A group credited with helping to pioneer doo wop music chose Niles as the backdrop for “A Very Merry Doo Wop Christmas,” filmed by WNIT.

Last year, singers of The Spaniels ­— Billy Shelton, Hiawatha Burnett, Parnell Davis and Patrick Pitre — stood in the December cold on Cedar Street for a shoot.

As the sun set, the group waited patiently for cameras and microphones to be positioned. With the back drop of a house, aglow with Christmas lights, The Spaniels broke into singing their internationally acclaimed favorite “Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight.”

The location was just one place in Niles where the doo-wop singing group’s holiday performance would be staged. The Spaniels also visited the historic Niles Amtrak Depot, where they performed for a crowd during a filming that took place in conjunction with the annual lighting ceremony.

Booking agent Larry Kilcoyne helped start the project, reviving a fandom for the group across the Michiana area.

Last week, more than two and half years of work culminated as “A Very Merry Doo Wop Christmas” aired. The Spaniels also gave a special in studio performance. The show helped to raise pledge funds for the local PBS affiliate.

“A lot of hard work went into this,” Kilcoyne said during an interview Friday.

Kilcoyne first contacted WNIT with the idea for the special in July 2015, and the station got on board with the project. The program was initially scheduled to air last year, but it was pushed back to this year.

For 83-year-old Shelton, filming the production in Niles was a chance to connect with more of his fans.

“We are blessed, because our fans are like family,” Shelton said. “They follow us and bake cookies for us.”

Shelton first started singing when he was 3 years old. At 83, he is the last original Spaniel to sing with the group.

The band got its start in Gary, Indiana, in 1948, when Shelton joined forces Pookie Hudson and Calvin Fossett who shared his love of singing music, particularly church songs.

“We sang every place we could get a chance,” Shelton said. “We just loved to sing.”

Shelton grew up in the same neighborhood as legendary singer Michael Jackson. During rehearsals, Shelton said Michael’s father, Joe, used to watch them rehearse. Shelton said Joe even asked the Spaniels if he could join them, but the group did not think his singing was good enough.

Regardless of the rebuff, Shelton said Michael held a high regard for the doo-wop group, and they are mentioned in his memoir “Moonwalk.”

Driven by a passion for music, the group’s talent achieved many accolades. In 1991, the Smithsonian Institution R&B Foundation presented them with the pioneer award for their lifetime contribution to doo-wop. They were also later inducted into the Rhythm and Blues, and Doo Wop halls of fame. But despite their stardom and notoriety, the group still spends time singing and performing for area churches and hospitals for free.

“We do it just for the love of it,” Shelton said. 

In 1992, a Niles production company, Spotlight Productions, hired the Spaniels, which is how Kilcoyne got connected with the group. 

The Spaniels next Niles performance will take place at 11 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 17, at the Michiana Christian Embassy, 1922 E. Main St.