Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A style of rhythm and blues popularized in the 1950s and characterized by words and nonsense syllables sung in harmony by small groups supporting the melody of the song.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music popular in the mid-1950s to the early 1960s in America.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a genre (usually a cappella) of Black vocal-harmony music of the 1950s that evolved in New York City from gospel singing; characterized by close four-part harmonies; the name derived from some of the nonsense syllables sung by the backup

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Imitative of the vocals in such music.]

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Examples

  • A style combining smooth vocal harmonies, romantic lyrics, and a stationary stage presence, doo-wop was invented in the 1940s by black youth on street corners, but it shot to the top of the pop charts in the late 1950s when Italian Americans adopted it as their own—just as most African American performers moved toward “soul music.”

    A Renegade History of the United States Thaddeus Russell 2010

  • From 1958, when Dion DiMucci and the Belmonts placed several songs on the pop charts, until the “British Invasion” of 1964, Italian American doo-wop groups dominated American popular music.

    A Renegade History of the United States Thaddeus Russell 2010

  • During the rise of doo-wop and Frank Rizzo, Malcolm X mocked the newly white Italians.

    A Renegade History of the United States Thaddeus Russell 2010

  • Elegance on the Harbor at National Harbor is a Columbus Day tribute to two local doo-wop acts.

    Going Out Guide: Nightlife agenda Post 2010

  • He had this a capella, '60s thing about him, and he obviously connected with my voice because he heard some of that doo-wop still in my voice.

    Mike Ragogna: Beyond Dirty Dancing & Semisonic : Conversations with Dan Wilson and Franke Previte Mike Ragogna 2010

  • In Moles' homely upstairs cafe area there's a complementary side order of 1950s and 60s dancehall classics with a beady eye on the shimmy and shake favourites of Motown and doo-wop.

    Clubs picks of the week 2011

  • And his Tex-Mex barn-burners "Demasiado Corazon" and "Spanish Stroll" go so far as to incorporate doo-wop and Dylanesque folk touches.

    Brilliant, Shook-Up Guy Marc Myers 2011

  • Elegance on the Harbor at National Harbor is a Columbus Day tribute to two local doo-wop acts.

    Going Out Guide: Nightlife agenda Going Out Guide 2010

  • Rockabilly and doo-wop provide the sturdy structures, with a nod to the skiffle of the Quarrymen as he sings "Long, long lost John" over the fade of "I'm Losing You", in a deliberate echo of Lonnie Donegan's version of a song borrowed from Woody Guthrie.

    The legacy of John Lennon Richard Williams 2010

  • It was a very interesting time because I was, at that time, in a doo-wop band.

    Mike Ragogna: Beyond Dirty Dancing & Semisonic : Conversations with Dan Wilson and Franke Previte Mike Ragogna 2010

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