Jennifer North's Fabulous Top 10 GIRL GROUPS of the 60's!
Jun 30 '00 (Updated Jul 05 '00)
In a precious space of time 1960-1963 a sound that was based on doo-wop in the 50's exploded from Detroit and New York studios that was defined by handclaps, silly lyrics, young girls with golden voices and absolutely fabulous hair. Although the majority of these groups never had any autonomy there is nary a compilation released of this era that doesn't include at least one "Girl Group" and they are cited constantly as inspiration by musicians to this day. Here are a few of my personal favorites (in no order):
Girl Groups from the 60's
1. the Marvelettes - while the Marvelettes were considered more pop than most of Motown's other acts, they never achieved the number of hit singles of other Motown legends. Their only #1 single was Please Mr Postman, though they had three other singles that broke that Top 40 (my personal favorite being Too Many Fish in the Sea, a fabulous break-up song), despite the five line-up changes.
2. the Ronettes - fronted by the one & only Ronnie Spector this group was originally called "Ronnie and her Relatives" when they recorded their first single (at age 16!) when the relatives were replaced with professional singers. There is a Best of.. Collection of the Ronettes that has most of their big hits and there is also a collection entitled "The Early Years" which consists of the songs recorded when Ronnie was only 17! Newsflash 7/5/00: the Ronettes recently re-united to sue Phil Spector for withheld royalties and this week they won their case!
3. the Shangri-La's - one of the most famous girl-groups of all time (and rightfully so!) with songs like Leader of the Pack, Remember (Walking in the Sand) & I Can Never Go Home Again... one of the few groups to talk about issues such as death, date rape, teen runaways and lame boyfriends (not), also one of the few white Girl Groups who is still considered influential.
4. the Crystals - a vaguely remembered but treasured girl group in my heart. One of my all-time favorite scenes in modern America cinema is the opening sequence of ADVENTURES IN BABY-SITTING when the babysitter is getting ready for her date singing along to And Then He Kissed Me into a hairbrush, possibly a defining moment for every female of Generation X. Fronted by Darlene Love the Crystals also recorded such hits as He's a Rebel, Da Doo Ron Ron, and my personal favorite He Hit Me (And It Felt Like a Kiss) written by Carole King.
5. the Supremes - one of the most successful and tragic groups of the 60's. If you've never heard of Diana Ross or her Supremes I'm sure you haven't even read this far.
6. the Velvelettes - Due to Motown's lack of promotion this group only had a handfull of very minor hits (He Was Really Sayin’ Something, A Bird In The Hand (Is Worth Two In The Bush), and Lonely, Lonely) and never produced a full-length record but Cal Gill was merely 14 when the Velvelettes cut their first single for Motown Records in 1963! They also have a strange cult status amongst girl groups fans.
7. the Exciters - Actually three girls and one boy they remind me of an earlier version of the Spice Girls, not stunningly original (re-recording the song Tell Her as Tell Him, which in lacking any irony, became Ally McBeal's personal theme song) but bleeding with charisma and style. Also famous for Do Wah Diddy and Run Mascara.
8. the Dixie Cups - originally calling themselves the Meltones (and later Little Miss and the Muffets) the Dixie Cups were another girl group that consisted of sisters. They recorded Chapel of Love and Iko Iko. The Dixie Cups vocal styles were more influenced by R&B and jazz than gospel because they had grown up in New Orleans. They later went on to have successful modeling careers.
9. the Chiffons aka the Four Pennies- one of the original girl groups (first single cut in 1960) among them: One Fine Day and He's so Fine. This group was just 13 and 14 when they were signed to the label Big Deal. The Golden Classics of the Chiffons is a beauty to be wept over.
10. the Shirelles - One of the first Girl Groups, these girls were 16 & 17 when they first recorded I Met Him on Sunday in 1958 (in New Jersey!). They are still performing to this day (with no original members). This group placed six singles in the Top Ten including Mama Said and Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?.
Honorary mentions: Martha and the Vandellas, Angels, the Pips, the Chantels, the Bonnie Sisters, En Vogue (wrong era, but I totally loved them!).
For more info about the history of girl groups check out:
Will Stos' History of Girl Groups: http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Frontrow/2301/
Cyber Grrlz' History of Girl Groups:
http://www.cybergrrlz.com/cg-girl-groups.htm
Girl Groups Fan Club & Photo Gallery
http://members.tripod.com/~ggfc/
or read Gillian Gaar's _She's a Rebel_
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