By Ava Simone Collier

What comes to mind when you think of Doo Whop? For me, it would be the sounds of such legendary 50’s groups as The Drifters, The Flamingos, The Coasters and The Moonglows. Of course, I’m not old enough to remember them personally, but I’ve heard! These sultry balladeers harmonized and serenaded us on some of the best love songs of their time. I also think of the street corner crooners who huddled together and gave us impromptu renditions of some of these hits. Although they were not famous, they sang with passion. Doo Whop lives on today and can be found in the fresh voices of a new group called the DooWhopBoiz.

The DooWhopBoiz consist of four young men from the Decatur/Ellenwood area in Georgia who are bringing back the old sound of Doo Whop with a contemporary flavor. Donel J. Harris (Jae Love), Rodrique Roberts (Drique), Christian J. Reynolds (Bread) and Desi Raines (Desi) make up the Boiz. Their manager is Donel B. Harris, who is also Jae Love’s father. “The Boiz have been together for about 2 years and met at school. They recently headlined a gospel musical called A Gift of Love at the Realto Center, along with Ruby Dee.” Donel states that the Boiz wrote and recorded the music for the Atlanta Falcons, “We Are Atlanta.” This theme song will be played at all home games for the Falcons. “We specialize in accapello, but we can add music to it. We don’t shy away from anything.”

Donel, along with his partner, Eric Foxworth, is the CEO of Fox Entertainment. Together with Donel’s brother, Burundihi Harris and P.R. specialist, Stephanie Brown, he says they manage and coordinate the DooWhopBoiz, juggling events and schedules. “The Boyz qualified for the 76th anniversary of the Apollo. We auditioned and will be there on March, 3, 2010. We may be doing another play and are shopping for record deals, any opportunities to make money and get the Boyz out there. We do not restrict ourselves to a label to sign with. Fox Entertainment is looking for corporate sponsors and joint ventures.” Donel says that they envision global level exposure as well. “The DooWhopBoiz are being compared to Take 6, Jodeci and Boys to Men. These Boyz can sing! We want the best for them.”

The two lead singers are Jae Love and Desi. However, Donel says that all the boyz are capable of singing lead. “None of them are tone deaf, everyone knows their lane. They all know the chorus and scales.” The DooWhopBoiz were recently featured in Source Magazine. They were also invited to the National Black Caucus where they performed the National Anthem. They also have a musical tribute to First Lady, Michelle Obama, which can be viewed on You Tube. To find out more about the DooWhopBoiz, please go to www.DooWhopBoiz.com. “The cool thing is that if we go to a venue and there are no microphones, we can still entertain you,” says Donel.

“The music will sometimes mess up, but the Boyz can still sing. They can entertain you with or without music. They don’t miss a beat. Doo Whop is the origin and essence of what they do. You’d better be able sing if you carry the name of Doo Whop!”