In case you did not know, I was “blown away” when I researched the origins of “DOO WOP” music and found out that it came out of Black Gospel. Young men who loved to sing but could not afford instruments.
What started in Chicago spread across the Eastern seaboard including Baltimore.
Many referred to the style as acapella, as young black men emptied their combined soul to that real or imagined LOVE.
As a painter would enhance his landscape art, with birds and falling leaves, so did the singers, filling the spaces of their songs vocalizing: doo wop, doo wop, doo wop, do wooopp!
This music made millionaires of some people in the 1950’s, and in March 2026 it came home, to Baltimore, at the Myerhoff Symphony Hall:
3 thoughts on “I WANNA KNOW YOUR NAME”
DOOWOP comes from The FLAMINGOS vocal group rendering of “I Only Have Eyes For You” recorded in 1959 for an album titled FLAMINGO SERENADE!
Baltimoreean Terry Johnson was the vocal and musical director of the famous Baltimorean-founded group which began in Chicago with two Baltimoreans transplanted there: Jacob and Ezekiel Carey. While working on the last song for the album, Terry awakened from a dream where he heard the musical sounds he attributed “Doowop, shoobop, doowop, shoobop” as the introduction to the song. He assembled his group members at 4:00am to rehearse the song and recorded it that day. The group was disgusted with him until the recording became their greatest hit of all! It continues to be used in commercials, movies, etc. It is too bad that this Fact was not a part of the show at the Meyerhoff. Terry Johnson passed away in 2025. Hw was last in Baltimore for my November, 2023, gathering at St. Mary’s Hall. You can go on line to HOT FUN RECORDS to become engaged with the fact that there was a FLAMINGOS vocal group operative up to his death. BALTIMORE HAS NEVER CELEBRATED ITS ENTERTAINMENT HISTORY!!!!
Again, the White world BRANDED our Male Vocal Group Music to DOOWOP. not giving tribute to our legend, Terry Johnson. The same was done with Baltimorean Sonny Til who created the term “rhythm & blues” in an interview with Jerry Wexler who was a writer for Billboard Magazine. Wexler is given credit for the term in the National Museum of African American History in D.C. in the music session. Billboard changed its brand of “Race Music” to “Rhythm & Blues”!!!
Thanks for the history Milton. Glad you like my column.
Oswald.
So thankful for learning about the history of Doo Wop in Baltimore. The show was outstanding as well os the review.