Hundreds bop at doo-wop one-stop shop

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Hundreds gathered at the Village Green on Aug. 9 for a doo-wop treat.

Known for their hits “This Magic Moment” and “Under the Boardwalk,” Charlie Thomas’s the Drifters headlined the doo-wop concert alongside supporting acts Barbara Harris & the Toys and John Kuse & the Excellents.

Doo-wop developed in predominantly African-American communities in the 1940s, and its signature four-part harmonies and lyrics about love became popular in the ’50s and ’60s.

The movement started out with singers performing on street corners and subway stations in cities such as New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore and Newark, generally in groups of three to six. They sang a cappella arrangements, and used onomatopoeia to mimic instruments — “doo-wop” imitated the sound of muted brass.