Vikings recorded their last record in October 1958. By the end of 1959, Quick restructured the group with new talent from the Pittsburgh area—lead tenor, Billy G. Woodruff, Willie Green, Horace Douglas "Doug" White, and Ritzy Lee . Kripp Johnson returned to
2369-421: A white teen audience. In 1948, Jubilee Records signed the Orioles to a contract, following which they appeared on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scout radio show. The song they performed, "It's Too Soon to Know", often cited as the first doo-wop song, went to number 1 on Billboard' s "Race Records" chart, and number 13 on the pop charts, a crossover first for a black group. This was followed in 1953 by "Crying in
2472-537: Is a mixture of precedents in composition, orchestration, and vocals that figured in American popular music created by songwriters and vocal groups, both black and white, from the 1930s to the 1940s. Such composers as Rodgers and Hart (in their 1934 song " Blue Moon "), and Hoagy Carmichael and Frank Loesser (in their 1938 " Heart and Soul ") used a I–vi–ii–V -loop chord progression in those hit songs ; composers of doo-wop songs varied this slightly but significantly to
2575-404: The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time . The Dell-Vikings also released " Whispering Bells " in May 1957, another Clarence Quick song, with Kripp Johnson singing lead vocals. (The Dot label referred to Johnson as "Krips Johnson". ) "Whispering Bells" reached No. 5 on the U.S. R&B chart and #9 on the U.S. pop chart in 1957. "Whispering Bells" was featured in the 1986 film Stand by Me and
2678-745: The Motown Record Corporation in January 1959, were of either blues or doo-wop performances. " Bad Girl ", a 1959 doo-wop single by Robinson's group, the Miracles , was the first single released (and the only one released by this group) on the Motown label—all previous singles from the company (and all those following from the group) were released on the Tamla label. Issued locally on the Motown Records label, it
2781-494: The U.S. R&B chart and #9 on the U.S. pop chart in 1957. "Whispering Bells" was featured in the 1986 film Stand by Me and was included in the film's soundtrack. Johnson also sang lead vocals on the B-side "Don't Be A Fool". All of the group members, other than Kripp Johnson, were under 21 when they signed their recording contract with Fee Bee (a tiny Pittsburgh label, which was later distributed by Dot Records ). Having signed
2884-472: The United States Air Force stationed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania , with Clarence Quick, Kripp Johnson , Don Jackson, Samuel Paterson, Bernard Robertson and guitarist Joe Lopes. Because all of the members were in the armed forces, the group constantly ran the risk of being disrupted by members being stationed in other places. This happened soon after the group's forming when Paterson and Robertson were sent to Germany. They were replaced by baritone David Lerchey,
2987-659: The Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles. They, along with Bruce Tate and Curtis Williams, recorded the song "Earth Angel" (produced by Dootsie Williams), which rose to number one on the R&;B charts in 1954. Most of the Los Angeles doo-wop groups came out of the Fremont, Belmont , and Jefferson high schools. All of them were influenced by the Robins , a successful R&B group of the late 1940s and
3090-603: The "doomph, doomph" plucking of a double bass . The Orioles helped develop the doo-wop sound with their hits " It's Too Soon to Know " (1948) and " Crying in the Chapel " (1953). Although the musical style originated in the late 1940s and was very popular in the 1950s, the term "doo-wop" itself did not appear in print until 1961, when it was used in reference to the Marcels ' song, "Blue Moon", in The Chicago Defender , just as
3193-488: The 1950s doo-wop groups, and the Flamingos, who had national hits as well. In 1945, Joe Von Battle opened Joe's Record Shop at 3530 Hastings Street in Detroit; the store had the largest selection of rhythm and blues records in the city, according to a 1954 Billboard business survey. Battle, a migrant from Macon, Georgia, established his shop as the first black-owned business in the area, which remained primarily Jewish up to
The Del-Vikings - Misplaced Pages Continue
3296-401: The 1950s to its a capella vocals; the romantic style of the doo-wop groups appealed to them, as it was reminiscent of the traditional ballads and harmonies of Mexican folk music. In 1960, Art Laboe released one of the first oldies compilations, Memories of El Monte , on his record label, Original Sound . The record was a collection of classic doo-wop songs by bands that used to play at
