Down the Aisle (The Wedding Song)
Encyclopedia
"Down the Aisle" is a doo-wop
ballad recorded and released by girl group
Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles
in 1963. The song became a hit success for the Philadelphia-based vocal group following the controversial release of their "debut hit", 1962's "I Sold My Heart to the Junkman
".
", which was credited to the Bluebelles singing group but was rumored to be recorded by another group, had died down. Despite getting credit for "Junkman", the group failed to find a follow-up hit though songs such as "Go On" and "Cool Water" were signs to come for the group's emerging success.
Finally, Newtown released this song, which is dedicated to wedding day, after the release of "Cool Water" didn't do well chart-wise. The song was among one of the first Bluebelles songs to be given massive play on both AM pop
and rhythm and blues
radio stations. The song later became a favorite for "blue night basement parties" and slow dances. The song eventually reached number thirty-seven on the Billboard Hot 100
and number-fourteen on the Hot R&B Singles
chart.
The song is notable for lead singer Patti LaBelle
singing in a high whistle register
vocal near the end of the song while backed up by her lower-octave singing partners. The group recorded an alternate version that same year.
Doo-wop
The name Doo-wop is given to a style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music that developed in African American communities in the 1940s and achieved mainstream popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. It emerged from New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and...
ballad recorded and released by girl group
Girl group
A girl group is a popular music act featuring several young female singers who generally harmonise together.Girl groups emerged in the late 1950s as groups of young singers teamed up with behind-the-scenes songwriters and music producers to create hit singles, often featuring glossy production...
Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles
Labelle
Labelle is an American all female singing group who were a popular vocal group of the 1960s and 1970s. The group was formed after the disbanding of two rival girl groups in the Philadelphia/Trenton areas, the Ordettes and the Del-Capris, forming as a new version of the former group, later changing...
in 1963. The song became a hit success for the Philadelphia-based vocal group following the controversial release of their "debut hit", 1962's "I Sold My Heart to the Junkman
I Sold My Heart to the Junkman
"I Sold My Heart to the Junkman" is a 1962 hit single by The Blue Belles, written by Jimmie Thomas. The song is notable for having been originally recorded by another group and conflicting schedules leading the future Patti LaBelle and the Blue Belles group to claim the song as their own...
".
Background
By 1963, the controversy over the hit song, "I Sold My Heart to the JunkmanI Sold My Heart to the Junkman
"I Sold My Heart to the Junkman" is a 1962 hit single by The Blue Belles, written by Jimmie Thomas. The song is notable for having been originally recorded by another group and conflicting schedules leading the future Patti LaBelle and the Blue Belles group to claim the song as their own...
", which was credited to the Bluebelles singing group but was rumored to be recorded by another group, had died down. Despite getting credit for "Junkman", the group failed to find a follow-up hit though songs such as "Go On" and "Cool Water" were signs to come for the group's emerging success.
Finally, Newtown released this song, which is dedicated to wedding day, after the release of "Cool Water" didn't do well chart-wise. The song was among one of the first Bluebelles songs to be given massive play on both AM pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and rhythm and blues
Urban contemporary
Urban contemporary is a music radio format. The term was coined by the late New York DJ Frankie Crocker in the mid 1970s. Urban contemporary radio stations feature a playlist made up entirely of hip hop/rap, contemporary R&B, pop, electronica such as dubstep and drum and bass and Caribbean music...
radio stations. The song later became a favorite for "blue night basement parties" and slow dances. The song eventually reached number thirty-seven on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and number-fourteen on the Hot R&B Singles
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart.
The song is notable for lead singer Patti LaBelle
Patti LaBelle
Patricia Louise Holte-Edwards , better known under the stage name, Patti LaBelle, is a Grammy Award winning American singer, author and actress who has spent over 50 years in the music industry...
singing in a high whistle register
Whistle register
The whistle register is the highest register of the human voice, lying above the modal register and falsetto register...
vocal near the end of the song while backed up by her lower-octave singing partners. The group recorded an alternate version that same year.
Credits
- Lead vocal by Patti LaBellePatti LaBellePatricia Louise Holte-Edwards , better known under the stage name, Patti LaBelle, is a Grammy Award winning American singer, author and actress who has spent over 50 years in the music industry...
- Background vocals by the Bluebelles: Nona HendryxNona HendryxNona Hendryx is an American vocalist, producer, songwriter, musician, author, and actress.Hendryx is known for her work as a solo artist as well as for being one-third of the trio Labelle, who had a hit with "Lady Marmalade." Her music has ranged from soul, funk, dance, and R&B to hard rock, art...
, Sarah DashSarah DashSarah Dash is a singer and actress. Her first notable appearance on the music scene was as a member of Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles...
and Cindy BirdsongCindy BirdsongCynthia Ann "Cindy" Birdsong , better known by her stage name, Cindy Birdsong, is an American singer, most famous for singing with the legendary soul groups Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles and The Supremes.-Early life:...