The Shirelles
The Shirelles | |
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Background information | |
Also known as |
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Origin | Passaic, New Jersey, U.S. |
Genres | |
Years active | 1957–1982 |
Labels | |
Past members |
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The Shirelles were an American girl group formed in Passaic, New Jersey in 1957. They consisted of schoolmates Shirley Owens (later Shirley Alston Reeves), Doris Coley (later Doris Kenner-Jackson), Addie "Micki" Harris (later Addie Harris McFadden), and Beverly Lee.
Founded in 1957 for a talent show at their high school, they were signed by
The Shirelles have been described as having a "naive schoolgirl sound" that contrasted with the sexual themes of many of their songs. Several of their hits used
Initial career and success
The group that later became the Shirelles was formed in 1957 by four teenage girls from
Tiara Records, along with the Shirelles' contract, was sold to
Their first single produced with Dixon, "Tonight's the Night", was released in 1960 and peaked at #39. The success of "Tonight's the Night" led to the girls being booked to perform with several major artists,[10] such as Etta James and Little Richard,[12] and facilitated Scepter's move to a larger office. It was followed by "Will You Love Me Tomorrow", written by husband-wife songwriting team Gerry Goffin and Carole King;[11] the song went on to become the first Billboard number-one hit by an African-American girl group,[13] possibly the first by any girl group.[3] "Tonight's the Night" was later used as the title song for the 1961 album Tonight's the Night, which also included "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" and "Dedicated to the One I Love".[14]
After the success of their singles, the Shirelles became frequent guests of Murray the K, who hosted them on his "All Star Rock Shows" on the New York radio station WINS.[4] During this same period they reissued "Dedicated to the One I Love", which peaked at #3, followed by "Mama Said", then "Baby It's You", written by Burt Bacharach, Luther Dixon, and Mack David, "Soldier Boy",[15] and "Boys", with saxophonist King Curtis.[4]
In 1963 Dixon left Scepter, which presaged a tailing-off of the number of the Shirelles' singles to chart. However, they carried on performing and recording.
Later career
In later years, the Shirelles declined in popularity due in part to pressure from the
After the commercial failure of their most recent releases, Coley left the group in 1968 to focus on her family. The remaining three Shirelles recorded songs for several labels, including
Current versions of the group
Today, the original members tour in different, separate, groups,[6] although the trademark to the Shirelles name was eventually acquired by Lee. One of the versions of the group had member Geraldine Crowell who was the daughter of David Jones of "The Rays". [22] Shirley Owens performed on the Doo Wop 51 PBS special in 2000. She continued to tour under the name 'Shirley Alston Reeves and her Shirelles. Shirley retired in 2020. Lee currently tours with new members, billed as "The Shirelles". Doris Coley died in Sacramento, California, on February 4, 2000, of breast cancer.[9][13]
Deaths
Addie Harris died from a heart attack at the age of 42 on June 10, 1982.[23]
Doris Coley died of breast cancer at the age of 58 on February 4, 2000.[24]
Style
Wadhams, Nathan, and Lindsay describe the style of the Shirelles early work as "tight, almost doo-wop harmony".[25] Owens's vocals, described by rock n' roll writer Alwyn W. Turner as being "wonderfully expressive", were capable of sounding "almost, but not quite" out of tune, which in his opinion lent Owens an innocent sound in her songs;[26] music critic Albin Zak describes her vocals as being able to intone desire and vulnerability.[11] The other members, singing backup, also convey what Michael Campbell, a professor of music at Western Illinois University, calls a "naive schoolgirl sound".[5] The lyrics sung by the Shirelles tended to be fairly simple and "barely" concealed the subtexts of the songs. The songs were implicitly directed at female listeners, with the male subjects of songs being referred to as "he" instead of "you";[26] this was a change from previous female-written songs, which tended to be more gender neutral, and helped pave the way for the "confessional" songs of 70s singers like Joni Mitchell and Carole King.[5][27]
