So This Is Love is almost more romantic than Earth Angel. Earth Angel was reintroduced to the general public in Back To The Future. It is a great love song, but I like this one almost more the EA.
For the few that are interested, I am going to post a few more songs. Hope some of you contribute some rather unknown or favorite Doo Wop songs.
This first one is NOT a Doo Wop song. It was composed in 1976 and released in 1977, but the surprise is that the chorus repeats, “Doo Wop, Doobie doobie Wop” in a 1977 song.
Just discovered this group called Norman Fox and the Rob Roys. Kind of like this Doo Wop song that I just recently heard.
I was never into it before, but by coincidence I've spent some time listening to 1950s songs on cable radio lately, namely the Music Choice "Solid Gold Oldies" TV channel, and I was blown away by some of the doo-wop songs. I'd say my favorite single one was Danny and the Juniors "At the Hop."
Thanks for those 3 easy going Doo Wop songs, Bob. I've always been a fan of Tonight Tonight which reminded me of another song having Tonight in its title.
Wow Bob, you are amazing. I have NEVER heard of this group nor have I heard those two songs, and I listen to the Doo Wop station all the time. Thanks for posting these rare gems.
The Skyliners formed in Pittsburgh at the dawn of the rock 'n roll era. The vocal group shot to international fame in 1958 with its recording of "Since I Don't Have You," a song written by the members of the group with their manager, Joe Rock.
The single reached No. 12 on the Billboard pop chart and made the top 5 on the rhythm and blues chart. It has since become a pop standard, covered by artists ranging from Ronnie Milsap and Art Garfunkel to Guns 'n Roses and Ron Sexsmith.
The Skyliners just missed the Top 100 with their version of the Chuck Willis song "Close Your Eyes," which became a regional hit in Pittsburgh and other cities in 1961.
The Skyliners were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2002.
I knew "Since I Don't Have You," but I didn't recognize the other two songs. Also, I think I need to google the "Vocal Group Hall of Fame" that you mentioned. I didn't know of its existence. Thanks again.
Today, Dion turns 80 years old. His mastery of music began at a very early age on the mean streets of the Bronx, New York. It was in the bars and on the street corners of his neighborhood that Dion developed his skill and distinctive style. R&B, blues, doo-wop and rock and roll all influenced his approach, but it was country’s great singer-songwriter Hank Williams who first sparked Dion’s singing ambitions. Williams’ hard driving lonesome sound attracted the city boy. By age twelve, Dion had collected fifty of Hank’s singles and could sing them all by heart.
His natural talent was further honed on the stoops and on street corners of Crotona Avenue, where he rounded up other local singers, improvising a capella licks. Then in 1957 he brought the best of the neighborhood rockers together to form his group, Dion and the Belmonts, named after Belmont Avenue in the heart of the Bronx.
“I Wonder Why” was their first hit, and over the next two years the group earned a reputation not only for topping the charts but for creating some of the most vital and exciting doo-wop music on the American scene. With songs such as “A Teenager In Love” and “Where or When,” Dion and the Belmonts earned their place in the history books. They were pioneers in rock and roll, and they made music that has endured.
A national sensation, they toured extensively and were co-headliners on the 1959 Winter Dance Party, the tour that took the lives of Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and the Big Bopper (J. P. Richardson). Dion was, in fact, scheduled to fly in the fateful plane that went down. Buddy Holly had chartered the plane, which had room for two more passengers. In a closed dressing room, the four headliners met to see who was going to fly with Holly and which one would take the bus. The Big Bopper and Dion won a coin toss. Then Dion discovered that the flight would cost $36 — the exact amount of rent his parents paid monthly. Dion later said, “I couldn’t bring myself to pay a full month’s rent on a short flight. So I said, ‘Ritchie, you go.’ He accepted and took my seat. Only the four of us knew who was getting on that plane when we left the dressing room that night. Of those four, I was the only one who survived beyond February 3, 1959.”
Going solo in 1960, Dion racked up a string of number-one hits (backed by the uncredited Del Satins) that many still consider to be the best of the entire rock and roll era, from the rocker “Runaround Sue” to the anthemic “The Wanderer.” As the first rock and roll artist ever signed to Columbia Records, he continued his streak with such smashes as “Ruby Baby,” “Donna the Prima Donna” and “Drip Drop.”
In addition to the background singers, this Dion song from June 1962 is made unique by the use of a kazoo in the instrumental accompaniment, where normally one might expect a saxophone.
One of Dion’s biggest hits was “Runaround Sue,” released in September 1961. Seven months later, in April 1962, Dion released a sequel to the song, called “Lovers Who Wander.” The new song uses a variation on the same tune, but with different lyrics.
This song is from 1963.
In 1989 Dion was voted into the Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame. In 2000, at age 61, Dion used vintage recording equipment to recreate the sounds of doo wop with “Shu Bop (The Lost Track)”.
Dion may be the only first-generation rock and roll artist who has remained creative and relevant through the decades. In 1958, he had three top-40 hits. Nearly 50 years later, in 2007, he was nominated for a Grammy for his blues album “Bronx in Blue”.
Bill, that is wonderful information. I thought I owned all of Dion’s songs, but Shu Bop is a totally new one for me, and I like it.
Hard for me to grasp that he is now 80 years old. I would have loved to see him live in concert.
I remember watching the movie Sleeping With The Enemy, and it played Runaround Sue. My daughters recognized it because I played so much Dion (and Dion and the Belmonts) in our home. He was one of my favorite singers.
I love the Broadway play JERSEY BOYS which starts with some Doo Wop songs. Also, another musical play is BUDDY HOLLY which was very good on stage, and currently CHER is playing on Broadway. (I would not label her as Doo Wop.) Given Dion’s amazing career and the history you provided, I think Dion’s life and music would make a great musical play. Hope it happens.
I did not realize that Dion was at the Winter Dance Party. Wow. He must count his blessings.
I did not realize that Dion was at the Winter Dance Party. Wow. He must count his blessings.
Not too many people are aware of that. Some years back, Dion sat down with the folks at the Rock 'N' Rock Hall of Fame and gave a recounting of that tour and his part in it. It's a fascinating listen, if you have an hour to spare.
