Shirley Ellis
Shirley Ellis | |
---|---|
Birth name | Shirley Marie O'Garra |
Also known as | Shirley Ellis |
Born | The Bronx, New York City, U.S. | January 19, 1929
Died | October 5, 2005 The Bronx, New York City, U.S. | (aged 76)
Genres | |
Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
Instrument(s) | Voice |
Years active | 1958–1968 |
Labels |
Shirley Marie O'Garra
Career
By 1954, Ellis had written two songs recorded by the Chords.[5] She was originally in the group the Metronomes and married the lead singer, Alphonso Elliston. All her solo hits were written by her and her manager, record producer, and songwriting partner Lincoln Chase.[7]
Ellis had recording contracts with the Kapp Records subsidiary Congress and later Columbia and Bell, but retired from the music industry in 1968.
In August 2020, "The Clapping Song" was used in a TV commercial for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0, and in April 2021 her "I See It, I Like It, I Want It" was in another Samsung commercial, this time for the Galaxy Z Flip 5G and Galaxy Z Fold2. In 2021, "The Clapping Song" was used in the movie Ghostbusters: Afterlife. In 2023, "I See It, I Like It, I Want It" was featured in a Walmart commercial.
Personal life
Shirley O'Garra was born to William H. and Petra (Smith) O'Garra. Her father was a native of Montserrat, and her mother was born in the Bahamas.[4] Shirley had three full siblings, Joyce, Bertram and William Jr., and four half siblings, Reginald, Suzanne, Joycelyn and Berbian. O'Garra married her husband, Arnold Alphonso Elliston (October 21, 1929 – August 23, 2009; professional name: Alphonso Elliston), in Florida on August 3, 1949.[1] She died on October 5, 2005, in New York City at the age of 76.
Cover versions
Cover versions of her hits have been recorded by
Discography
Studio albums
- In Action (1964, Congress)
- The Name Game (1965, Congress)
- Sugar, Let's Shing-a-Ling (1967, Columbia)[7]
Compilation albums
- The Name Game (1988, MCA Special Products)
- The Very Best of Shirley Ellis (1995, Taragon)[7]
- The Complete Congress Recordings (2001, Connoisseur Collection)
- Three Six Nine!: The Best of Shirley Ellis (2018, Ace)
Singles
Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | Release date | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [9] |
US R&B [9] |
AUS [10] |
CAN [11] |
UK
[12] | ||||||||||
1963 | "The Nitty Gritty" | 8 | 4 | — | — | — | In Action | October 25, 1963 | ||||||
1964 | "(That's) What the Nitty Gritty Is" | 72 | 14 | — | — | — | February 18, 1964 | |||||||
"Shy One" | 130 | 43 | — | — | — | April 9, 1964 | ||||||||
"Such a Night" | — | — | — | — | — | June 13, 1964 | ||||||||
"The Name Game" | 3 | 4 | 40 | 2 | — | The Name Game | November 12, 1964 | |||||||
1965 | "The Clapping Song (Clap Pat Clap Slap)" | 8 | 16 | 86 | 10 | 6 | — | March 10, 1965 | ||||||
"The Puzzle Song (A Puzzle in Song)"/"I See It, I Like It, I Want It" (B-side) | 78 | — | — | 32 | — | May 15, 1965 | ||||||||
"I Will Never Forget" | — | — | — | — | — | The Name Game | July 3, 1965 | |||||||
"You Better Be Good, World" | — | — | — | — | — | — | October 23, 1965 | |||||||
1966 | "Ever See a Diver Kiss His Wife While the Bubbles Bounce About Above the Water?" | 135 | — | — | — | — | January 4, 1966 | |||||||
"Birds, Bees, Cupids and Bows" | — | — | — | — | — | Sugar, Let's Shing-a-Ling | October 17, 1966 | |||||||
1967 | "Soul Time" | 67 | 31 | 87 | — | — | January 30, 1967 | |||||||
"Sugar Let’s Shing-a-Ling" | — | — | — | — | — | May 8, 1967 | ||||||||
1978 | "The Clapping Song" (re-release) | — | — | — | — | 59 | — | June 23, 1978 | ||||||
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. |
References
- ^ a b "Person Details for Arnold Alphonso Elliston, "Florida, Marriages, 1830-1993" —". Familysearch.org. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
- ISBN 0307985121
- ^ "Shirley Ellis Page". Soulwalking.co.uk. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
- ^ a b "United States Census, 1930, Shirley O Gara in household of William O Gara". FamilySearch.org. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
- ^ a b c "Shirley Ellis". Rateyourmusic.com. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
- ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
- ^ ISBN 0-7535-0149-X.
- ^ "diddywah.blogspot.com". Diddy Wah. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
- ^ a b "US Charts > Shirley Ellis". Billboard. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "CAN Charts > Shirely Ellis". RPM. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ "UK Charts > Shirley Ellis". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 19, 2020.