Under the streetlight, on the corner, in the tunnel at Oliver High School, the Schoolyard or just walking around the streets of Northside … that’s where it all started for me! Street corner harmony, good old a cappella, the human voice and no instrumentation. A lead singer, a bass singer and three singers to make a chord … that’s the foundation of DooWop, Soul, Rhythm n Blues, and music in general. I know it happened just about everywhere and in every City across the United States but I can only speak about my experience. The first time I heard that chord, the meshing of voices and that pure sound of music coming from a group of people … I was hooked. I can still remember Thursday nights at my restaurant on the Northside, PNC Park, Atria’s … singers from so many groups would show up and break off into four- and five-man groups, singing songs of yesteryear. On any given Thursday night, you could find members of groups like the Four Dots, Skyliners, Vogues, Jaggerz, Laurels, El-Vinos, La-Rells, Wee Jams, El-Reys, Marcels and Halos blending with other singers from other groups … chirping as we called it. As one group would take the stage of the jam-packed restaurant there were groups outside getting their songs together. Requests from the audience would ring out … “High On A Hill”, “The Bells”, “One Summer Night”, “Zoom” and “Zing Went the Strings” … with all that talent in one room someone would answer the requests. After singing for three maybe four hours, the sad news of “Last Call” would ring out and the patrons began heading for home … you could still find some singers outside chirpin! There is nothing like the good old days … and that Street Corner Sound!