Street Corner Soul 

Tuesdays: 2330-0000
26 August - 16 September 2008

Ronnie Spector explores the rise, fall and enduring influence of doo-wop.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the first doo-wop hit, The Orioles', It's Too Soon To Know.
 
The genre was born on street corners of New York City but soon spread across the US, and groups such as The Flamingos, Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs, and The Cadillacs, typically named themselves after birds, cars or precious stones.

Doo-wop exploded into the US charts, with hits such as In The Still Of The Night, Earth Angel and I Only Have Eyes For You.
 
Despite this success, the major labels remained uninterested. Instead, independent companies took advantage of the scene, often owning songs and artists outright.
 
The doo-wop bubble burst in the sixties with Beatlemania and the British musical invasion of the sixties. Yet the music never went away and a revival began in the seventies.

Ronnie talks to the musicians, the producers and the hustlers who made it happen, including Leonard Puzey of The Ravens, Deborah Chessler who wrote The Orioles' breakthrough hit, and writers Todd Baptista and Marv Goldberg.