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):

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.