3/13/08
Top girl group of the ‘60s to perform in Summerton
By Cathy Gilbert

Submitted Photo

The Shirelles, one of the leading “girl groups” of the 1960s will be in concert on April 5 at the Summerton Cultural Arts Center.

If you were a child, a teen or a young adult of the sixties, certain song titles are bound to bring back a flood of memories. Like drive-in movies, carhops, and being boy or girl crazy the great “girl groups” of the 60s were as much a part of growing up as Wonder Bread and Chock’s Vitamins.

There are several very famous girl groups and one of the most popular of the day and still of today are The Shirelles. You know their songs … “Soldier Boy,” … “Dedicated to the One I Love,” … “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?” they were on the soundtrack of life for people of “a certain age.”

The Summerton Downtown Development Association will host The Shirelles in concert at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 5 at the Summerton Cultural Arts Center.

The Shirelles were proclaimed by Beatle John Lennon to be his favorite group in the early days of Beatlemania. The original group was made up of the late Micki Harris (1940-1982), the late Doris Kenner-Jackson (1941-2000), Shirley Reeves and Beverly Lee. Today, Lee is still the lead singer for the group, and the now trio is sure to provide a lively evening of entertainment for both young and young-at-heart.

The Shirelles were all from Passaic, New Jersey and formed in high school as the Pequellos, as they called themselves. When a schoolmate heard them perform in a local talent search, she brought them to the attention of her mother, Florence Greenberg, who owned a small recording label. They were renamed The Shirelles and released their first recording, “I Met Him on a Sunday,” which established them and helped Greenberg launch the legendary Scepter label.

The Shirelles released their huge hit, “This Is Dedicated to the One I Love” in 1959, though it barely made it onto Billboard’s Top 100. However, it soared to No. 3 upon re-release in 1961 and in 1967, the Mamas and the Papas would release a nearly identical arrangement that would go to No. 2.

Of the more than two dozen singles released on the Scepter label, their biggest hit was “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow,” the first No. 1 single by a girl group and the first No. 1 hit for legendary songwriters Carol King and Gerry Goffin.

They were officially inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked them No. 76 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. “Will You Love Me Tomorrow?” (No. 125) and “Tonight’s the Night” (No. 401) both made Rolling Stone’s list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

“The Shirelles are about much more than just the music. There is an energy and an aura that goes beyond our songs,” said funding member Lee. “We were taught by the best, right there at the beginning of the music. We learned how to move, how to dress and above all how to present our music in a certain classy, elegant style. This is the tradition of the female groups of my era and for all of my life I have tried to be true to it.”

The Shirelles show is high energy and family oriented. They are celebrating their 50th anniversary this year and are sure to pack the Summerton Cultural Arts Center.

Tickets are $35 and available at the Chamber of Commerce and Bank of Clarendon in Manning; Wen-Lily’s, Two Cute and Ginger’s Flowers and Gifts in Summerton; the Town Halls in Summerton and Turbeville and at SEACO Music in Sumter. A limited number of tickets are available for a “Meet the Artists” reception following the concert at the home of Mayor and Mrs. Jay Bruner for an additional $25.

The Shirelles join an exciting and growing roster of nationally known artists that have performed in Summerton, including Pat Boone, The Lettermen, The Diamonds, Lee Greenwood, Mac Frampton and Emile Pandolfi.

For more information about the concert or the Summerton Downtown Development Association, contact Lil Sconyers at 485-222 or Laura Ardis at 485-2595.