Knowra Doo-wop Doo-wop Doo-wop is a vocal rhythm-and-blues and rock-and-roll style, especially popular in the 1950s. It features close harmonies, simple lyrics, and nonsense-syllable backing vocals.
Close harmony : A vocal or instrumental texture in which notes sound near one another in pitch. Doo-wop groups use tightly spaced parts to create their characteristic blended sound.
Rhythm and blues : A popular music genre developed by African American artists, combining elements of blues, jazz, and gospel. Doo-wop emerged within rhythm and blues and carried its vocal and rhythmic sensibilities into pop.
The Orioles : An American vocal group whose early rhythm-and-blues hits helped establish the postwar vocal-group sound. Their success with “It's Too Soon to Know” made them foundational to doo-wop's early history.
“Sh-Boom” : A 1954 song recorded by the Chords and later popularized by the Crew-Cuts. Its nonsense-syllable refrain became an emblem of doo-wop and crossed into the pop charts.
Rock and roll : A popular music genre that developed in the United States during the 1950s from rhythm and blues, country, and other traditions. Doo-wop became one of rock and roll's major vocal-group forms during the genre's rise.
Vocal percussion : The imitation of percussion sounds using the human voice. Singers use syllables such as “sh-boom” to supply rhythmic backing without instruments.
Gospel music : Christian music rooted in African American worship traditions, marked by expressive singing and strong group participation. Gospel's vocal intensity and group interplay helped shape doo-wop performance.
The Moonglows : An American rhythm-and-blues vocal group known for close harmonies and influential recordings in the 1950s. Their records exemplify the style's richly blended group vocals.
“Why Do Fools Fall in Love” : A 1956 hit by Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, written by Lymon, Herman Santiago, and Jimmy Merchant. Its youthful lead and buoyant group backing capture a central doo-wop sound.
Girl groups : Pop vocal groups, often composed of young women, that became prominent in the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Doo-wop's group harmonies and lead-backing format informed many early girl-group records.
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