Musically, their works with Dixon were influenced by Brazilian
Influence
Steve Huey of AllMusic notes that the Shirelles defined "the so-called girl group sound with their soft, sweet harmonies and yearning innocence", with their songs predating Motown in their widespread crossing of racial demographics, both in the US and in Britain. He also notes that they spawned "legions of imitators", and laid a blueprint for future female pop stars to follow.[6] Turner writes that the Shirelles "launched [the girl group] genre", noting that their early work already included "the essence" of the genre;[26] Alwyn Zak expands on the statement, noting that the influx of female groups started after the success of "Will You Love Me Tomorrow".[28]
Michael Campbell notes that the Shirelles' success reflected the
The Beatles were large admirers, according to George Harrison, "We always loved those American girl groups, like the Shirelles and the Ronettes, so yeah we developed our harmonies from trying to come up with an English, male version of their vocal feel."[29] Their debut album, Please Please Me included cover versions of two songs by the Shirelles, "Baby It's You", and "Boys", and a third song from the album, "P.S. I Love You" was according to John Lennon, Paul's attempt at "trying to write a "Soldier Boy" like the Shirelles."[30]
Accolades
In 1994, the Shirelles were honored by the
In 2004,
In September 2008, the Shirelles' hometown of Passaic honored the group by renaming a section of Paulison Avenue between Passaic and Pennington Avenues (the section where Passaic High School is located) "Shirelles Boulevard". The dedication ceremony was attended by both surviving Shirelles. Owens said that it was different from they were inducted into the Hall of Fame, as it was their home town. She noted that "the people who loves [sic] us and we loved are right here."[36]
In 2022, their debut album Tonight's the Night was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[1]
Stage musical
The Shirelles' story was shown in
Discography
Albums
Year | Album | Billboard 200 [39] |
Record label |
---|---|---|---|
1960 | Tonight's the Night | — | Scepter Records |
1961 | The Shirelles Sing to Trumpets and Strings | — | |
1962 | The Shirelles and King Curtis Give a Twist Party (with King Curtis) | — | |
Baby It's You | — | ||
1963 | Foolish Little Girl | 133 | |
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
|
— | ||
1964 | The Shirelles Sing the Golden Oldies | — | |
1965 | Hear & Now | — | Pricewise Records |
Swing the Most | — | ||
1967 | Spontaneous Combustion | — | Scepter Records |
1971 | Happy and In Love | — | RCA Records |
1972 | The Shirelles | — | |
1973 | Eternally, Soul | — | Scepter Records |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart. |
Compilation albums
Year | Album | Billboard 200 [40] |
Record label |
---|---|---|---|
1963 | The Shirelles' Greatest Hits | 67 | Scepter Records |
1964 | The Shirelles Sing the Golden Oldies | — | |
1967 | The Shirelles's Greatest Hits Vol. II | — | |
1972 | Remember When Volume 1 | — | Wand Records |
Remember When Volume 2 | — | ||
1973 | The Shirelles Sing Their Very Best | — | Springboard |
1975 | The Very Best of the Shirelles | — | United Artists Records |
1984 | Anthology 1959–1964 | — | Rhino Records |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart. |
Singles
Year | Single (A-side, B-side) Both sides from same album except where indicated |
Chart positions | Album | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [18] |
US R&B [18] |
UK
[41] | |||
1958 | "I Met Him on a Sunday (Ronde-Ronde)" b/w "I Want You to Be My Boyfriend" |
49 | — | — | Non-album tracks |
"My Love Is a Charm" b/w "Slop Time" |
— | — | — | ||
"I Got the Message" b/w "Stop Me" |
— | — | — | ||
1959 | "Dedicated to the One I Love" b/w "Look a Here Baby" (Non-album track) |
83 | — | — | Tonight's the Night |
"Doin' the Ronde" b/w "A Teardrop and A Lollipop" (Non-album track) |
— | — | — | ||
1960 | "Please Be My Boyfriend" b/w "I Saw a Tear" (from The Shirelles Sing to Trumpets and Strings) |
— | — | — | The Shirelles' Greatest Hits Vol. II |
"Tonight's the Night" b/w "The Dance Is Over" |
39 | 14 | — | Tonight's the Night | |
"Will You Love Me Tomorrow" b/w "Boys" |
1 | 2 | 4 | ||
1961 | "Dedicated to the One I Love" (reissue) b/w "Look a Here Baby" (Non-album track) |