3399-880: The 1950s who formed in San Francisco, or by other groups including the Flairs , the Flamingos (not the Chicago group) and the Hollywood Flames . Many other Los Angeles doo-wop groups of the time were recorded by Dootsie Williams' Dootone Records and by John Dolphin's Central Avenue record store, Dolphin's of Hollywood. These included the Calvanes, the Crescendos, the Cuff Linx, the Cubans, the Dootones,
3502-725: The Belmonts, and "Barbara Ann" by the Regents. Johnny Maestro, the Italian American lead singer of the interracial Bronx group the Crests, was the lead on the hit " Sixteen Candles ". Maestro said that he became interested in R&B vocal group harmony listening to the Flamingos, the Harptones , and the Moonglows on Alan Freed 's radio show on WINS in New York. Freed's various radio and stage shows had
3605-575: The Bronx . Judy Craig , fourteen years old, was the lead singer, singing with Patricia Bennett and Barbara Lee, both thirteen. In 1962, the girls met songwriter Ronnie Mack at the after-school center; Mack suggested they add Sylvia Peterson, who had sung with Little Jimmy & the Tops , to the group. The group was named the Chiffons when recording and releasing their first single, " He's So Fine ". Written by Mack, it
3708-469: The Bronx, who attended the Catholic St. Anthony of Padua School in the Bronx , where they were trained to sing Gregorian Chants . Their first recording was "He's Gone" (1958), which made them the first pop rock girl group to chart. Their second single, "Maybe" hit the charts, No. 15 on Billboard ' s Hot 100. In 1960, the Chiffons began as a trio of schoolmates at James Monroe High School in
3811-662: The Bronx; his mother was from North Carolina. Crier was a founding member of a doo-wop group called the Five Chimes, one of several different groups with that name, and sang bass with the Halos and the Mellows . Many years later he observed that there was a shift in the music sung on the streets from gospel to secular rhythm and blues between 1950 and 1952. New York was also the capital of Italian doo-wop, and all its boroughs were home to groups that made successful records. The Crests were from
3914-496: The Chapel", their biggest hit, which went to number 1 on the R&B chart and number 11 on the pop chart. The Orioles were perhaps the first of the many doo-wop groups who named themselves after birds. The sexual innuendo in the Orioles' songs was less disguised than in the vocal group music of the swing era. Their stage choreography was also more sexually explicit, and their songs were simpler and more emotionally direct. This new approach to sex in their performances did not target
4017-656: The Elegants , the Mystics , the Duprees , Johnny Maestro & the Crests , and the Regents . Some doo-wop groups were racially mixed. Puerto Rican Herman Santiago , originally slated to be the lead singer of the Teenagers , wrote the lyrics and the music for a song to be called "Why Do Birds Sing So Gay?", but whether because he was ill or because producer George Goldner thought that newcomer Frankie Lymon 's voice would be better in
4120-537: The Forgotten Third of Rock 'n' Roll ), identify five features of doo-wop music: While these features provide a helpful guide, they need not all be present in a given song for aficionados to consider it doo-wop, and the list does not include the aforementioned typical doo-wop chord progressions. Bill Kenny , lead singer of the Ink Spots, is often credited with introducing the "top and bottom" vocal arrangement featuring
4223-542: The Impalas , whose " Sorry (I Ran All the Way Home) " was a hit in 1959. Chico Torres was a member of the Crests, whose lead singer, Johhny Mastrangelo, would later gain fame under the name Johnny Maestro. Female doo-wop singers were much less common than males in the early days of doo-wop. Lillian Leach , lead singer of the Mellows from 1953 to 1958, helped pave the way for other women in doo-wop, soul and R&B . Margo Sylvia
The Del-Vikings - Misplaced Pages Continue
4326-847: The Jaguars, the Jewels, the Meadowlarks , the Silks, the Squires, the Titans, and the Up-Fronts. A few groups, such as the Platters and Rex Middleton's Hi-Fis, had crossover success. The Jaguars, from Fremont High School, was one of the first interracial vocal groups; it consisted of two African Americans, a Mexican American, and a Polish-Italian American. Doo-wop was popular with California Mexican Americans, who were attracted in
