Doo-Wop is a magical musical art form. It flourished through the fifties and early sixties but as other music styles gained momentum, it’s commercial success waned – though its legacy lived on in the sweet soul harmonies of countless groups and bands. And you, know, doo-wop itself has never really gone away. The form still has legions of fans and there are any number of artists and bands who still deliver those sharp, emotion- tugging harmonies. One such group is a five piece out of Staten Island, NYC – THE SPLENDIDS (below).
The quintet first came together in 1961 and were soon playing the clubs in and around the Big Apple. The emergence of soul and the British music invasion meant the doo-wop gigs became rarer and when two of the team were sent off to fight in Vietnam, the Splendids called it a day!
Fast forward now to last year when three of the five surviving original members decided to reconvene The Splendids. To help them out they enlisted soul singer Eamon to sing lead. Eamon is no stranger to doo-wop; he got his start in the music business touring the Northeast as a young boy with a group his father Walter formed in the 90’s. The new line up decided to cut some tunes and with the Los Angeles based producer and multi-instrumentalist Dan Ubick at the controls the Splendids recorded two superb doo-wop throwbacks – ‘Cry Baby Cry’ and ‘Blame My Heart’.
The songs have now won release on Colemine 7” and the disc’s sonic template fits the Colemine profile perfectly. The label’s music has often had a retro feel and it often cocks a snook at what is currently popular. Doo-wop might not be currently popular, but thanks to the Splendids and to paraphrase dear Curtis Mayfield, “doo-wop is strong in here”. Recommended!.
