Hams TOP 10 Songs of the Doo Wops era

[Green Jets & Ham]

I watched American Graffiti last night and it gave me the impetus to post a TOP 10 list.

Yes its before my time, but I think the music was terrific and I know enough to compile a list.


HAMS TOP 10 (no particular order):


#1 - LITTLE DARLIN' (The Diamonds)



#2 - RUNAROUND SUE (Dion and the Belmonts)



#3 - COME GO WITH ME (The Del Vikings)



#4 - RUNAWAY (Del Shannon)



#5 - SMOKE GETS IN YOUR EYES (The Platters)

 

[Green Jets & Ham]

#6 - SINCE I DON'T HAVE YOU (The Skyliners)



#7 - THERE'S A MOON OUT TONIGHT (The Capris)



#8 - WHISPERING BELLS (The Del Vikings)



#9 - THE WANDERER (Dion and the Belmonts)



#10 - TONIGHT COULD BE THE NIGHT (The Velvets)

 

[sg3]

The top three on any list


1. In the Still of the Night...Fred Parris and the Five Satins

2. Earth Angel..The Penguins


3. Sincerely. .The Moonglows

With all due respect, while your list is a good one, IMO a few too many Caucasian covers of African American doowop originals for my taste

 

[Green Jets & Ham]

sg3

Would the Shirelles and Ronettes be considered Doo Wops, or is that more like the start of 60's soul music and R&B?

I love this one by the Shirelles:

 

[sg3]

Going only from the memory of an old pre alzheimers patient and a Jet fan to boot

But the Shirelles were definitely genuine 50s R&B. Ronettes may have been more in the latter period

 

[Green Jets & Ham]

sg3,

I used to listen to WCBS FM back in the day, when it was the oldies station and they played mostly Doo Wops, thats how I know most of this stuff even though it was before my time. I was like the only kid in my H.S. who was into 50's music.

Anyway WCBS used to do a TOP 500 Oldies Countdown every year, as voted by the listeners, and "In the Still of the Night" (Five Satins) annually came in first. Earth Angel always placed in the TOP 5 or TOP 10 too.

BTW that Shirelles song I posted was written and produced by Burt Bacharach.

 

[The Wicker Man]

You guys are old!

 

[NewMFS62]

Silhouettes
Get a Job

Later

 

[Green Jets & Ham]

You guys are old!

LOL this music was made before I was born, I'm not THAT OLD, I just happen to really like it.

Do you not like it, wicker?

 

[The Wicker Man]

LOL this music was made before I was born, I'm not THAT OLD, I just happen to really like it.

Do you not like it, wicker?

Just busting chops, I'm probably older than you! I can listen in small doses.

 

[NewMFS62]

At The Hop (Danny and the Juniors)
I used to rush home on Monday night, and write down the top 40 , as counted down on WINS or WABC when they were music stations.
Before that came on, I'd be on my knees in front of my TV, watching the Mickey Mouse Club, trying to look up Annette's skirt.

BTW, I lived in Mount Vernon NY for 2 years. I went to A.B.Davis High School (Its now a Jr, High). At the center of the main hall was a picture of their most famous graduate. We passed it every day. It was Dick Clark.

Later

 

[The Wicker Man]

I'd be on my knees in front of my TV, watching the Mickey Mouse Club, trying to look up Annette's skirt.

Later

Hysterical! :roflmao:

 

[Bigmoe]

sg3,

I used to listen to WCBS FM back in the day, when it was the oldies station and they played mostly Doo Wops, .

Don K. Reed
The Doo Wop Shop
Played the best of Doo Wop and I mean hard core not all commercial success.
Here's a few of my favs
You can't leave the Duprees off that list
My own true love
Gloria - the cadilacs
Gee- the crests , Johnny Maestro
Whispering Bells,,the del vikings
The Stroll - the diamonds
That's My Desire- dion and the Belmont's or the Channels
Daddy’s Home Shep and the limelights
She Cried - jay and the Americans
Long Lonely Nights - lee Andrews and the hearts
Daddy Cool- the Rays
Hushabye - the Mystics
Oh man I could go on all night
One my wife loved
A casual look- the six- teens

 

[Green Jets & Ham]

Bigmoe, thats a great list, but I also had Whispering Bells on my initial list (see #8).