4429-928: The Lower East Side in Manhattan; Dion and the Belmonts, the Regents, and Nino and the Ebb Tides were from the Bronx; the Elegants from Staten Island; the Capris from Queens; the Mystics, the Neons, the Classics, and Vito & the Salutations from Brooklyn. Although Italians were a much smaller proportion of the Bronx's population in the 1950s than Jews and the Irish, only they had significant influence as rock 'n' roll singers. Young people of other ethnicities were listening to rock 'n' roll, but it
4532-458: The One You Love " and "Glow Worm") were generally slow songs in swing time with simple instrumentation. Doo-wop street singers generally performed without instrumentation, but made their musical style distinctive, whether using fast or slow tempos , by keeping time with a swing-like off-beat , while using the "doo-wop" syllables as a substitute for drums and a bass vocalist as a substitute for
4635-794: The Penguins , the Cadillacs' "Gloria", the Heartbeats' "A Thousand Miles Away", Shep & the Limelites' " Daddy's Home ", the Flamingos ' "I Only Have Eyes for You", and the Jive Five " My True Story ". Teenagers who could not afford musical instruments formed groups that sang songs a cappella , performing at high school dances and other social occasions. They rehearsed on street corners and apartment stoops, as well as under bridges, in high school washrooms, and in hallways and other places with echoes: these were
4738-414: The Still of the Night ", the Five Satins sang across the bridge with a plaintive "doo-wop, doo-wah". The vocal harmony group tradition that developed in the United States after World War II was the most popular form of rhythm and blues music among black teenagers, especially those living in the large urban centers of the East Coast , in Chicago, and in Detroit. Among the first groups to perform songs in
4841-469: The Swallows released "Beside You", their second national hit, which peaked at number 10 on the R&B chart. Some Baltimore doo-wop groups were connected with street gangs, and a few members were active in both scenes, such as Johnny Page of the Marylanders . As in all the major urban centers of the US, many of the teen gangs had their own street corner vocal groups in which they took great pride and which they supported fiercely. Competitive music and dance
4944-468: The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for the exclusive rights to perform as "The Del-Vikings" (The previous trademark expired in 2020). On August 22, 2023, Boulden's exclusive rights were approved without any objection or of being contested. (U.S. Trademark Reg. No. 7,147,212). Boulden now performs as the front man for "The Del-Vikings Doo-Wop Revue" which is named such, as being based on "The Truth in Music Act" - Int. CT. 41 - Class 41: Entertainment services in
5047-468: The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for the exclusive rights to perform as "The Del-Vikings" (The previous trademark expired in 2020). On August 22, 2023, Boulden's exclusive rights were approved without any objection or of being contested. (U.S. Trademark Reg. No. 7,147,212). Boulden now performs as the front man for "The Del-Vikings Doo-Wop Revue" which is named such, as being based on "The Truth in Music Act" - Int. CT. 41 - Class 41: Entertainment services in
5150-399: The USAF and his group could tour freely, while the original group needed to seek military leave in order to tour. Mercury sued, claiming it had sole rights to any spelling of the group's name, and the Dell-Vikings briefly became The Versatiles, with singles being billed to "Kripp Johnson and the Versatiles" or "Chuck Jackson and the Versatiles". The group broke up, with Chuck Jackson going on to
5253-415: The aim of getting signed to a record deal. The city of Chicago was outranked as a recording center in the United States only by New York City in the early years of the music recording industry . During the late 1940s and early 1950s, independent record labels gained control of the black record market from the major companies, and Chicago rose as one of the main centers for rhythm and blues music. This music
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#17328523182805356-401: The band and was replaced by Gus Backus , the group's second white member. The band's name was created by Clarence Quick. Some sources say that band members had read about Vikings with the prefix "Del" being "added to give the group name an air of mystery." Another suggestion is that Clarence Quick had known of a basketball team in Brooklyn, New York , called the Vikings and had suggested
