For Release: February 21st, 2000
In America in the 1950s, any given street corner rang out with the doo wop beat. In south Philly, a bystander might hear Gene Chandler's immortal "Duke of Earl," while across the Hudson, Johnny Maestro and the Brooklyn Bridge were belting out "Sixteen Candles."
Doo Wop 50, airing on KET and KET2 Monday, March 6 at 8/7 p.m. CT, celebrates five decades of vocal group harmony with once-in-a-lifetime performances by more than 20 of the original groups and performers popular in the late 1950s and early '60s. The special, recorded before an enthusiastic audience at the Benedum Center for Performing Arts in Pittsburgh, Pa., reunites groups like the Del Vikings, performing their hit "Come Go With Me," and, for the first time in 30 years, the Chantels with lead singer Arlene Smith, performing "Maybe."
Doo Wop 50 also features originators of rock 'n' roll, from the Platters ("Only You," "Great Pretender," "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes") and Jimmy Beaumont and the Skyliners ("Since I Don't Have You," "This I Swear") to the Penguins ("Earth Angel"). Revival groups of the mid- to late '60s appearing in the program include Johnny Maestro and the Brooklyn Bridge ("Worst That Could Happen," "Sixteen Candles") and the Capris ("There's a Moon Out Tonight").
In addition to performances by the original groups, two doo wop all-star groups, the Legends of Doo Wop and Golden Group Memories, perform.
Doo Wop 50, produced by WQED/ Pittsburgh in association with Rhino Records, is closed-captioned for the deaf and hard-of-hearing. Viewers can find out more about programming on KET by visiting the KET Web site at http://www.ket.org, a Kentucky.com affiliate.
Contact: Todd Piccirilli
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