A book in which I expound on various musical things because I'm bored and it seems fun. Expect rants on underrated artists and lots of talk about my favorite music, of which there's a ton.
("She Talks to Rainbows" is the name of a Ramones song. It w...
Today is installment 1 of "Underappreciation," where I will spotlight artists who I think are, y'know, underappreciated. Today will also be part 1 of a 2-part Underappreciation spotlight about girl groups of the 60s—hence the title: pt. 1 of pt. 1, if that makes any sense.
So, tomorrow will be focused on the Ronettes, but today I'm going to talk about the Shirelles.
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(Clockwise from top: Addie "Micki" Harris, Shirley Owens, Beverly Lee, and Doris Coley)
The Shirelles are credited as the group that launched the girl group genre, and a few of their songs are still generally well known today, but I still feel like people don't give them enough credit.
A little background: the Shirelles were founded in 1957 for a school talent show in Passaic, New Jersey, and were signed by Florence Greenberg, former housewife and owner of Tiara Records (later Scepter Records). They achieved success with such songs as "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?" and "Soldier Boy" but saw their popularity wane in the mid-60s with the British Invasion and the surge of other popular girl groups. To make matters worse, they learned that the trust holding their royalties that Greenberg was supposed to give them on their 21st birthdays did not actually exist.
Anyway, Shirley Owens was the lead singer of the Shirelles, and my main problem with the credit they receive for their accomplishments lies with her. People talk a lot about Diana Ross of the Supremes (don't get me wrong, the Supremes are awesome and Diana Ross is too), but I think Owens has a great voice. I like her style and sound better than Ross'. It's really a matter of personal preference, I suppose, but I still feel like Owens should get more appreciation for the lead tracks she recorded during the Shirelles' time.
Wow, I didn't have much of a point there. Nobody needs to read this.
Welp, gonna publish it anyway.
I don't think I've actually ever said "welp."
Okay, I think all the Easter candy I ate is screwing with my brain.