5459-466: The band were experienced gospel singers in ensembles dating to the 1940s, and were one of the oldest groups to record during the era. Among the Du Droppers' most enduring songs are "I Wanna Know" and "I Found Out (What You Do When You Go Round There)", which both reached number three on the Billboard R&B charts in 1953. Frankie Lymon, lead vocalist of the Teenagers , was the first black teen idol who appealed to both black and white audiences. He
5562-438: The chord progression I–vi–IV–V , so influential that it is sometimes referred to as the ' 50s progression . This characteristic harmonic layout was combined with the AABA chorus form typical for Tin Pan Alley songs. Hit songs by black groups such as the Ink Spots (" If I Didn't Care ", one of the best selling singles worldwide of all time, and "Address Unknown") and the Mills Brothers (" Paper Doll ", " You Always Hurt
5665-424: The chorus of Carlyle Dundee & the Dundees' 1954 song "Never" (Space Records 201). The first hit record with "doo-wop" being harmonized in the refrain was the Turbans ' 1955 hit, "When You Dance" (Herald Records H-458). The Rainbows embellished the phrase as "do wop de wadda" in their 1955 "Mary Lee" (on Red Robin Records ; also a Washington, D.C. regional hit on Pilgrim 703); and in their 1956 national hit, " In
5768-585: The constraints of the built environment , to live in certain parts of New York City of the early 1950s. They identified with their own wards, street blocks and streets. Being effectively locked out of mainstream white society increased their social cohesion and encouraged creativity within the context of African American culture. Young singers formed groups and rehearsed their songs in public spaces: on street corners, apartment stoops, and subway platforms, in bowling alleys, school bathrooms, and pool halls, as well as at playgrounds and under bridges. Bobby Robinson ,
5871-405: The contract as minors, they had the right to be released from it. In 1957, under the direction of their manager, Alan Strauss, they left to record at Mercury Records . Johnson, who was still bound to Fee Bee/Dot, stayed, thus creating two Del-Vikings groups. The original group replaced Johnson with Quick's friend William Blakely and recorded the Backus-led song "Cool Shake". Kripp Johnson constructed
5974-447: The dances Laboe organized at Legion Stadium in El Monte, California , beginning in 1955. It included songs by local bands such as the Heartbeats and the Medallions . Laboe had become a celebrity in the Los Angeles area as a disc jockey for radio station KPOP , playing doo-wop and rhythm and blues broadcast from the parking lot of Scriverner's Drive-In on Sunset Boulevard . In 1962, Frank Zappa , with his friend Ray Collins, wrote
6077-417: The doo-wop song " Memories of El Monte ". This was one of the first songs written by Zappa, who had been listening to Laboe's compilation of doo-wop singles . Zappa took the song to Laboe, who recruited the lead vocalist of the Penguins, Cleve Duncan, for a new iteration of the group, recorded it, and released it as a single on his record label. Early doo-wop music, dating from the late 1940s and early 1950s,
6180-474: The doo-wop style during the late 1950s. Doo-wop groups also formed on the west coast of the United States, especially in California, where the scene was centered in Los Angeles. Independent record labels owned by black entrepreneurs such as Dootsie Williams and John Dolphin recorded these groups, most of which had formed in high schools. One such group, the Penguins, included Cleveland "Cleve" Duncan and Dexter Tisby, former classmates at Fremont High School in
6283-452: The end of 1959, Quick restructured the group with new talent from the Pittsburgh area—lead tenor, Billy G. Woodruff, Willie Green, Horace Douglas "Doug" White, and Ritzy Lee . Kripp Johnson returned to the original group, making them a sextet. 1960 they signed to ABC Records (ABC-Paramount). While the nucleus of the group was back, they weren't able to chart any more hits, and the group split up in 1965. The Del-Vikings were back in 1970 with
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#17328523182806386-419: The group was signed as the Teenagers with Lymon as lead singer. The song quickly charted as the number one R&B song in the United States and reached number six on the pop chart in 1956, becoming the number one pop hit in the United Kingdom as well. The Willows , an influential street corner group from Harlem, were a model for many of the New York City doo-wop acts that rose after them. Their biggest hit
