Doo-wop music started in the 1950s when kids sang songs on street corners. And it it’s still going strong in 2018 with Villagers singing songs in a gazebo.
At least that’s how it is for the Doo-Wop on the Porch group that has been gathering for Saturday morning sing-a-longs since 2010.
“When you use the term ‘oldies’ in The Villages, you’re not just talking about music,” said doo-wop aficionado Dale Abbott. “You’re also talking about the people here who grew up with this music.”
The people and the music grew old together, he said.
The sun was shining brightly in the gazebo, across from the Sonny’s BBQ restaurant near Lake Sumter Landing Market Square. Abbott was there with about 20 doo-woppers who turned out for the regular Saturday morning sing-along, from 9:30 a.m. until 11 a.m. There are no dues, membership rules or board meetings. All you have to do in this Villages club is sing the old songs, play records and talk doo-wop.
On this warm, sunlit June morning – as bicyclists rode down a path and golf carts buzzed up and down Canal Street – the air surrounding the gazebo was filled with a gentle, doo-wop musical breeze.
The songs included: “You’re So Fine,” by the Falcons; “Try the Impossible,” by Lee Andrews and the Hearts and “What’s Your Name” by Don and Juan. The local singers were Ron Vieira, Denny Iwago and Joe Baltzell.
All of a sudden – listening to the music – it didn’t seem like 2018 anymore.
“This music is about time and place,” said Ellen Conover, who sings doo-wop with fellow Villager Tony Pacheco. “This music has to last. It’s in your heart and soul.”
It was that way for Bob Mitchell, one of the founders of Doo-Wop on the Porch. Mitchell and the other four founders – Dennis Black, Don Rae, Bob Landolfi and John Pillar – love the music and wanted to make it part of their Villages’ lifestyle.
“So we started getting together every Saturday morning at Panera’s,” Mitchell said. It started with those five guys but soon 20 and 30 people or more were regularly showing up.
It was too big for Panera’s porch, Mitchell said, so they moved it to the gazebo. Now, during snowbird season, sometimes the gathering can host 50 to 100 people.
Also, the fans and performers get together for bigger events. Village Bandstand productions will feature a “One Summer Night” dance on June 22, from 6 until 10 p.m. at La Hacienda Regional Recreation Center. It is open to the public.
“It’s another way to support this music,” said Fred Azack, of Village Bandstand productions.
Mitchell believes such support is plentiful here. “We started this because we were purists and wanted to keep the real doo-wop music alive,” he said.
PBS added to the popularity by regularly broadcasting doo-wop and oldies concerts. Abbott even has his own doo-wop internet radio show. It’s called “Dale’s Dusty Discs,” heard Monday nights, 7-9 p.m. at http://rememberthenradio.com.
What makes doo-wop unique?
“It has a raw sound, especially on the original mono records,” Mitchell said. “It’s like vinyl records; this music is unique and people want it because it’s the real.”
Doo-wop isn’t just a guy thing.
“There are so many great girl groups from that era,” said Gloria Muratore. She sings in a Villages girl group called the Chicklettes, along with Dina Campbell and Jo Gagne. Their set list includes songs by the Shirelles’ (“Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow”) and the Ronnettes, “Be My Baby.”
“I think women played a big part in this music,” Muratore said. “We want people to remember those women and those songs.”
That sense of history drives those who come to Doo-Wop on the Porch.
“So many people in The Villages love doo-wop music and want to share it,” said Black, one of the group’s founders. “It appeals to us because it brings back so many memories.”
And some Villagers are surprised with their connection to doo-wop.
“I can’t say I’m living out my dream, because I never had a doo-wop dream,” said Denny Iwago, who performs with the local group Back In Time. “One day I came here on a Saturday morning and started singing. Now I’m in a doo-woo group. I’m not sure why it happened, but I’m going to keep singing.”