Doo Wop 50

Doo Wop 50 was a PBS pledge drive special created and produced for PBS member station WQED-TV by TJ Lubinsky, grandson of Herman Lubinsky (founder of Savoy Records). The special was inspired by a 1994 CD box-set of doo wop music produced and sold by Rhino Records,^[1] which was also a development and production partner in the special. It aired on December 5, 1999.

Doo Wop 50 was videotaped live at The Benedum Center For The Performing Arts, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on May 11 & 12, 1999. It showcased many doo-wop groups that had existed since the 1950s, and was hosted by former Impressions lead and soul soloist Jerry Butler. It was followed by Doo Wop 51 and the American Soundtrack series.^[2] Doo Wop 50 became the highest-producing pledge drive special in the history of PBS at that time, garnering more than $20 million for its member stations.

The American Soundtrack series has become a mainstay for PBS and WQED.

Groups on the program

Part One

Herb Reed's Platters

• "Only You"
• "The Great Pretender"

Norman Wright's Dell Vikings

• "Come Go With Me"

The Skyliners

• "This I Swear Is True"
• "Since I Don't Have You"

The Penguins

• "Earth Angel"

Gene Chandler with Pure Gold

• "Duke of Earl"

Johnny Maestro & the Brooklyn Bridge

• "Sixteen Candles"
• "Worst That Could Happen"

Lee Andrews & the Hearts

• "Long Lonely Nights"

The Cleftones

• "Little Girl of Mine"
• "Heart and Soul"

The Capris

• "There's a Moon Out Tonight"

The Marcels

• "Blue Moon"

The Jive Five

• "My True Story"
• "What Time Is It?"

The Legends of Doo Wop

• "Just To Be With You"
• "Oh Rosemarie"
• "Guardian Angel"

Earl Lewis and The Channels

• "That's My Desire"
• "The Closer You Are"

Part Two

The Cadillacs

• "Zoom"
• "Gloria"
• "Speedoo"

The Golden Group Memories

• "Unchained Melody"
• "Sorry (I Ran All The Way Home)"

The Chantels

• "Look At My Eyes"

The Chantels featuring Arlene Smith

• "Maybe"

The Moonglows featuring Harvey Fuqua

• "Sincerely"
• "Ten Commandments of Love"

Jerry Butler

• "For Your Precious Love"

The Harptones

• "Sunday Kind Of Love"
• "Life Is But A Dream"

The Flamingos

• "I Only Have Eyes For You"
• "Lovers Never Say Goodbye"

The Channels, The Legends of Doo Wop, The Golden Group Memories, The Cadillacs

• "Gloria Medley"

The Spaniels

• "Stormy Weather"
• "Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight"

References

See also

• Official WQED website for the American Soundtrack series