Description
Book SynopsisIn Doo-Wop Acappella: A Story of Street Corners, Echoes, and Three-Part Harmonies, scholar and musician Lawrence Pitilli details this too-little-explored area of 1950's - early 60's American culture. As Kenny Vance and the Planotones suggested in their classic song Looking for an Echo, every doo-wop acapella group's missionthe search for a sound, a place to be in harmony, a place we almost foundwas more than the story of street kids seeking recording glory. It is the tale of urban change, mass migrations, ethnic acculturation, a changing radio and recording industry, and the dynamics of cultural change in the soundssonic and linguisticthat every generation seeks to make and re-make for itself. In his study of this neglected period, Pitilli uncovers a rich musical tradition practiced largely by amateurs in an almost mythologized urban America. Although most of these practitioners were musically untrained, their lack of formal music education and financial support neither diluted their p
Table of ContentsChapter 1: History in the Making: A Cappella and now…Acappella! Chapter 2: City Soundscapes: It Ain’t The Grand Ole Opry, That’s For Sure Chapter 3: Nonsense Syllables, Echoes, and the Sweet Science of It All: Who Put the Bomp? Chapter 4: Gender Roles in the Acappella Community: The Glass Ceiling Chapter 5: From Street Corners To Vinyl: A Tale of Supply and Demand Chapter 6: Song Selection in the Acappella World: Let’s Try Stormy Weather and Gloria First Chapter 7: Where Do We Go From Here?
