Song of the Day: The Chords “Sh-Boom”

I must admit that I’m a freak for Doo-wop. The sweet harmonies, the interweaving background and lead vocals with bass and falsetto sharing the spotlight, cool-hot guitar leads, nasty tenor sax solos, singing of love as if life depended on it… it touches my heart and makes my soul  sing. “Sh-Boom” by the group know as “The Chords” (not to be confused with the British group of the same name) is one golden example of this genre, which helped to form and define American popular music. Released in 1954 on a subsidiary of Atlantic Records, called Cat Records, the song shot to number 2 on the Billboard R&B charts and to number 9 on the pop charts.

The Chords were comprised of Carl Feaster on lead vocals, Claude Feaster singing baritone, Jimmy Keyes on first tenor, Floyd “Buddy” McRae on second tenor and William “Ricky” Edwards holding down the bass. Originally formed in the Bronx, New York, they were discovered by a record executive three years after their inception, signing in a subway station. This spotting landed the group their first contract and they recorded what would be their biggest selling and most widely-know song shortly thereafter. Music publishers quickly swooped in to buy the rights to the song, which had been penned by the original members of the group. The song has since been interpreted, recorded, and performed countless times by multiple artists the world over.