From:   "Dik de Heer" 
Date:  Mon Jun 10, 2002  1:14 am
Subject:  Born To Be With You : Shirley Owens
 
SHIRLEY OWENS

A.k.a. Shirley Owens Alston and Shirley Alston Reeves
Born 10 June 1941, Passaic, New Jersey

Lead singer of the Shirelles.
The Shirelles, initially known as the Poquellos, are arguably the arche-
typal girl group. 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/rock.
Formed in junior high school in Passaic, NJ, the original members were:
Shirley Owens, Beverly Lee (b. 3 August 1941), Doris Kenner (1941-2000)
and Addie 'Micki' Harris (1940-1982). School friends for whom singing was
simply a pastime, the quartet embarked on a professional career when a
classmate, Mary Jane Greenberg, recommended them to her mother.
Florence Greenberg, an aspiring entrepreneur, signed them to her Tiara
label, on which the resultant single, "I Met Him On A Sunday", was a
minor hit in 1958 (# 49). This inspired the inauguration of a second outlet,
Scepter, where the Shirelles secured pop immortality with "Will You Love
Me Tomorrow" (# 1, early 1961). Many of their classic early sides featured
innovative, occasionally string-laden production by Luther Dixon, who also
penned several of their greatest songs. Top Brill Building pop songwriters
like Goffin-King, Bacharach-David, and Van McCoy also supplied the
group with material. After "Will You Love Me Tomorrow," their biggest
hits were "Dedicated to the One I Love", "Mama Said", "Baby It's You",
"Soldier Boy" (their second # 1) and "Foolish Little Girl" (all Top 10).
The Shirelles' effect on other groups, including those in Britain, is
incalculable, and the Beatles, the Merseybeats, and Manfred Mann
are among those who covered their work. The quartet's progress was
dealt a crucial setback when producer and arranger Luther Dixon left
to take up another post. Newer Scepter acts, like Dionne Warwick,
assumed the quartet's one-time prime position while a punitive record
contract kept the group tied to the label. By the time the Shirelles
were free to move elsewhere, it was too late to enjoy a contemporary
career and the group was confined to the oldies' circuit. The current
Shirelles are a trio, fronted by original member Beverly Lee, who has
trademarked the name.

Homepage: http://www.theshirelles.com/
CD recommendation: 25 All-Time Greatest Hits (Varese).
Further reading: John Clemente, Girl groups : Fabulous females that
rocked the world. Iola, Wisconsin : Krause, 2000.