Downtown Doo Wop is a blast from the past

On Saturday, Sept. 21, the lawn of the American Legion in East Islip was transported back in time to the 1950s. Vintage cars were parked on the Main Street lawn as ladies danced the twist, soda jerks served up delicious root beer floats, and John Scupelliti & The Reactions sang crooning melodies. The crowd did not use a time machine; they were attending the East Islip Community Chamber of Commerce’s Downtown Doo Wop.

The concept of the Downtown Doo Wop first formed in the mind of Gary Teich, president of the chamber and owner of Lee’s Auto Body, years ago. While working on a beautiful vintage car belonging to a doo-wop musician, the idea of Downtown Doo Wop began to take form.

The annual event picked up after the COVID-19 pandemic, as attendees were elated to be able to come together with friends and family for a night of free music, fun, and refreshments.

This year, the event was largely funded by a grant from Suffolk County.

“We were able to host this because Suffolk County has an Omnibus Grant, and thanks to Trish Bergin, our legislator, we got the funds to put together stuff like this,” shared Teich. “We are bringing the community together and experiencing the arts, and it is doing its job.”

Doo-wop is a style of small-group vocal harmonizing most popular in the 1950s and 1960s, with influences of rhythm-and-blues and rock-and-roll. It is usually performed by a tenor lead vocalist singing the melody, while a trio or quartet sing the background harmony. Since the genre could be performed a capella, doo-wop rose to popularity in urban communities with less access to musical instruments such as New York City, Chicago and Baltimore.

John Scupelliti sang on the streetcorners of Brooklyn and formed a group called The Trends in 1962. After signing to Mutual Record Label, the group changed their name to The Reactions.

Today, the group consists of John Scupelliti as the lead singer, Phil Block as baritone, Elmo Maisonet as first tenor, and John Foster as second tenor.

All those who attended the doo-wop were blown away by the musical crew as they sang beautiful renditions of popular favorites, including “My Girl” by The Temptations, “16 Candles” by The Crests, “Tonight Could Be The Night” by The Velvets, and “This Magic Moment” by The Drifters.

Attendees checked out beautiful vintage cars parked on the lawn while listening to the old-school tunes. Back by popular demand, the soda jerks served up egg creams, root beer floats, and even an East Islip red and white drink made with cherry soda and vanilla ice cream.

The Downtown Doo Wop was certainly a night to remember!