6489-428: The group's first white member, and tenor Norman Wright. Wright had started a group with Lawrence "Prince" Lloyd called The Valverteens from Amarillo Air Force Base, Texas, before joining The Del-Vikings. Shortly after, Don Jackson left the band and was replaced by Gus Backus , the group's second white member. The band's name was created by Clarence Quick. Some sources say that band members had read about Vikings with
6592-461: The group's name, and the Dell-Vikings briefly became The Versatiles, with singles being billed to "Kripp Johnson and the Versatiles" or "Chuck Jackson and the Versatiles". The group broke up, with Chuck Jackson going on to a successful solo career. Meanwhile, the original group had begun to fall apart. Gus Backus was re-stationed, and was replaced by the groups guitarrist "Joe Lopes". The Mercury Del Vikings recorded their last record in October 1958. By
6695-406: The large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, Detroit, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles. It features vocal group harmony that carries an engaging melodic line to a simple beat with little or no instrumentation . Lyrics are simple, usually about love, sung by a lead vocal over background vocals, and often featuring, in the bridge ,
6798-517: The late 1940s. Young aspiring performers would gather there in hopes of being discovered by the leading independent record company owners who courted Battle to promote and sell records, as well as to find new talent at his shop and studio. Battle's record labels included JVB, Von, Battle, Gone, and Viceroy; he also had subsidiary arrangements with labels such as King and Deluxe. He supplied Syd Nathan with many blues and doo-wop masters recorded in his primitive back-of-the-store studio from 1948 to 1954. As
6901-405: The late 1950s and early 1960s, many Italian-American groups had national hits: Dion and the Belmonts scored with " I Wonder Why ", " Teenager in Love ", and " Where or When "; the Capris made their name in 1960 with " There's a Moon Out Tonight "; Randy & the Rainbows , who charted with their Top 10 1963 single "Denise" . Other Italian-American doo-wop groups were the Earls , the Chimes ,
7004-510: The latest hits in hopes that the store owners' connections with record companies and distributors might land them an audition. A King Records talent scout discovered the Swallows as they were rehearsing in Goldstick's record store. Sam Azrael's Super Music Store and Shaw's shoeshine parlor were also favored hangouts for Baltimore vocal groups; Jerry Wexler and Ahmet Ertegun auditioned the Cardinals at Azrael's. Some groups cut demos at local studios and played them for recording producers , with
7107-439: The lead, Santiago's original version was not recorded. To suit his tenor voice Lymon made a few alterations to the melody, and consequently the Teenagers recorded the song known as " Why Do Fools Fall in Love? ". Racially integrated groups with both black and white performers included the Del-Vikings , who had major hits in 1957 with " Come Go With Me " and " Whispering Bells ", the Crests, whose " 16 Candles " appeared in 1958, and
7210-442: The lyrics. Particularly productive doo-wop groups were formed by young Italian-American men who, like their black counterparts, lived in rough neighborhoods (e.g., the Bronx and Brooklyn), learned their basic musical craft singing in church, and would gain experience in the new style by singing on street corners. New York was the capital of Italian doo-wop, and all its boroughs were home to groups that made successful records. By
7313-404: The mid-1950s, vocal harmony groups had transformed the smooth delivery of ballads into a performance style incorporating the nonsense phrase as vocalized by the bass singers, who provided rhythmic movement for a cappella songs. Soon, other doo-wop groups entered the pop charts , particularly in 1955, which saw such cross-over doo-wop hits as " Sincerely " by the Moonglows , " Earth Angel " by
7416-422: The name. The name may also have originated from the popular Viking Press , publisher of paperbacks that group members liked to read. Their first hit came in 1957 with " Come Go with Me ", a Clarence Quick-penned song, released on Fee Bee Records as catalog number FB-205. In late January 1957, Dot Records re-released "Come Go With Me" as Dot 45–15538. The song was written by Clarence Quick. The song became
7519-457: The nature of live performances by a vocal group Principal Register - The mark consists of standard characters without claim to any particular font style, size or color - Ser. No. 97-442,100. Filed 06-03-2022 Doo-wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop ) is a subgenre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in
