Post Doo Wop
(1964-1965)
Post Doo Wop Characteristics

By 1963 doo wop was over. Starting in 1962, fewer songs with doo wop characteristics were heard. Instruments such as lead guitar and bass guitar, replacing falsetto and bass voices., made their way into the music. The wide range of voices found in doo wop were gone, replaced often by singing in unison. Background singers responded to the lead singer with words, rather than nonsense syllables.

Some groups made a smooth transistion from doo wop to another type of music. The Tokens had a doo wop standard in "Tonight I Fell In Love," while their later songs featured heavier instrumentation and pop styling. The Beach Boys started their career singing "surf doo wop" at the tail end of the era, but made their mark in later years. Many Motown stars started in the doo wop era before moving on. The Four Tops started as the Four Sims, the Supremes as the Primettes, Gene Chandler with the Dukays anf both Jerry Butler and Curtis Mayfield with the Impressions.

With surf musc, the Philadelphia Sound, and with the British Invasion, the evolution that took place was solely a musical one. In the case Motown, Soul and Folk music, political and social factors played a large part. As the 1960s progressed, African-Americans began to exert a greater influence in social and political areas. Conservate views were replaced by liberalism. The change in culture supported a change in music. Social strife and political statements found their way into song. The innosence and innocent lyrics of doo wop faded. The soul music that evolved was sung with higher voices, with frequent falsettoes and melisa. The bass took a back seat and nonsense syllables disappeared. The music grew emotionally closer to gospel music.

As amplication of instruments got better, lead, bass anf rhythn guitars assumed more importance in music. Stereo sound, allowing previously unheard sound effects, gave an added boost to instrumentation. Starting with the Beatles groups became self-contained. They played their own instruments so muscians did not need to be hired. Most members of doo wop groups were not musically inclined and were lost in this new musical world.

Compared to the new sounds available by 1963, the doo wop sound reeked of old age. Competing with the ears of teens with the Beatles, Beach Boys, Temptations etc., was a losing battle. The vacuum created as doo wop died was quickly filled. Over the years isolated doo wop efforts were noteworthy hits such as "Whenever A Teenager Cries" by Reperata and the Delrons, "May I" by Bill Deal and the Rondells, "Morse Code Of Love" by the Capris,"For The Longest Time" by Billy Joel. Doo wop ballads were issued by post-era groups like Cannnibal and the Headhunters ("Show You How To Make Love To Me") the b-side of "Land Of A Thosand Dances" and the Orlons ("Heart Darling Angel"), but overall the game was over.

Doo wop had the distincion of fading from the public eye more than once. It lived twice and died twice. In the early 1950s, it became popular because it appealed to a newly awaken teen generation. At that time it was new and different, which fit into a teenager's need to appear new and different. As it began to waned in the late 1950s, it was given new life for a run in early 60s. with slightly different characteristics. Then a host of new genres overwhelmed it and it died.