3 | 2 | — | |
"Mama Said" b/w "Blue Holiday" |
4 | 2 | — | The Shirelles Sing to Trumpets and Strings | |
"A Thing of the Past" b/w "What a Sweet Thing That Was" (from The Shirelles Sing to Trumpets and Strings) |
41
54 |
26
— |
—
— |
Baby It's You | |
"Big John (Ain't You Gonna Marry Me)" b/w "Twenty-One" |
21 | 2 | — | Baby It's You | |
"Baby It's You"
b/w "Things I Want to Hear (Pretty Words)" |
8
107 |
3
— |
—
— | ||
1962 | "Soldier Boy"
b/w "Love Is a Swingin' Thing" (from Give a Twist Party) |
1
109 |
3
— |
23
— | |
"Welcome Home, Baby"
b/w "Mama, Here Comes the Bride" |
22
104 |
20
— |
—
— |
Give a Twist Party (With King Curtis) | |
"Stop the Music"
b/w "It's Love That Really Counts (In the Long Run)" |
36
102 |
—
— |
—
— |
The Shirelles' Greatest Hits | |
"Everybody Loves a Lover" b/w "I Don't Think So" (from Foolish Little Girl) |
19 | 15 | — | ||
1963 | "Foolish Little Girl"
b/w "Not for All the Money in the World" |
4
100 |
9
— |
38
— |
Foolish Little Girl |
"Don't Say Goodnight and Mean Goodbye" b/w "I Didn't Mean to Hurt You" |
26 | — | — | ||
"What Does a Girl Do?" b/w "Don't Let It Happen to Us" (Non-album track) |
53 | * | — | The Shirelles Swing the Most | |
"It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World"
b/w "31 Flavors" |
92
97 |
* | —
— |
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World | |
1964 | "Tonight You're Gonna Fall in Love with Me" b/w "20th Century Rock N' Roll" (from It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World) |
57 | * | — | Hear & Now |
"Sha-La-La" b/w "His Lips Get in the Way" (from The Shirelles Swing the Most) |
69 | * | — | ||
"Thank You Baby" b/w "Dooms Day" (from Hear & Now) |
63 | * | — | The Shirelles' Greatest Hits Vol. II | |
"Maybe Tonight"
b/w "Lost Love" |
88
125 |
* | —
— |
Hear & Now | |
"Are You Still My Baby" b/w "I Saw a Tear" (from The Shirelles Sing to Trumpets and Strings) |
91 | * | — | Non-album tracks | |
1965 | "Shhh, I'm Watching the Movie" b/w "A Plus B" |
— | — | — | |
"March (You'll Be Sorry)" b/w "Everybody's Goin' Mad" (from It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World) |
108 | — | — | ||
"My Heart Belongs to You" b/w "Love That Man" (Non-album track) |
125 | — | — | The Shirelles' Greatest Hits Vol. II | |
"Mama, My Soldier Boy Is Coming Home" b/w "Soldier Boy" (from Baby, It's You) |
— | — | — | Non-album track | |
1966 | "I Met Him on a Sunday - '66" b/w "Love That Man" (Non-album track) |
— | — | — | The Shirelles' Greatest Hits Vol. II |
"Que Sera Sera" b/w "Till My Baby Comes Home" |
— | — | — | Remember When | |
"Shades of Blue" b/w "When the Boys Talk About the Girls" (from Remember When) |
122 | — | — | Non-album tracks | |
"Teasin' Me" b/w "Look Away" |
— | — | — | ||
1967 | "Don't Go Home (My Little Darlin')" b/w "Nobody Baby After You" (Non-album track) |
110 | — | — | The Shirelles' Greatest Hits Vol. II |
"Bright Shiny Colors" b/w "Too Much of a Good Thing" |
— | — | — | Non-album tracks | |
"Last Minute Miracle" b/w "No Doubt About It" |
99 | 41 | — | Spontaneous Combustion | |
1968 | "Sweet Sweet Lovin'" b/w "Don't Mess with Cupid" |
— | — | — | Non-album tracks |
"Call Me (If You Want Me)" b/w "There's a Storm Going On in My Heart" |
— | — | — | ||
1969 | "A Most Unusual Boy" b/w "Look What You've Done to My Heart" |
— | — | — | |
"Playthings" b/w "Looking Glass" |
— | — | — | ||
"Go Away and Find Yourself" b/w "Never Give You Up (Never Gonna Give You Up)" |
— | — | — | ||
1970 | "There Goes My Baby/Be My Baby" b/w "Strange, I Love You" |
— | — | — | |
"It's Gonna Take a Miracle" b/w "Lost" |
— | — | — | ||
"Dedicated to the One I Love" (new version) b/w "Take Me" |
— | — | — | ||
1971 | "No Sugar Tonight" b/w "Strange, I Love You" |
— | — | — | Happy and In Love |
1972 | "Sunday Dreaming" b/w "Brother, Brother" |
— | — | — | The Shirelles |
1973 | "Let's Give Each Other Love" b/w "Deep in the Night" (from The Shirelles) |
— | — | — | Non-album tracks |
"Do What You've a Mind To" b/w "Touch the Wind" |
— | — | — | ||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. |
* no R&B Charts printed by Billboard during these chart runs
References
- Footnotes
- ^ a b "National Recording Registry Inducts Music from Alicia Keys, Ricky Martin, Journey and More in 2022". Library of Congress. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
- ^ a b c Marcus 1994 – 1995, Legends: The Shirelles.
