During the 1950s young people sometimes gathered together on street corners to sing and hang outo. Like Hip-Hop today, their songs and style became popular - and doo-wop was born. Doo-wop is a type of rhythm and blues combining nonsense syllables with lyrics in intricate, harmonic arrangements. It is done a capella, meaning voices without additional musical instruments. Bringing their own contemporary style to the tunes from the 50s and 60s, The Alley Cats breathe new life into doo-woop classics, including Sh-Boom, which is featured in this unit. Lessons instruct students how to create rhythm patterns and nonsense patter to create their own songs in the Doo-wop style. The main universal theme throughout is Enduring Values.
Listen to the audio for Sh-Boom (may take a few seconds to load, depending on your internet speed):
If you are having issues playing back the audio track on your PC, you may need to install the QuickTime plugin, available here.
All videos, audio tracks, and artwork on this page are for educational use only and is not to be reproduced.
Credits:
Audio courtesy of Warner/Chappell Music, Inc. and The Alley Cats.
We’d like your feedback! Please email any comments, suggestions, questions, or concerns about these resources to education@musiccenter.org. Questions? Please call us at (213) 972-3392 or email ablaisdell@musiccenter.org.