The Top 25 Doo-Wop Groups of All Time

Doo-Wop: Top 25 Acts

Doo-wop emerged in the 1950s as an integral force in the shaping of early rock and roll. The genre was marked by vocal groups, predominantly male and black. More than a dozen lists were aggregated to come up with this DMDB list of the top 25 doo-wop groups of all time. See other lists of Acts/Music Makers by Genre. The Platters 1. The Platters 2. The Drifters 3. The Coasters 4. The Flamingos 5. The Clovers 6. The Orioles 7. Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers 8. The Spaniels 9. Dion & the Belmonts 10. The Dominoes 11. The Moonglows 12. The Cadillacs 13. The Del-Vikings 14. The Five Satins 15. Little Anthony & the Imperials 16. The Crests 17. The Harptones 18. The Dells 19. Hank Ballard & the Midnighters 20. The Five Royales 21. The Skyliners 22. The Cleftones 23. The Four Seasons 24. The Diamonds 25. The Penguins Resources/Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: Lists of Acts/Music Makers by Genre Dave’s Music Database: The Top 100 Doo-Wop Songs of All Time First posted 3/5/2026; last updated 6/29/2026.

50 years ago: The Platters “My Prayer” hit #1

My Prayer (Avant de Mourir) The Platters

Writer(s): Georges Boulanger, Carlos Goemz Barrera, Jimmy Kennedy (see lyrics here) First Charted: June 29, 1956 Peak: 15 US, 11 HP, 12 CB, 13 HR, 12 RB, 4 UK (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): 1.0 US Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 5.22 video, 17.87 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: “My Prayer” has been recorded in fourteen languages and been a hit in five decades. BD It originated as an instrumental entitled “Avant de Mourir,” which translates to “before dying.” BD French violinist George Boulanger composed the instrumental in 1926, the same year he died. Jimmy Kennedy added English lyrics to the song in 1939 and retitled it “My Prayer.” That year, versions charted by Glenn Miller (#2) and the Ink Spots (#3). Ambrose, Denny Dennis, and Vera Lynn all recorded versions in 1939 as well. In 1951, both Dick Haymes and the Orioles recorded the song. Patti Page did so in 1955. Others to record the song over the years include Chet Atkins, Pat Boone, Solomon Burke, Glen Campbell, Harry Connick Jr., Ray Conniff, Bing Crosby, Jimmy Dorsey, Shelley Fabares, Ella Fitzgerald, the Four Seasons, Lionel Hampton, Honeycombs, Engelbert Humperdinck, Jay & the Americans, Tom Jones, Gene Krupa, Brenda Lee, Mantovani, Dean Martin, Wayne Newton, Roy Orbison, Gene Pitney, Jimmie Rodgers, Jerry Vale, and Bobby Vee. WK The biggest version, however, was recorded by the Platters, who took it to #1 in 1956. Bob Dylan called their version “a rapture in blue.” BD He also referred to the Platters’ Tony Williams as “one of the greatest singers ever…There’s nobody that beats this guy. He took his spirituality with him into the pop world.” BD Dylan also praised the group, saying “they carry their soul with a cooler-than-thou looseness, offhand and urbane, exuding hipness the way James Dean exhaled cigarette smoke.” BD The Platters’ version of “My Prayer” appeared in movies, including Mischief (1985), October Sky (1999), and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008). Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for The Platters BD Bob Dylan (2022). The Philosophy of Modern Song. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. Pages 183-8. WK Wikipedia First posted 11/6/2022.

50 years ago: The Platters hit #1 with “The Great Pretender”

The Great Pretender The Platters

Writer(s): Buck Ram (see lyrics here) Released: November 3, 1955 First Charted: December 9, 1955 Peak: 12 US, 13 CB, 13 HR, 111 RB, 5 UK, 13 AU, 2 DF (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, -- UK, 1.0 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 26.13 video, 73.90 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: As the first R&B vocal group to top the pop charts, RS500 the Platters ushered in the doo-wop era RS500 with “The Great Pretender.” The term “doo wop” didn’t exist at the time, though. Gus Gossert, an oldies DJ on WDBS in New York City, started using the term (which was actually coined by record collector Stan Krause, who helped produce Gossert’s shows) around 1970 to describe this style of music. SF The Platters were, at one time, “the most successful vocal group in the world.” NPR They were “one of the Fifties’ quintessential ballad groups,” RS500 “heirs to the smooth crooning style of the Ink Spots and the Mills Brothers.” RS500 They were the “first black act to garner popularity from white audiences.” NPR The legendary Buck Ram, “a titanic figure in doo-wop,” RS500 managed the group. He wrote “The Great Pretender” and co-wrote two other major Platters hits, “Only You” and “Twilight Time.” He wrote this “in about 20 minutes in the washroom of the Flamingo Hotel in order to have a song to follow up the success of ‘Only You.’” WK Ram “was pushing fifty when the song hit” RS500 and became the first of the Platters’ four #1 songs on the pop charts; it was their second of four #1 songs on the R&B chart. The song “describes a man who deals with his heartbreak by denying it – he’s mastered the art of smiling through the pain.” SF However, lead singer Tony Williams is singing not just about the loss of romantic love, but about “alienation: ‘Too real is this feeling of make believe/ Too real when I feel what my heart can’t conceal.’” MA Freddie Mercury of Queen recorded the song in 1987 and took it to #4 on the UK charts. Chrissie Hynde named her rock group “The Pretenders” after this song. SF Resources: DMDB Encyclopedia entry for The Platters MA Dave Marsh (1989). The Heart of Rock and Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made. New York, NY; New American Library. Page 108. NPR National Public Radio (1999). “The Most Important American Musical Works of the 20th Century” RS500 RollingStone.com (4/7/2011). “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time” SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia First posted 4/16/2020; last updated 10/28/2022.