- ^ a b c Wadhams, Nathan & Lindsay 2001, p. 59.
- ^ a b c d Hall of Fame, The Shirelles.
- ^ a b c d Campbell 2005, p. 179.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Huey, The Shirelles.
- ^ a b c d Shaffer 2005, The Shirelles.
- ^ a b Callahan, Edwards, 2009: The Scepter/Wand Story.
- ^ a b c d e Talevski 2006, pp. 334–335.
- ^ a b Wadhams, Nathan & Lindsay 2001, p. 60.
- ^ a b c d Zak 2010, p. 224.
- ^ James & Ritz 1995, p. 76.
- ^ a b Jet 2000, Dorris Kenner-Jackson.
- ^ Unterberger, Tonight's the Night.
- ^ a b c Wadhams, Nathan & Lindsay 2001, p. 62.
- ^ a b Billboard 1965, Shirelles Drop.
- ^ Wadhams, Nathan & Lindsay 2001, p. 63.
- ^ a b c Billboard.com, The Shirelles Chart.
- ^ Tobler 1991, p. 2001.
- ^ Ellis, Amy (September 22, 2008). "Passaic dedicates to the Shirelles". nj. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
- ^ Talevski 2006, p. 410.
- ^ a b Perpetua 2011, Dionne Warwick.
- ^ "The Shirelles Page". Soulwalking. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
- ^ Valentine, Penny (February 7, 2000). "Doris Coley". The Guardian. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
- ^ Wadhams, Nathan & Lindsay 2001, p. 61.
- ^ a b c Turner 2003, p. 426.
- ^ Elias, How Many Times.
- ^ Zak 2010, p. 225.
- ^ "Guitar World Interviews George Harrison". 1992.
- ^ Sheff 2000, p. 168.
- ^ Rhythm and Blues Foundation, Pioneer Awards.
- ^ Jet 1996, Gladys Knight.
- ^ Unterberger, The Shirelles.
- ^ Rolling Stone 2010, 500 Songs, p. 121.
- ISBN 0899190251. Retrieved March 16, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ^ Nutt 2008, Passaic dedicates.
- ^ Jones 2010, Shirelles Musical.
- ^ IBDB, Baby It's You!.
- ^ "The Shirelles Foolish Little Girl Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
- ^ "The Shirelles The Shirelles Greatest Hits Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
- ^ "SHIRELLES - full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
- Bibliography
^ Clemente, John (2000). Girl Groups—Fabulous Females That Rocked The World. Iola, Wisc. Krause Publications. pp. 276.
- "500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. 2010.
- "Baby It's You!". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Retrieved September 18, 2011.
- Callahan, Mike; Edwards, David (April 8, 2009). "The Scepter / Wand Story". Both Sides Now Publications. Retrieved September 17, 2011.
- Campbell, Michael (2005). Popular Music in America : The Beat Goes On. Belmont: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning. ISBN 978-0-534-55534-4.
- Collins, Clark (April 26, 2011). "Baby It's You". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 26, 2011.
- Company, Johnson Publishing (February 28, 2000). "Dorris Kenner-Jackson, 58, Member of The Shirelles". Jet: 16.
- Elias, Jason. "How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye". AllMusic.com. Retrieved September 18, 2011.
