Catting It Up In The Alleys

While I'm all for getting into new music, I always make sure that I always reserve a special place for the seminal genres that gave birth to the myriad musical styles we hear on the radio. One of the early musical styles that I still cherish to this day is Doo Wop. Yep, that genre where a bunch of cool cats (usually between three to five guys) with really cool voices cat it up. They do it in the alleys, in front of the barber shop, inside the malt shop, on stage, on TV. Hell, wherever they do it - and whatever decade they do it - dudes who do Doo Wop are alright by me.

Obviously, I wasn't even a twinkle in the eyes of my parents when Doo Wop first came out. But that just goes to show you how enduring REALLY good music can be. I'm barely familiar with the legendary Doo Wop groups (The Five Satins, The Coasters, The Four Aces) or the classic Doo Wop songs ("In The Still Of The Night", "Blue Moon") that left an indelible imprint on popular music as we now know it. But I have definitely felt their mark on the music I grew up with and the stuff I listen to today. I mean, back in the 80's, even ex-Van Halen lead howler David Lee Roth gave Doo Wop a tip of the hat with his scat refrain in his remake of "I'm Just A Gigolo".

Two of the latter-day Doo Wop songs that I really really love are Billy Joel's "For The Longest Time" (from the album "Innocent Man") and Stray Cats' "I Won't Stand In Your Way" (from the album "Rant N Rave With The Stray Cats"). [The latter, I know how to play on guitar!] While they're not exactly from the era that spawned Doo Wop, these guys definitely could give the originators a good run for their money. Watch, listen, and enjoy!

For The Longest Time - Billy Joel




I Won't Stand In Your Way - Stray Cats