The Shirelles

The Shirelles carved out their place in pop history in 1960 when their recording of the Gerry Goffin-Carole King song Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow made them the first all-girl group to score a Number 1 hit in the US (it only made Number 4 in the UK). They pre-dated Motown and The Supremes and as such effectively created the template for the boom in girl groups that followed. Schoolfriends in Passaic, New Jersey, they originally called themselves the Poquellos after writing a song, I Met Him On A Sunday, and entering a talent show. It just so happened that the mother of another schoolfriend worked for Tiara Records, persuaded them to change their name to the Shirelles and signed them to the label to release I Met Him On A Sunday as a single. Its catchy innocence attracted local airplay and it was subsequently picked up by Decca Records, going on to become a small hit. Two more singles followed, including Dedicated To The One I Love - a cover of an old 5 Royales song - before they struck it big with Tonight's The Night and then Will You Love Me Tomorrow. They followed it with further hits Mama Said, Baby It's You, Soldier Boy and Boys, but their popularity waned after the departures of Doris Coley and Shirley Owens. Dionne Warwick was among the new singers brought in briefly as replacements, but by this time Motown had taken off and The Shirelles were swept aside by a new wave of girl groups like The Supremes, The Ronettes and The Dixie Cups. However, they remain warmly remembered with their own Shirelles Boulevard named in their honour in their home town of Passaic, New Jersey. They were also the subject of a short-lived New York show, Baby It's You.

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