7622-430: The only spaces with suitable acoustics available to them. Thus they developed a form of group harmony based in the harmonies and emotive phrasing of black spirituals and gospel music. Doo-wop music allowed these youths not only a means of entertaining themselves and others, but also a way of expressing their values and worldviews in a repressive white-dominated society, often through the use of innuendo and hidden messages in
7725-416: The original group, making them a sextet. 1960 they signed to ABC Records (ABC-Paramount). While the nucleus of the group was back, they weren't able to chart any more hits, and the group split up in 1965. The Del-Vikings were back in 1970 with a near-original line-up of Clarence Quick, Kripp Johnson, Norman Wright, David Lerchey, and William Blakely. The group re-recorded their old hit for Scepter Records ;
7828-459: The pivotal recording mogul in the Detroit area, Battle was an important player in the independent label network. Jack and Devora Brown, a Jewish couple, founded Fortune Records in 1946 and recorded a variety of eccentric artists and sounds; in the mid-1950s they became champions of Detroit rhythm and blues, including the music of local doo-wop groups. Fortune's premier act was the Diablos , featuring
7931-400: The popular music of African Americans, treated it as their own, and were an appreciative audience for black doo-wop groups. Similarities in language idioms, masculine norms, and public comportment made it possible for African American and Italian American young men to mingle easily when societal expectations did not interfere. These cultural commonalities allowed Italian Americans to appreciate
8034-499: The prefix "Del" being "added to give the group name an air of mystery." Another suggestion is that Clarence Quick had known of a basketball team in Brooklyn, New York , called the Vikings and had suggested the name. The name may also have originated from the popular Viking Press , publisher of paperbacks that group members liked to read. Their first hit came in 1957 with " Come Go with Me ",
8137-770: The remainder of his life. Clarence E. Quick died on November 3, 1985, at the age of 48 David Lerchey (born in New Albany, Indiana ) died of cancer on January 29, 2005, in Hallandale, Florida , at age 67. Norman Wright died after a long illness on April 23, 2010, at age 72. Donald Edgar "Gus" Backus died on February 21, 2019, in Germering, Germany, at age 81. Corinthian "Kripp" Johnson died of cancer on June 22, 1990, in Detroit, Michigan, at age 57. Billy G. Woodruff died on January 26, 2019 Roalf E. "Ritzy" Lee died on June 27, 2020. On June 3, 2022, Kenneth Boulden, Jr United States Individual of Delaware filed an application with
8240-451: The risk of being disrupted by members being stationed in other places. This happened soon after the group's forming when Paterson and Robertson were sent to Germany. They were replaced by baritone David Lerchey, the group's first white member, and tenor Norman Wright. Wright had started a group with Lawrence "Prince" Lloyd called The Valverteens from Amarillo Air Force Base, Texas, before joining The Del-Vikings. Shortly after, Don Jackson left
8343-426: The singing of black doo-woppers in deterritorialized spaces, whether on the radio, on records, at live concerts, or in street performances. Dozens of neighborhood Italian groups formed, some of which recorded songs at Cousins Records, a record shop turned label, on Fordham Road. Italian American groups from the Bronx released a steady stream of doo-wop songs, including "Teenager In Love" and "I Wonder Why" by Dion and
8446-521: The so-called " Chitlin Circuit ", which served as a school of the performing arts for blacks who had migrated from the deep South , and even more so for their offspring. In the late 1940s, the Orioles rose from the streets and made a profound impression on young chitlin' circuit audiences in Baltimore. The group, formed in 1947, sang simple ballads in rhythm and blues harmony, with the standard arrangement of
8549-557: The soaring tenor of lead vocalist Nolan Strong, a native of Alabama. The group's most notable hit was " The Wind ". Strong, like other R&B and doo-wop tenors of the time, was profoundly influenced by Clyde McPhatter , lead singer of the Dominoes and later of the Drifters. Strong himself made a lasting impression on the young Smokey Robinson , who went out of his way to attend Diablo shows. In late 1957, seventeen-year-old Robinson, fronting