I had two Del Vikings songs in my TOP 10, Come and Go With Me, and Whispering Bells.

The only other group that placed two songs in my TOP 10 was Dion and the Belmonts, and I easily could have put two or three more. Without a doubt Dion and the Belmonts is my favorite Doo Wops group.

The Beatles, Elvis, Sinatra, all of those guys were Dion fans. In fact the only two American singers on the Beatles famous Sgt. Peppers album cover are Bob Dylan and Dion.

 

[Bigmoe]

Ham ,
I really wasn't going for a complete different list
Just some of my Favs , which included whispering bells from your list ( so we have something in common linked to the 50s!)
I also loved the music back in HS
American Graffeti great film which I own , hope you watched it on Blu-Ray

Dions Love came to me....excellent!
I'm biased to Italian American singers

 

[Green Jets & Ham]

Dions Love came to me....excellent!
I'm biased to Italian American singers

He's my favorite Italian singer ever, with all due respect to Sinatra, but Dion DiMucci is my guy.

Young people today have no idea how HUGE Dion was in the 50's and early 60's, or how influential he was on the next generation of musicians. Lou Reed introduced Dion into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1989 (with awe), and the audience was stacked with many of the best musicians, past and present, who idolized Dion growing up, including Springsteen. And then, after the Doo Wops ended and at the tail end of the turmoil and assassinations that defined the 60's, what does Dion do, he records what became the preeminent anthem for the 60's, his classic; "Abraham, Martin and John."



GREAT artist from the Bronx (Belmont Ave.), and he had an amazing journey. For example, did you know he was supposed to be on that plane that went down with Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Richie Valens? They flipped a coin for who would get the last seat on a four seater and Dion won, but he grew up dirt poor and was reluctant to spend 36 dollars (lotta money back then) for what would otherwise be a few hours drive, so he passed on the seat and Richie Valens took it.

 

[Green Jets & Ham]

For example, did you know he was supposed to be on that plane that went down with Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Richie Valens? They flipped a coin for who would get the last seat on a four seater and Dion won, but he grew up dirt poor and was reluctant to spend 36 dollars (lotta money back then) for what would otherwise be a few hours drive, so he passed on the seat and Richie Valens took it.

Dion tells the whole story here, the real backstory of the events leading up to the plane crash, and he's a great storyteller, its fascinating the way he tells this story and you really learn a lot about that era for performers.

 

[Bigmoe]

You guys are old!

Hey now sonny

Dion tells the whole story here, the real backstory of the events leading up to the plane crash, and he's a great storyteller, its fascinating the way he tells this story ]

Yes , I have to watch it
I do remember seeing Waylon Jennings talk about that nite
"After a show in Clear Lake, Iowa, on February 2nd, Holly decided to charter a plane for himself, guitarist Tommy Allsup and Jennings so they could fly to Fargo, North Dakota, instead of taking the long, frozen bus trip. Richardson, who was suffering from the flu, asked Jennings for his seat on the plane, and Valens asked the same of Allsup. When Jennings told Holly that he was going to take the bus, Holly jokingly told him he hoped the bus broke down, to which Jennings replied, "I hope your ol' plane crashes."

 

[Green Jets & Ham]

Bigmoe,

Dion tells a slightly different story, one that disputes some of Waylon's claims.

Dion, Holly, Velens and the Big Bopper (Richardson) were the four headline acts on that tour through the midwest. For the tour they had a bus, but the bus started breaking down in the dead of winter and the weather was bad. According to Dion, Holly chartered a plane that night for the headliners; himself, Dion, Valens and the Bopper, because those were the guys who were making the big bucks and could afford it. At that time Waylon was not famous, he was just a sessions musician, so he couldn't even afford it. So basically we have two different accounts, its possible that Waylon really believes he could have had one of those seats if he wanted it, but Dion's account rings more true too me.