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July 22, 2024 12:03 am  #1


PBS' Doo Wop Documentary Is Worth Seeing

Thanks to  SOWNY member Lorne’s great Oldies Music Board I was tipped off to a documentary called “Heart & Soul” about the 50s and early 60s, and tthe coming of doo wop. It wasn’t a genre I was especially fond of but I didn’t hate it, either.
 
So I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when it aired on WNED on Sunday afternoon.
 
Turns out, it was pretty terrific, the story of how so many of these unique groups, some of whom you know (Jay & The Americans, Little Anthony & The Imperials, The Jive Five) and many others you probably don’t, came together on street corners and bathrooms with great echoes and managed to launch their careers and make music history.

It’s not a concert film in any way, but there’s a lot of the music on display nonetheless.
 
I didn’t expect to like it, but it was great. And if you wanted to see it (it aired on a Sunday afternoon at 4:30 PM) it was easy to miss. But you don’t have to. Turns out, like many WNED shows, it airs again on Wednesday (July 24th) at the ungodly hour of 2:30 AM, so a DVR is probably necessary if you want to see all 90 minutes.
 
Here’s the official program description from the WNED website:
 
“Music legend Kenny Vance opens a portal through the decades as we join him in the close-knit community of brilliantly distinctive artists of the 1950s and 60s who defined early rock and roll, united a generation, and formed the foundation of the music that continues to live within us. This film shows how these young, diverse street artists, his friends and fellow performers, broke new ground, creating harmony by singing as one, and ultimately changing the course of music and culture."

Definitely worth recording if this is something you were even remotely into. Or think you might be.

 

July 22, 2024 11:48 am  #2


Re: PBS' Doo Wop Documentary Is Worth Seeing

Thanks, RA, for pointing us to this.  

Even better, this documentary is on the PBS website and you don't need a membership or a VPN to watch it.

Enjoy at your leisure.

https://www.pbs.org/show/heart-soul-a-love-story/

Last edited by Peter the K (July 22, 2024 11:50 am)

 

July 22, 2024 11:51 am  #3


Re: PBS' Doo Wop Documentary Is Worth Seeing

That's great! It's a look at a time in music history that was vital for the development of rock and roll and some of those voices are still with us. Pretty amazing for people who started on street corners and in echo-y high school bathrooms. 

     Thread Starter
 

July 22, 2024 1:17 pm  #4


Re: PBS' Doo Wop Documentary Is Worth Seeing

Did you ever hear a tenor sax swingin' like a rusty axe?    Honkin' like a frog down in a hollow log?    Baby, that is rock 'n roll     

 

July 22, 2024 8:58 pm  #5


Re: PBS' Doo Wop Documentary Is Worth Seeing

CFOS in Owen Sound has had a three hour Doo Wop program on Saturday afternoon for years...https://www.560cfos.ca/doo-wop-story-and-story-untold/