8652-627: The style's vogue was nearing its end. Though the name was attributed to radio disc jockey Gus Gossert, he did not accept credit, stating that "doo-wop" was already in use in California to categorize the music. "Doo-wop" is itself a nonsense expression. In the Delta Rhythm Boys ' 1945 recording, "Just A-Sittin' And A-Rockin", it is heard in the backing vocal . It is heard later in the Clovers ' 1953 release "Good Lovin'" (Atlantic Records 1000), and in
8755-564: The success of two teen groups from the Bronx, the Chantels and the Bobbettes . The six girls in the Bobettes, aged eleven to fifteen, wrote and recorded "Mr. Lee", a novelty tune about a schoolteacher that was a national hit. The Chantels were the second African-American girl group to enjoy nationwide success in the US. The group was established in the early 1950s by five students, all of them born in
8858-655: The vocal harmony group tradition were the Orioles , the Five Keys , and the Spaniels ; they specialized in romantic ballads that appealed to the sexual fantasies of teenagers in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The nonsense string of syllables, "doo doo doo doo-wop", from which the name of the genre was later derived, is used repeatedly in the song "Just A Sittin' And A Rockin", recorded by the Delta Rhythm Boys in December 1945. By
8961-511: The white teen audience at first—when the Orioles took the stage, they were appealing directly to a young black audience, with Sonny Til using his entire body to convey the emotion in the lyrics of their songs. He became a teen sex symbol for black girls, who reacted by screaming and throwing pieces of clothing onto the stage when he sang. Other young male vocalists of the era took note and adjusted their own acts accordingly. The Orioles were soon displaced by newer groups who imitated these pioneers as
9064-621: Was " Church Bells May Ring ", featuring Neil Sedaka , then a member of the Linc-Tones , on chimes . It reached number 11 on the US R&;B chart in 1956. Although they never had a national chart hit, the Solitaires , best known for their 1957 hit single " Walking Along ", were one of the most popular vocal groups in New York in the late 1950s. The heyday of the girl group era began in 1957 with
9167-534: Was Billy G. Woodruff, Roalf "Ritzy" Lee, Kripp Johnson, Clarence Quick, and Terry Young. Norman Wright, David Lerchey, and Wright's two sons, Norman Wright, Jr. and Anthony Wright performed as The Del Vikings for PBS show "Doo Wop 50" in 2000, and Wright toured and performed with his sons for the remainder of his life. Clarence E. Quick died on November 3, 1985, at the age of 48 David Lerchey (born in New Albany, Indiana ) died of cancer on January 29, 2005, in Hallandale, Florida , at age 67. Norman Wright died after
9270-425: Was Italian Americans who established themselves in performing and recording the music. While relationships between Italian Americans and African Americans in the Bronx were sometimes fraught, there were many instances of collaboration between them. Italian Americans kept African Americans out of their neighborhoods with racial boundary policing and fought against them in turf wars and gang battles , yet they adopted
9373-461: Was a New York venue from which some doo-wop groups gained national exposure. In 1948, the Orioles, then known as the Vibra-Nairs, went to the city with Deborah Chessler , their manager and main songwriter, and appeared on the show. They won only third place, but Godfrey invited them back twice. Chessler leveraged a few demo recordings the group had cut, along with the recent radio exposure, to interest
9476-718: Was a part of African American street culture, and with the success of some local groups, competition increased, leading to territorial rivalries among performers. Pennsylvania Avenue served as a boundary between East and West Baltimore, with the East producing the Swallows and the Cardinals and the Blentones , while the West was home to the Orioles and the Four Buddies . Baltimore vocal groups gathered at neighborhood record stores, where they practiced
9579-467: Was a vital source for the youth music called rock 'n' roll. In the mid-1950s, a number of rhythm and blues acts performing in the vocal ensemble style later known as doo-wop began to cross over from the R&B charts to mainstream rock 'n' roll. The Chicago record companies took note of this trend and scouted for vocal groups from the city that they could sign to their labels. The record labels , record distributors, and nightclub owners of Chicago all had
