I've always loved the music of the late 50's/early 60's particularly that Motown sound. some of the greatest artists of all time came on the scene then. Smoky Robinson, Marvin Gaye, the Jackson 5 and a whole heap of girl groups.
They were incredible, all of them, the most famous were most certainly the Supreme's supported by the full strength of the powerhouse that was Berry Gordy and Motown but they were not the first and they certainly were not the only. there were probably hundreds of them and they all seemed to follow the same format. three or four young girls singing in harmony one of them usually became the lead singer and stood in the middle while the other did a bit of choreography.
Arguably one of the earliest of this type of group were The Shirelles (whose lead singer was called Shirley hence the name, up all night thinking of that one!) They were four teenagers from new jersey who were discovered while singing in a school concert. They went on to be extremely successful in the 60's with mega hits such as 'Mama Said', 'Will you still love me tomorrow', Baby its you' and 'Dedicated to the one I love' to name just a few. I'm sure you've heard of the songs but most people haven't heard of the group they didn't survive the 70's unlike the Supremes and Patti Le belle and the blubelle's who managed to change their style to fit the times. A musical has been written based on their story and their music called Baby Its You I was lucky enough to see it in New York recently (eek Broadway) it was so fantastic. It really captures the feeling of the era and brings to light the story of this somewhat forgotten gem.
Another great band who tend not to get mentioned anymore are The Ronnettes who's biggest hits were probably 'Be my baby' and 'Baby I love you'. They benefited from the Phil Specter "wall of sound", the producing giant was once the husband of the lead singer whose was called...wait for it....Ronnie! (do we see a trend in the coming up with names?) one of their biggest moments was when they supported the Beatles on their first American tour.
there are so so many others. Martha and the Vandellas who had hits with 'Dancing in the Street', 'Heatwave' and 'Nowhere to Run'. The Chiffons who brought us 'He's so Fine', 'One fine day' and 'The Locomotion', The Crystals who did 'Then he kissed me' and 'Do run run', The Angels with 'My boyfriends Back' and The Shangri la's who did one of my favourite songs 'Leader of the Pack'.
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| the shangri la's |
Their music, though similar, was groundbreaking at a time when the music industry had been very male dominated. It was fun and upbeat and it spoke to young people. These talented woman have inspired many other singers and styles through out the years, the late Amy Winehouse was a great fan of the Shirelles in particular, Beyonce also payed homage to this genre in her video for single ladies. I just love this style and these groups, I was always a sucker for a good harmony. I think its a shame they're not more widely remembered.
here's some YouTube links to get you going and if anyone wants to join my group start practicing your oohs and ahhs and gimme a shout!!
I particularly love this one because it so hilariously melodramatic!
