The First Annual Doo-Wopp Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony revived a genre of music that has been retired for more than 40 years last Friday at Symphony Hall in Boston, which had a 2,600-person audience dancing in the aisles.
Organized by concert promoter and lifelong doo-wop enthusiast Harvey Robbins, the event was a mix of award distribution and group performances.
With a tear in his eye from the very beginning, Robbins, a Dorchester native, reminisced the glory days of the streetcorner vocal harmony that was doo-wop. After his brief opening speech, he led the way for special guests the Harptones, who had the audience clapping and singing along to their cover of the Temptations’ classic “Get Ready.”
By the time the Harptones, consisting of the typical doo-wop line-up of four vocalists without instruments, reached their big hit, “A Sunday Kind of Love,” the crowd of mostly 50-somethings were transported back to their teenage years.
The Hall first inducted the Flamingos, whose founding members, Jake and Zeke Carey, passed away only recently. Accepting the award in their place was Jake’s son and Zeke’s daughter, who managed to maintain her composure during Robbins’ tearful dedication.
Shirley Reeves, original member of the Shirelles and the second special guest of the evening, strutted onto the stage to a huge round of applause. Her renditions of past hits such as “Mama Said,” “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” and “Solider Boy,” had everyone singing along and even dancing in the aisles. Although she only performed about a half dozen songs, she left to a standing ovation.
The Drifters, who have been around since 1953 and probably had more than 30 members over years, were the second inductees of the evening. Bill Pinkney, 76-year-old original member of the Drifters, made the trip to Symphony Hall to perform songs he first sang 50 years ago. Beside him were three newer members, although none looked to be younger than 40. This certainly didn’t stop them from dancing in step with each other while crooning classic Drifters’ tunes like “Money Honey,” “Sixty Minute Man” and Pinkney’s own rich, bass voice on “White Christmas.”
The rest of the show kept up a steady pace, with a quick nod to the Platters, who were the only inductees not to perform. The Belmonts, the only white group that performed, were without their famous lead singer, Dion DiMucci, but after a song or two, no one seemed to notice. The crowd was too busy singing along with the gorgeous harmony that has always been a part of the Belmonts, with or without Dion, and the energy that the group put into their performance had more people out dancing in the aisles. Huge smiles could be seen on everyone’s faces as the Belmonts led the crowd through a sing-along of the one song they all knew by heart — “Teenager in Love.”
After the induction of the Belmonts, the Cadillacs, led by original lead singer Earl “Speedo” Carroll, ran onto the stage to become the surprise hit of the night. With an amazing amount of vivacity for someone getting on in years, Speedo danced up a storm while singing all his big hits and telling jokes in between. The entire group had a dynamic that should be envied by any group anywhere, improvising jokes off each other while strutting around in bright blue `40s-style suits (with Speedo decked in a top-hat and cane).
Hank Ballard and the Midnighters finished the show with an almost hour-long set. Robbins introduced Ballard as “the one performer he admired most growing up,” so it’s no wonder the Midnighters would be the ones closing out the show as the final inductees. Although their performances of classics like, “Work With Me Annie,” (originally banned in Boston in the `50s) and “Hoochie Coochie Coo” were top-notch, it was their rendition of Ballard’s “The Twist” (later covered and made famous by Chubby Checker) that was the clincher. That great opening sax riff had every group that had performed onstage dancing and twisting in crazy celebration. Add that to the dozens of people dancing in the aisles, and it made for a wild closer to an evening that never should have ended.
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