In the Still of the Night: Doo-Wop Classics Quiz
Instructions: Take a trip back to the corner drugstore with questions about the vocal groups and golden-age harmonies that defined early rock and roll — from "Earth Angel" to "Duke of Earl," these songs still ring true.
- 1.
Which doo-wop group recorded the 1954 hit "Earth Angel"?
AThe PenguinsBThe PlattersCThe DriftersDThe Coasters - 2.
The beloved doo-wop ballad "In the Still of the Night" was recorded in 1956 by which group?
AThe FlamingosBThe MoonglowsCThe Five SatinsDThe Platters - 3.
Which group originally recorded "Sh-Boom" in 1954, widely considered one of the very first rock and roll crossover hits?
AThe Crew-CutsBThe ChordsCThe PenguinsDThe Diamonds - 4.
Who recorded the 1956 doo-wop smash "Why Do Fools Fall in Love"?
AThe Five SatinsBThe CoastersCThe MoonglowsDFrankie Lymon and the Teenagers - 5.
How old was Frankie Lymon when he recorded "Why Do Fools Fall in Love"?
A13B14C15D16 - 6.
In what year did The Platters release their breakthrough hit "Only You (And You Alone)"?
A1953B1954C1955D1957 - 7.
Who was the lead singer who gave The Platters their signature sound on hits like "Only You" and "The Great Pretender"?
AHerb ReedBPaul RobiCDavid LynchDTony Williams - 8.
The comic 1958 doo-wop hit "Yakety Yak" was recorded by which group?
AThe DriftersBThe PlattersCThe CoastersDThe Cadillacs - 9.
Which recording artist took "Duke of Earl" to the top of the pop charts in 1962?
AThe DriftersBGene ChandlerCLittle RichardDThe Flamingos - 10.
Which vocal group had a 1957 hit with "Little Darlin'," a cover of a song first recorded by Maurice Williams and the Gladiolas?
AThe PlattersBThe MoonglowsCThe Crew-CutsDThe Diamonds - 11.
Which doo-wop group made history in 1959 by featuring orchestral strings on their hit "There Goes My Baby" — a bold first for a major R&B recording?
AThe PlattersBThe CoastersCThe MoonglowsDThe Drifters - 12.
Which group recorded the one-hit-wonder doo-wop classic "Book of Love" in 1958?
AThe MoonglowsBThe MonotonesCThe CadillacsDThe Cleftones - 13.
Which city — especially its Bronx and Brooklyn neighborhoods — is most closely identified as the birthplace of the doo-wop sound?
ANew York CityBChicagoCPhiladelphiaDDetroit - 14.
A classic doo-wop group typically featured five vocal parts. Which of the following was indeed one of those standard parts?
ASopranoBBaritoneCAltoDMezzo-soprano - 15.
In addition to "Only You," which other major hit did The Platters release in 1955?
AThe Great PretenderBEarth AngelCSh-BoomDBook of Love
Answer Key
The Penguins recorded "Earth Angel" in 1954. It hit #1 on the R&B chart and crossed over into the pop Top 10, selling over a million copies — making it one of the first doo-wop records to reach a mainstream pop audience.
Fred Parris and the Five Satins recorded "In the Still of the Night" in a New Haven, Connecticut church basement in 1956, creating one of doo-wop's most enduring classics.
The Chords recorded the original "Sh-Boom" in 1954; while a cover by the white vocal group The Crew-Cuts sold more pop copies and reached #1, The Chords' original was a major R&B hit and is recognized as a landmark early rock and roll record.
Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers recorded "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" in late 1955; released in January 1956, it rocketed to #1 on the R&B charts and turned the group into overnight sensations.
Frankie Lymon was just 13 years old when he sang lead on that recording in late 1955, making his soaring, mature vocal one of the most remarkable performances by a teenager in pop music history.
The Platters released the hit version of "Only You (And You Alone)" on Mercury in 1955; it climbed to #1 on the R&B chart and broke into the pop Top 5, launching the group into national stardom.
Tony Williams sang lead on virtually all of The Platters' biggest hits; his rich, expressive tenor voice was the heart of the group's sound throughout the late 1950s.
The Coasters recorded "Yakety Yak" in 1958; written and produced by Leiber and Stoller, it hit #1 on the pop charts and is remembered for its funny storyline about a teenager's household chores.
Gene Chandler recorded "Duke of Earl" in 1961 and it reached #1 on the pop charts in February 1962, becoming his signature song and one of the last great doo-wop-styled hits of the early 1960s.
The Diamonds covered "Little Darlin'" in 1957, and their version far outsold the original; the record reached #2 on the pop charts and became one of the best-selling doo-wop releases of the decade.
The Drifters' "There Goes My Baby" (1959) was groundbreaking for incorporating lush strings and tympani into an R&B arrangement — a bold move by producers Leiber and Stoller that paid off with a #1 R&B hit.
The Monotones, six young men from Newark, New Jersey, recorded "Book of Love" in 1958; it remains their only major hit, yet the song has endured as one of doo-wop's most beloved and instantly recognizable tunes.
New York City, particularly the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Harlem, is widely recognized as the cradle of doo-wop, where teenagers harmonized on street corners and in subway stations throughout the early 1950s.
The five standard voice parts in a doo-wop group were the lead, first tenor, second tenor, baritone, and bass — with the baritone providing the harmonic middle ground between the soaring tenors and the deep bass.
The Platters released "The Great Pretender" in late 1955, and it became their first #1 pop hit, cementing them as one of the most commercially successful doo-wop groups of the entire era.