How the #Shirelles started the girl group sound with ‘Will You Love Me Tomorrow’
Hailing from Passaic, New Jersey, they changed pop music forever. The Shirelles are more than just a singing quartet. They are icons.
Formed in the late 1950s, this group of young women, Addie “Mickey” Harris, Doris Corey, Shirley Owens and Beverly Lee, began singing at high school dances. Seems humble. But their trajectory was different. Florence Greenberg, a classmate’s mother, saw the potential. She signed them to the Tiara label and then transferred them to the more ambitious Scepter Records. The label then launched Dionne Warwick.
Most girl groups at the time relied entirely on outside songwriters. Not so in the Shirelles. They wrote the material themselves. But what were their biggest wins? These are from the Brill Building.
Carole King and Gerry Goffin wrote “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” in 1960. It became a pop classic. More importantly, this single was the first girl group record to reach number one.
Hits followed. “Dedicated to the One I Love” entered the top ten. So did “Mama Said” and “Baby It’s You”. Featuring sweet and gospel-scented harmonies, intimate and grand.
Then came 1962’s Soldier Boy. Written by their main collaborator and producer Luther Dixon, the song remains their most successful song. But then their momentum slowed.
Why did they fade? Part of that is because of Dixon’s departure. This was partly due to the British invasion. The landscape changed overnight.
Ironically, the Beatles covered two of their songs. “Baby It’s You” and “Boys” were included on the Beatles’ debut album. The British group supported the American girl group. This is ironic.
The Shirelles disbanded in the late 1960s. But they didn’t just disappear. They continued performing their old songs.
They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996, a well-deserved honor. Their voice defined an era. It still resonates with all the girl groups that followed.
Addie Harris died in Los Angeles in 1982. Doris Corey died in Sacramento in 2000. Shirley Owens and Beverly Lee are still icons.
The music never ends. I’m just waiting for the next singer to pick up the melody.
