# Some Two-Hit Wonders from the Doo-*** Era



## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

By the mid 1950s, Doo-*** was well under way and white singers were increasingly either co-opting the Doo-*** songs of others (black singers/black or white songwriters) or having their own crafted for them. In any case, there were many instances during that time of groups--black, mixed, or white--enjoying two big hits, then returning to either relative obscurity or extinction. I offer some 2-hit examples beginning with The Shepherd Sisters, who were attempting to slipstream behind the better-known McGuire Sisters, who had already successfully covered two Doo-*** songs....

First, we hear The Shepherd Sisters do _Gone With the Wind_....






Then we listen to _Alone_...


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Let's turn to the legendary group The Nutmegs, so named for their home state of Connecticut--The Nutmeg State. Their two big ones were, in reverse order, _The Ship of Love_.....






But first they had released their monster hit _Story Untold_....






The lead singer's quavering, tear-stained delivery became a signature element in much Doo-***.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Another fave group were The Heartbeats. In 1955, my sister gave me as a birthday present the 78 record of their first great hit, _Crazy for You.....

_




This song was eclipsed by The Heartbeats' later _A Thousand Miles Away_....


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## D Smith (Sep 13, 2014)

Thanks for the links! I'm also quite fond of The Heartbeats, soul-wrenching "Your Way" and the vocalizations on The Nutmegs "Key to the Kingdom".


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

^^^^Thanks for the suggestions; I'll have to check them out! Meanwhile, here is another two-hit set, this time by The Willows:
First, their follow-up, _Little Darlin'_, which was released very roughly around the same time as The Diamonds' entirely different yet equally excellent song.....






The Willows' first and bigger hit was the immortal _Church Bells May Ring_....


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

Strange Magic said:


> Then we listen to _Alone_...


Wow, they sure all look quite alike. Would think they were identical quintuplets but that you can tell there is an age difference up to maybe 10 years between the youngest and the oldest.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

One of the most conspicuous examples of 2-hit wonderdom of the Doo-*** era were the two smash hits by the Del Vikings. The first, _Come Go With Me_, was both a great song but also became a Sign of Things to Come, in that the Del Vikings were a racially-mixed entity which was cause for comment in itself at the time. Herewith the song....






The Del Vikings' follow-up hit was the occasion for me to be regarded as something of a musical prophet in high school. We were driving about in somebody's car when _Whispering Bells_ first hit the airwaves. I told everybody in the car to be quiet and listen, as I predicted that the song would be a monster hit. And so it was.....


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

I affectionately recall (and periodically revisit) two fine efforts by The Cleftones, classic Doo-*** practitioners ("Yeah!"). Here is _Can't We Be Sweethearts_, a song that somebody noted hooked them on Doo-*** upon first hearing....






And then we have _Little Girl of Mine_, with that Yeah prominently audible....


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## regenmusic (Oct 23, 2014)

Wonderful thread.

You know you're in uncharted territory when a song you love and tell people about five to eight years ago still only has 270 views! 
I wish I knew this material enough to be able to list some two hit wonders,I just know a few songs I love that I may have posted on here already. We should have more Doo-*** threads but I don't want to mingle this with my other favorites.


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## regenmusic (Oct 23, 2014)

The Shepherd Sisters sing "Alone" (50s TV)

It's odd to see the level of vocal togetherness since most bands today do not even do the harmonies that the Beatles and Beach Boys were famous for. I don't think people were cocooning as much back then.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

regenmusic said:


> Wonderful thread.
> 
> You know you're in uncharted territory when a song you love and tell people about five to eight years ago still only has 270 views!
> I wish I knew this material enough to be able to list some two hit wonders,I just know a few songs I love that I may have posted on here already. We should have more Doo-*** threads but I don't want to mingle this with my other favorites.


Doo-***, like Prog and Metal, seems to be one of those genres that collects collectors. Doo-*** propelled T.J. Lubinsky, another wonderful son of Nova Caesarea, into his career as PBS Impresario of all things Doo-***, R&B, Disco, Soul, etc., and preserver of this musical legacy on Public Television. I used to kayak with a fanatical Doo-*** collector in the 1980s, who had a monster library of both the original 45s and also hours--days--of cassettes he had recorded. With my small knowledge, I was utterly humbled by the magnitude and completeness of his collection. But I do have a few modest ideas for additional Doo-*** posts in mind.....


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## regenmusic (Oct 23, 2014)

I don't think we have another Doo-*** thread. I searched and didn't find one.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

regenmusic said:


> I don't think we have another Doo-*** thread. I searched and didn't find one.


I recall that there was one and will dig for it. Meanwhile, here's Tony Allen and the Champs' _Night Owl_, one of many Doo-*** classics that made me smile (and I'm still smiling).......


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Owls. Everybody likes owls. We've heard Tony Allen's musical owls, and now it's time for the sound of trains--everybody likes trains! Here are The Valentines with another favorite, _The Woo Woo Train_. Villa-Lobos, eat your heart out.....


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Now it's time for bells. _Lullaby of the Bells_ by The Deltairs..... Rachmaninoff?


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## regenmusic (Oct 23, 2014)

Strange Magic said:


> I recall that there was one and will dig for it. Meanwhile, here's Tony Allen and the Champs' _Night Owl_, one of many Doo-*** classics that made me smile (and I'm still smiling).......


Thanks for finding it. I typed Doo-*** and talkclassical and it didn't come up.


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