Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Let's get started

In the late forties there were some popular Black groups that were becomming known around the country for their tight harmony; The Ink Spots, The Mills Brothers, and The Orioles of Baltimore. The Orioles were one of the first groups to appear on TV, thanks to Auther Godfrey a white variaty show host. These groups were soon imitated by groups like The Platters, who were on of the first group that I can find that use the do-wop in the background of a song. The sound became popular with kids on the street that were trying to sing the popular songs of the day. They sang acapella, and their voices had to fill in where the insruments would have been. Do-wops and sha-booms became staples of the street music. Do-wop became so popular that as new groups started recoding they used the do-wop background even when they had instruments. As we move along with this blog we will highlight some of these groups and their contribution to do-wop and rock and roll.