9682-635: Was almost always a cappella ; instrumental accompaniment was added when the songs were recorded. The large numbers of blacks who had migrated to New York City as part of the Great Migration came mostly from Georgia, Florida, and the Carolinas. In the 1940s black youths in the city began to sing the rhythm and blues styling that came to be known as doo-wop. Many of these groups were found in Harlem . Blacks were forced by legal and social segregation, as well as by
9785-544: Was born in Harlem, where he began singing doo-wop songs with his friends on the streets. He joined a group, the Premiers, and helped members Herman Santiago and Jimmy Merchant rewrite a song they had composed to create " Why Do Fools Fall In Love ", which won the group an audition with Gee Records . Santiago was too sick to sing lead on the day of the audition, consequently Lymon sang the lead on "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" instead, and
9888-725: Was especially popular in the Northeast industrial corridor from New York to Philadelphia, and New York City was the world capital of doo-wop. There, African American groups such as the Ravens, the Drifters, the Dominoes, the Charts , and the so-called "bird groups", such as the Crows, the Sparrows, the Larks, and the Wrens , melded rhythm and blues with the gospel music they had grown up singing in church. Street singing
9991-495: Was included in the film's soundtrack. Johnson also sang lead vocals on the B-side "Don't Be A Fool". All of the group members, other than Kripp Johnson, were under 21 when they signed their recording contract with Fee Bee (a tiny Pittsburgh label, which was later distributed by Dot Records ). Having signed the contract as minors, they had the right to be released from it. In 1957, under the direction of their manager, Alan Strauss, they left to record at Mercury Records . Johnson, who
10094-475: Was licensed to and released nationally by Chess Records because the fledgling Motown Record Corporation did not, at that time, have national distribution. "Bad Girl" was the group's first national chart hit, reaching number 93 on the Billboard Hot 100. Written by Miracles lead singer Smokey Robinson and Motown Records' president Berry Gordy, "Bad Girl" was the first of several of the Miracles' songs performed in
10197-556: Was more influenced by gospel and blues. Vee-Jay Records and Chess Records were the main labels recording doo-wop groups in Chicago. Vee-Jay signed the Dells , the El Dorados , the Magnificents , and the Spaniels, all of whom achieved national chart hits in the mid-1950s. Chess signed the Moonglows, who had the most commercial success (seven Top 40 R&B hits, six of those Top Ten ) of
10300-509: Was released on the Laurie Records label in 1963. "He's So Fine" hit No. 1 in the US, selling over one million copies. Public School 99, which sponsored evening talent shows, and Morris High School were centers of musical creativity in the Bronx during the doo-wop era. Arthur Crier, a leading figure in the doo-wop scene in the Morrissania neighborhood, was born in Harlem and raised in
10403-583: Was still bound to Fee Bee/Dot, stayed, thus creating two Del-Vikings groups. The original group replaced Johnson with Quick's friend William Blakely and recorded the Backus-led song "Cool Shake". Kripp Johnson constructed a new group with the returning Don Jackson, Chuck Jackson , Arthur Budd, and Ed Everette. This group recorded the Kripp Johnson-led " I'm Spinning ", billing themselves as the Dell-Vikings. Around this time, some old demo tracks had been sold to an up-and-coming record company, Luniverse, who overdubbed
10506-567: Was the lead singer for the Tune Weavers . Like other urban centers in the US during the late 1940s and early 1950s, Baltimore developed its own vocal group tradition. The city produced rhythm and blues innovators such as the Cardinals , the Orioles , and the Swallows . The Royal Theatre in Baltimore and the Howard in Washington, D.C. were among the most prestigious venues for black performers on
10609-534: Was titled "Come Go With The Del Vikings". Also one single was released from these Luniverse overdubs—"Somewhere Over The Rainbow"/ "Hey Senorita". For legal reasons the LP was pulled off the market shortly after its release in July 1957. Johnson's Dot group had an extra advantage—he had been discharged from the USAF and his group could tour freely, while the original group needed to seek military leave in order to tour. Mercury sued, claiming it had sole rights to any spelling of
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