Top TEN Classic Doo Wop Songs of All Time

The Doo Wop time period existed from the early 1950s until 1960, it was a very fertile market for new sounds and new artists. America was being exposed to Elvis Presley, Bobby Darin, Debbie Reynolds and The McGuire Sisters just to name a few.

However there was this unusual melodic, street corner harmony emanating from the New York-Philadelphia area that made you stop and listen to the styling and infectious music that was unlike anything else on the radio.

It was called Doo-Wop music and it didn't start to receive mainstream airplay until it's explosion was just about over.

My Top Ten will give you a basic taste and feel for the music that was as original as the MoTown sound when it had it's day at the top of  the record charts.

1.- "Whispering Bells"--by The Dell-Vikings--The perfect Doo Wop Song in my opinion. This song has everything from a tremendous beat to harmonious perfection. The Dell-Vikings were a group from Pittsburgh, PA whose songs were recognized finally in 1957. This song peaked at #11 in the mid-summer of that year.

2."Angel Baby"--Rosie and the Originals- A Pop goup that was formed in the late 1950s on the west coast, San Diego to be exact. This was their one and only hit song, after 12 weeks on the Billboard Top 100, it finally topped out at #5.

3."I Wonder Why"-- Dion and the Belmonts- One of the most popular groups of the period, Dion formed his group in 1958. They all hailed from New York and they met success very quickly . I Wonder Why" was their first single, it only got to #22 on the Billboard Hot 100, but over time it has turned into a Doo Wop Classic. The Belmonts released a few more records that were more successful such as "Teenager In Love" before Dion decided to branch out on his own to a very successful solo career. The Belmonts also kept recording but not even close to Dion's success.

4. "You Belong To Me"-- Duprees A Doo Wop group that hit the music scene late by Doo Wop standards, this Jersey quartet re-released a #1 hit by Jo Stafford in 1952 and got their version to #7 after 9 weeks on the charts in 1962.

5. "Blue Moon"--The Marcels--Yet another group from the fertile city of Pittsburgh, PA . The Marcels were made up of 7 singers who blended really well together. They reached way back to 1935 to give this song a Doo-Over as it performed just like the prior song jumping to #1 in 1961 and staying there for 3 weeks.

6. "Sixteen Candles"--The Crests--A Group of singers from Manhattan got together to make their style of music in 1957. Johnny Maestro was a member of the Crests (he later went on to form the Brooklyn Bridge) as well as was Luther Vandross' sister Patricia. "Step By Step" abother Crest song just missed making my list.

7."Denise"--Randy and the Rainbows- Another One-Hit wonder that managed to get the stars to align and create the perfect song. A quintet of 2 sets of brothers, the Salutos & the Zeros along with Ken Arcipowski hit with this #10 song in the summer of 1963.

8."Come Go With Me"--The Dell-Vikings- I know AGAIN...but they were that good, at least to my ears. This song was on the chartsfor 22 weeks finally peaking out at #9. It is still a doo wop classic that you never tire of hearing.

9."Little Star"- The Elegants- A quintet of Italian harmonizers from Staten Island who managed to record a classic hit that wemt all the way to Number 1 in 1958 after it lingered for 16 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. It turned out to be their only hit song...but what a song!

10."Pretty Little Angel Eyes"-Curtis Lee & the Halos- Still another One-Hit Wonder as Curtis Lee out of Arizona used the backup singers of the Halos and the production of Phil Spector (yes THAT Phil Spector) to coax this great song to reach # 7 in the summer of '61.

There you have My List of favorite Doo Wop songs, I know someone will argue that a couple are not true doo wop but put them all on a CD and listen as it takes you back to a more simpler time when music had magic.