- Gans, Andrew (April 29, 2011). "56th Annual Drama Desk Nominations Announced; Book of Mormon Scores 12 Nominations". playbill.com. Archived from the original on September 2, 2011. Retrieved September 26, 2011.
- Company, Johnson Publishing (February 5, 1996). "Gladys Knight & the Pips, The Shirelles Inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame". Jet: 59–60.
- Huey, Steve. "The Shirelles". AllMusic.com. Retrieved September 18, 2011.
- Isherwood, Charles (April 27, 2011). "Girl Group Tale Is Reharmonized". New York Times. Retrieved September 26, 2011.
- James, Etta; Ritz, David (1995). Rage to Survive : The Etta James Story. New York: Villard Books. ISBN 978-0-679-42328-7.
- Jones, Kenneth (October 20, 2010). "Shirelles Musical Baby It's You! Takes More Steps Toward Broadway". Playbill.com. Playbill. Archived from the original on November 24, 2010. Retrieved September 17, 2011.
- Jones, Kenneth (January 14, 2011). "Producers of Baby It's You! Eyeing Broadhurst Theatre and Beth Leavel". Playbill.com. Playbill. Archived from the original on March 21, 2011. Retrieved September 18, 2011.
- Jones, Kenneth (February 4, 2011). "Baby It's You! Box Office Will Open Feb. 5". Playbill.com. Playbill. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved September 18, 2011.
- Jones, Kenneth; Gans, Andrew (May 3, 2011). "2011 Tony Nominations Announced; 'Book of Mormon' Earns 14 Nominations". playbill.com. Archived from the original on September 14, 2011. Retrieved September 26, 2011.
- Marcus, Greil (1994–1995). "Legends: The Shirelles". Vibe: 124.
- Nutt, Amy Ellis (September 22, 2008). "Passaic dedicates street to the ones it loves: the Shirelles". The Star-Ledger. NJ.com. Archived from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved September 18, 2011.
- Perpetua, Matthew (April 28, 2011). "Dionne Warwick and the Shirelles Sue 'Baby It's You' Producers". Rollingstone.com. Retrieved September 18, 2011.
- "Pioneer Awards: 1994". Rhythm and Blues Foundation. Archived from the original on January 30, 2011. Retrieved September 17, 2011.
- Shaffer, Paul (April 21, 2005). "The Immortals: The First Fifty". Rolling Stone Issue 946. Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 6, 2007.
- ISBN 0-312-25464-4.
- Nielsen Business Media (June 12, 1965). "Shirelles Drop Suit Against Scepter-Wand". Billboard. p. 4.
{{cite magazine}}
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has generic name (help) - Suskin, Steven (April 27, 2011). "Baby It's You!". Variety Magazine. Retrieved September 26, 2011.
- Talevski, Nick (2006). Knocking on Heaven's Door : Rock Obituaries. London: Omnibus. ISBN 978-1-84609-091-2.
- "The Shirelles". Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Retrieved September 18, 2011.
- "The Shirelles: Albums". Billboard.com. Billboard. Retrieved September 17, 2011.
- "The Shirelles: Chart History". Billboard.com. Billboard. Retrieved September 17, 2011.
- Tobler, John (1991). Who's Who in Rock & Roll. London: Crescent Books. ISBN 978-0-517-05687-5.
- Turner, Alwyn W. (2003). "Classic Girl Groups". In Peter Buckley (ed.). The Rough Guide to Rock (3rd ed.). London: Rough Guides. pp. 426–428. ISBN 978-1-84353-105-0.
- Unterberger, Richie. "The Shirelles". Vocal Group Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on October 11, 2011. Retrieved September 17, 2011.
- Unterberger, Richie. "Tonight's the Night". AllMusic.com. Retrieved September 18, 2011.
- Wadhams, Wayne; Nathan, David; Lindsay, Susan Gedutis (2001). Inside the Hits. Boston: Berklee. ISBN 978-0-634-01430-7.
- Zak, Albin (2010). I Don't Sound Like Nobody: Remaking Music in 1950s America. Tracking Pop. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. ISBN 978-0-472-11637-9.
External links
- The Shirelles at Doo Wop Heaven
- Official web site of Beverly Lee's The Shirelles
- The Shirelles at Curlie
- The Shirelles discography at Discogs