Few performers can truly be called trendsetters, fewer still can sustain a high visibility presence in the pop culture consciousness for over 40 years. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame members, The Shirelles, have done these things and more! They have earned their exalted place in modern musical history.
Beginning as New Jersey schoolgirls, The Shirelles quickly became rock & roll’s first female supergroup and were the inspiration for a legion of female groups that followed. They are universally credited as the originators of the Girl Group Sound that is so beloved by the Baby Boomer generation. Their long string of hits, including “Soldier Boy,” “Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” “Dedicated to the One I Love,” “Mama Said,” and so many others, have been recorded by hundreds of artists, including The Beatles, Dionne Warwick, Aretha Franklin, Bernadette Peters, Smokey Robinson, Eric Clapton & The Yardbirds, and The Mamas & the Papas.
The lasting appeal of these classic hits by The Shirelles is so broad that they continue to be heard daily on a wide variety of radio formats, and have been featured in scores of films and TV shows. The Shirelles were among the first women to write their own music, and they also launched the careers of songwriters like Carole King, Burt Bacharach, Ashford & Simpson and Van McCoy.
Constantly reissued, “The Shirelles Greatest Hits” received the highest rating in the Rolling Stone Record Guide, and leading music critic David Marsh described the album as “essential to any serious record collector.” The rise of compact discs has seen several original albums by The Shirelles re-released to resounding acclaim, both critically and commercially.
Since their 1958 debut at the New York’s legendary Apollo Theater, The Shirelles have graced virtually every important stage in the world, countless supper clubs, discos, state fairs, hotel ballrooms and casinos. Years of non-stop touring have taken The Shirelles to Europe, Asia, Australia, South America, and every state in the U.S. Recently, The Shirelles began a new phase in their career, appearing in concert with Symphony Orchestras across the country.
The Shirelles broke racial barriers performing at a segregated college in Clemson,
South Carolina, and headlined the first integrated fundraising show in
Birmingham, Alabama alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Ray Charles, Nina Simone, Johnny Mathis, and others. The funds raised at this show went towards helping many people attend the “1963 March on Washington.” The Shirelles also participated in numerous early bus tours and package shows with their peers among the originators of rock & roll, and performed for Presidents Kennedy, Johnson and Bush. Steeped in a rich musical history, The Shirelles have many stellar inside stories to share, and are currently in great demand on the TV talk/interview circuit.
The Shirelles were among the first star entertainers to get involved in the battle against AIDS, and have also served as fundraisers for the USO (they hosted a gala New York benefit for the Persian Gulf troops), and the Mental Health Association in Passaic (NJ) County, for which The Shirelles co-founder Beverly Lee has served on the Board of Directors. The Shirelles were the recipients of the Soul ofAmericaMusic Award & the Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation, as well as being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1996, and the New Jersey Hall of Fame in 2014. The Shirelles were also listed in the “2022 National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress,” and more recently, Beverly Lee was included in the publication “But Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” An Oral History of the ‘60’s Girl Groups by Laura Flam and Emily Sieu Liebowitz – which was released in September, 2023. Since then, Beverly has been interviewed by numerous media outlets, including the Associated Press and No Depression.
The Shirelles have made such an indelible impression on American culture that their name is regularly used in the Doonesbury comic strips, and on TV programs (The View, and The Talk) to personify the era of the 50’s and 60’s. They continue to thrill audiences worldwide with their high-energy show “An Evening With The Shirelles,” which includes their many hits interspersed with a wide range of selections from pop, rock, and soul, to standards, gospel and country. All of this is mixed with spirited dancing and comedy, and performed in the inimitable style that millions of fans have come to expect from the legends that are The Shirelles!
THE SHIRELLES ADDITIONAL AWARDS
- The US House of Representatives 2022
- The Doing It In The Park Committee of Passaic Main Honoree Award 2017
- Mary’s Community Foundation Gala November 6, 2015
- YMCA of Paterson Achievers Award September 26, 2013
- Foundation for Injured Veterans Silver Eagle Patriot Award 2011
- Shirelles Boulevard 2008
- Shirelles Auditorium Passaic High School 1996
- Passaic Branch NAACP Award January 11, 1992