50 years ago: The Platters chart with “Only You”

Only You (And You Alone) The Platters

Writer(s): Ande Rand, Buck Ram (see lyrics here) First Charted: July 30, 1955 Peak: 5 US, 3 CB, 4 HR, 17 RB, 5 UK, 19 AU, 2 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, -- UK, 1.0 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 6.0 radio, 90.18 video, 122.62 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Buck Ram signed the Platters and managed them, but was primarily a songwriter. His first big success was with “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” which was a hit for Bing Crosby. AH He wrote “Only You” originally with the Ink Spots in mind, but they never recorded it. He stuck the sheet music in a box where his assistant, Jean Bennett, later discovered it. Ram said the song was rubbish, but she put it on top of his piano where the Platters’ lead singer Tony Williams found it and insisted they record it. AH They recorded this song in 1954 for Federal Records, but it wasn’t released. When the doo-wop group moved to Mercury Records in 1955, they re-recorded it and scored a hit when it was released in May. It went to #1 on the Billboard R&B chart and hit #5 on the pop chart. Their “deliciously smooth, rich vocal textures on ‘Only You’ owed something to swing-era outfits like the Mills Brothers and the Ink Spots but it made them the first black combo of the rhythm & blues years to earn mainstream success” TB with a song that “was neither a jump tune or some kind of novelty.” DM Herb Reed, the bass singer, said the group “tried it so many times, and it was terrible. One time we were rehearsing in the car…and the car jerked. Tony went ‘O-oHHHH-nly you.’ We laughed at first, but when he sang that song—that was the sign we had hit on something.” WK Ram, however, had a different take. He said Williams’ voice broke in rehearsal but they kept the effect on the recording. WK The Hilltoppers also recorded the song in 1955, reaching #8 on the U.S. charts and #3 in the UK. In 1959, Franck Pourcel took an instrumental version of the song to #9 on the Billboard Hot 100. Ringo Starr recorded it in 1974 and took it to #6. Harry Connick Jr., Brenda Lee, Little Richard, Reba McEntire, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins, and the Statler Brothers also recorded versions. WK Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for The Platters AH Andrew Hickey (2019). A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs: Volume 1. Pages 337-45. DM Dave Marsh (1989). The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made. New York, NY; New American Library. Pages 152-4. TB Thunder Bay Press (2006). Singles: Six Decades of Hot Hits & Classic Cuts. Outline Press Ltd.: San Diego, CA. Page 15. TY2 Don Tyler (2007). Hit Songs, 1900-1955. McFarland & Company, Inc.: Jefferson, North Carolina. Pages 336-7. WK Wikipedia First posted 3/13/2021; last updated 3/24/2023.

50 years ago: “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” hit #1 - for the first time

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes Paul Whiteman with Bob Lawrence

Writer(s): Jereome Kern/ Otto Harbach (see lyrics here) First Charted: December 9, 1933 Peak: 16 US, 2 GA (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, -- streaming

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes The Platters

First Charted: November 17, 1958 Peak: 13 US, 14 CB, 11 GR, 14 HR, 3 RB, 11 UK, 13 CN, 110 AU, 2 DF (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): 1.0 US Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 28.7 video, 76.69 streaming

Awards (Paul Whiteman): Click on award for more details. Awards (The Platters): Click on award for more details.

About the Song: According to Otto Harbach, Jerome Kern originally composed “Smoke” for 1927’s Showboat. It was supposed to be an uptempo instrumental which accompanied a tap dance routine while scenery was changed, LW although another account had the song originating as a march for a radio program which never happened. TY Harbach suggested refashioning it as a ballad, at which point it was left out of Showboat. LW The song is filled with challenges – such as the octave-and-a-half range for singers and, for players, a surprising key change at the bridge. MM In addition, Harbach works in unlikely words like “chaffed” and “deride” – all leading toward the song’s conclusion about the end of a love affair – and the final line when the title is mentioned for the first time. MM It resurfaced in 1933 for the Broadway musical Roberta. That same year, Paul Whiteman’s Orchestra charted with it, going to #1 the next year. Leo Reisman (#3), Emil Coleman (#4), and Ruth Etting (#15) also charted with the song in 1934. In 1935, the musical was turned into a Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers film. Irene Dunne performed “Smoke” in the movie. SB Artie Shaw took the song back to the charts in 1941 (#24). It was also used in the 1946 Kern biopic Till the Clouds Roll By. MM Roberta was remade in the 1950s as the new musical and movie, Lovely to Look At. LW Then, in 1958, the doo-wop group the Platters took their million-selling version to the top of the US and UK charts, showcasing “the song’s ability to both transcend time and lend itself to varied interpretations and still remain fresh.” LW Resources: DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Paul Whiteman DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Jerome Kern DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Otto Harbach DMDB Encyclopedia entry for The Platters LW Alan Lewens (2001). Popular Song – Soundtrack of the Century. Billboard Books: New York, NY. Page 67. MM Max Morath (2002). The NPR Curious Listener’s Guide to Popular Standards. New York, NY; Penguin Putnam Inc. Page 181. TY Don Tyler (1985). Hit Parade 1920-1955. New York, NY: Quill. Page 70. First posted 1/20/2016; last updated 11/22/2022.