True Doo-Wop Is Not a Solo Endeavor

A glance at the Starlux Motel in Wildwood, N.J., conjures up Bobby Rydell, all right, but not doo-wop (“Workman’s Paradise,” July 26).

Doo-wop is a pure form of American music which grew up on the streets of urban New York, New Jersey, Philly and a few surrounding burgs. It generally but not always featured a tenor lead, a soaring falsetto, a vocal bass run and nonsense lyrics in the background supporting all the other elements.

If you want to see Doo Wop architecture, check out photos of Brooklyn rooftops with laundry flapping in the breeze on clotheslines and of candy stores with green wooden trim and Coca-Cola signs.

Bobby Rydell, Fabian, Shelley Fabares and all the produced solo artists are no more doo-wop than the pink fabrications with the glitzy neon signs and the fake palm trees featured in this article.

KATE KARP Long Beach