The Shirelles

The Shirelles were instrumental in defining the girl group sound and were one of the genre's most successful acts between 1960 and 1963, when they placed six singles in  the US Top Ten. 

Bridging Doo Wop and uptown New York pop-soul, the group projected a beguiling mixture of tenderness and innocence that was grounded in R&B as much as pop. 

Forming as high school classmates in New Jersey, The Shirelles came under the wing of manager Florence Goldberg, who also ran the Scepter label. Many of their classic early songs featured innovative, string-laden production by Luther Dixon who also penned several of their greatest hits.

Powered by the emotional voice of Shirley Alston (from whom they had taken their name), the girls were responsible for the magnificent and much-copied singles stretching from Tonight's The Night (1960) to Soldier Boy (1962), and taking in such classics as Will You Love Me Tomorrow? and Dedicated To The One I Love. 

Top Brill Building songwriters like Goffin/King, Van McCoy  and Bacharach/David supplied the group with material but they also cut a number of delightful less-famous tunes, including Boys (which like Baby It's You was covered by The Beatles on their first LP).

After mid-1963, The Shirelles were unable to dent the Top 40, although they recorded some excellent songs, including the original version of Sha La La Lee (covered as a hit by Manfred Mann). The group recorded well into the 70s, updating their sound into a more soul-oriented mode that was lacking by comparison to their earlier work.

Alston left for a solo career in 1975. Harris died of a heart attack in June 1982 following a performance in Atlanta. The Shirelles were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.