The Characteristics of Doo-wop
Group Name Trends
Doo-wop has many recurring themes in both group names and in the lyrical subject matter. Group names such as the “bird groups” (the Orioles, the Ravens, the Robins, the Cardinals, the Crows, etc.), the “flower groups” (the Clovers, the Carnations, the Orchids), the “car groups” (the El Dorados, the Cadillacs, the Chryslers, the Edsels), the “gem groups” (the Jewels, the Rubies, the Diamonds), the “tone groups” (the Harptones, the Monotones, the Aquatones) and then there are the “kiddie acts” like Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers, Lewis Lymon & the Teenchords and finally the very successful “girl groups” like the Bobbettes, the Chantels and the Shirelles. (For more info, please see the individual articles on the doo-wop groups).
Nonsense Words or Syllables
There are several characteristics that distinguish doo-wop from group vocal harmony. First, doo-wop’s most distinctive feature is the use of nonsense syllables. Many different nonsense words or syllables (or “scat words”) were used like “Ooh-Wah”, “Doh-doh”, “Rama Lama”, “Ditty Bop”, “Ting-a-Ling”, “Dip-dip-dip”, “Dum-dum-dum”, “Shang-a-Lang” and of course “Doo-wop”, just to name a very few. The phrasings of the syllables are very rhythmic and “signify” or imitate musical instruments and propel the music. Much of doo-wop’s nonsense syllables were influenced by “scat singing”, which was introduced to music by a ragtime singer Gene Greene, jazz singer Al Jolson, and Louis Armstrong, the great Jazz trumpet, and cornet player, who made scat singing famous with the song “Heebie Jeebies” back in 1926.
Close Harmony
Next, doo-wop is obviously a genre that must have multiple voices. For the most part, for a song to be in a doo-wop style, there have to be two or more voices, up to six. Sometimes an artist is credited as the sole artist for a particular song to attract an audience, but for that song to be considered doo-wop the artist has to incorporate backup singers to all sing along in harmony together or in syncopated harmonies such as Hank Ballard & the Midnighters or Otis Williams & the Charms.
Harmony can be sung together as the same pattern of words or syllables or they can be syncopated patterns (different voices singing in different rhythms and not in unison but in a related key). This allows for great complexity in experimentation of harmony and rhythm. Although doo-wop is thought to be simplistic in its construct, the singers make it seem to be simple when in reality it is very complex and takes a lot of practice.
Doo-wop has a wide range of voices such as the lead voice (usually a tenor), one or more tenor voices, baritone voice(s), a bass voice and many sometimes a falsetto voice. The blending of the voices in harmony and rhythm are generally a cappella or with a simple band playing as an accompaniment. Doo-wop is considered urban music, which means it takes advantage of halls, stairways, subways and alleyways in the city, which provided natural reverb or echo effects. These “effects” helped provide louder volume and enhancement of the voices to blend and mix together.
The lead voice (and the other voices as well) often uses what is called a melisma (derived from gospel music), that is when you sing a word or syllable in several notes. A good example of a melisma is the song “The Great Pretender” by the Platters with the opening line “Oh-ooh-oh, yes, I’m the great pretender” which is one of the most well-known doo-wop songs of all time.
Another distinctive feature of the doo-wop groups is their “close harmonization” of three or more voices. Close harmony is when all voices sing close together, in what are called chords, instead of a spread out chord pattern. See the two figures below for the contrast.
To understand harmony, we need a brief simple lesson in theory. The above two figures are examples of the chord of C major. The bottom notes in both figures are “Middle C” which identifies the chord as C. C major is comprised of three notes sung together, spelled out as “C, E, G” for three voices. The top figure is a “close harmony” example of a C chord. The bottom figure is also a C chord except the voices are spread out as “C, G, and high E”. Much of this close harmony music in doo-wop style is similar in construction to the “Barber Shop Quartet” style of vocal harmony.
Voices in doo-wop are similar to opera. There is a hierarchy based on tones from high to low. Opera incorporates (from high to low) soprano, mezzo-soprano, contra-alto, alto, “castrato”, tenor, baritone and bass voices, but they use many more voices than the Doo-Wop groups and use both sexes to sing in the same choir.
Incidentally, the term castrato refers to the practice of castrating a male singer before puberty to maintain the high tone of voice at or near soprano, mezzo-soprano, and contra-alto. The practice had been used in the early Byzantine Empire around 400 CE and also in mid-sixteenth century Italy when opera was in its heyday.
Doo-Wop uses on the other hand (from high to low) uses, the falsetto voice; the high tenor, lead or first tenor voice; sometimes a second tenor voice; baritone voice; and finally a bass voice. Generally, Doo-Wop groups have to have two or more voices, but not exceeding five or six voices. Usually, the Doo-Wop groups will be either all male or all female with few exceptions of having both sexes represented in a single group, such as the Platters or the Fleetwoods.
The individual Voices
The Lead – The lead is often a tenor or high tenor. However, in the early years of doo-wop (1950-1954), the bass voice sometimes carried the “lead” role. More often than not, the lead is a first tenor who gets most of the attention in singing the verses and the chorus, some great examples of the tenor voice is that of Clyde McPhatter of the Dominoes and then later the Drifters, Hank Ballard (& the Midnighters), Otis Williams (& the Charms) on through to Ben E. King (of the early 60s era Drifters). Some notable high tenors were as high as castratos (although they were not literally castrated), like the teenage Frankie Lymon (& the Teenagers) and his brother Lewis Lymon (& the Teenchords) as well as Michael Jackson when he was just a kid in the early 1970s with the Jackson Five were all high enough for castrato. At the beginning of Doo Wop, the bass voice was the lead singer of the song which took up the verses such as Bill Brown of the Dominoes on the song “Sixty Minute Man”.
The Falsetto – The falsetto voice is used quite a lot in doo-wop with mostly slow ballad songs, although it is used in many fast-paced songs as well. The falsetto would sometimes lead. However, it usually runs above the lead or in a harmonic context along with the other voices of the chorus. Occasionally, the falsetto could be doubled up by the lead or one of the other voices to add more dimensions to the harmony (or it could be sung by a female in a mixed gender group). Frequently the falsetto is used generously in the intros and endings of the song. Maithe Marshall of the Ravens was influential in pioneering the style of falsetto that was to be used by many of the doo-wop groups that were to come after.
The Chorus (Tenors & Baritones) –
The chorus (not to be confused with “the” chorus of a song) is a mix of many varieties of tonal textures with many different colors and mixes between tenor, mezzo and baritone voices. The chorus also incorporates alto and soprano voices as well with mix gender groups. The basic point of the chorus is that it is the foundation, the skeleton on which the music rests its harmony and a wide range of vocal colors. Harmony is a lot harder to accomplish than it sounds and these groups make it look easy.
The Bass – The Bass often starts a song and is used on a lot of the fast-paced songs. Although there are many cases where the bass is used in slow ballads as well, the bass tends to be separate from the rest of the chorus, running under the lead and the other voices. Influential, in the development of the “doo-wop” bass vocal style, were Hoppy Jones of the Ink Spots (spoken bass parts) on “Tune In on My Heart ” and Jimmy Ricketts of the Ravens taking the lead on “Write Me A Letter” in 1/10/1948. Showing the importance of the Inks Spots, the Ravens and the Orioles in providing the blueprint for the mid-50s to early 60s styles in doo-wop.