Doo-Wop was all the rage in the 50s and early 60s for a few simple reasons. Making the song was fairly inexpensive as groups sang on urban street corner honing their craft, so there was very little cost for studio time. Secondly, the style of music allowed male singers with high voices to play the music game, so this style of music had strong appeal to a large base of singers. Doo-Wop could be sung by anyone regardless of color or level of masculinity.
One of our favorite Doo-Wop bands was The Diamonds. Contrary to popular belief, “Little Darlin” sung by the Diamonds was a cover of the Maurice Williams song when he was a member of the unknown group called the ‘Gladiolas’ from Crowley, LA in the late 50s. The Diamonds were formed by radio station engineer Dave Somerville, working in radio in Toronto in the early 50s. The unknown group tied for first in the New York Arthur Godfrey Talent Scouts show, never looking back.
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