Sounds Of The Sixties - Top 10 Girl Groups
Girl groups flooded the charts in the 1960s, so here are the Sounds Of The Sixties ten favourite 60s girl groups
The Supremes
Baby Love
were originally called ‘The Primettes’. They were desperate to be signed to Motown, and after founding member Florence Ballard had pestered Berry Gordy sufficiently, he agreed to sign them on the condition that they change their name. He suggested a range of names including ‘the Darleens’, ‘the Sweet Ps’, ‘the Royaltones’ ‘the Melodees’, and ‘the Jewelettes’ but eventually they chose ‘The Supremes’.
The Chiffons
He's So Fine
This New York girl group’s ‘He’s So Fine’ was the source of the copyright claim against George Harrison’s ‘My Sweet Lord’. The resemblance is quite striking between the two records. ‘He’s So Fine’ reached No. 1 in the US and was awarded a gold disc selling over a million records.
The Ronettes
Be My Baby
were named after core member Ronnie Spector.Their hit single ‘Be My Baby’ has been hailed by many, including Brian Wilson, as the best pop record of all time. Their backing vocalists included Darlene Love, Sonny and Cher. The track is one that pioneered music technology, as one of the first tracks featuring Phil Spector’s production technique that became known as the ‘Wall Of Sound’.
The Shangri-Las
Leader Of The Pack
Pictured here for their single ‘Leader Of The Pack’, the single was originally refused airplay by the 成人快手, possibly due to some of the underlying themes that could be construed as a bit dark. The track continued charting well into the 70s.
The Crystals
Da Doo Ron Ron
Famous for their hits ‘Da Do Ron Ron’ ‘And Then He Kissed Me’ and ‘He’s A Rebel’, a track that The Shirelles turned down because of the anti establishment lyrics. were undoubtedly one of the biggest girl groups of the 60s.
The Shirelles
Mama Said
One of the most famous girl groups of the 60s, were originally founded in 1957 for a school talent contest. Often cited as the group that launched girl groups in the US, they were able to attract both black and white audiences, bringing a foretaste of Motown’s cross-racial success.
The Angels
My Boyfriend's Back
‘My Boyfriend’s Back’ was The Angels’ big hit in 1963. Originally intended for The Shirelles, it spent three weeks at the top of the Billboard 100 chart. The Angels were no doubt glad they landed their hands on it!
Martha Reeves And The Vandellas
Love Is Like A Heatwave
The original line up of didn’t include Martha Reeves. Reeves joined the group in 1962 and soon became the group’s lead singer. They became one of the most successful Motown groups with a string of hits such as ‘Heatwave’, ‘Jimmy Mack’.
The Dixie Cups
Chapel Of Love
The Dixie Cups came to fame with their 1964 hit ‘Chapel Of Love’, a song that was intended for The Ronettes. Another hit the same year was ‘Iko Iko’, a New Orleans traditional song which was first heard by Dixie Cups member Barbara Hawkings being sung by her grandmother.
The Velvelettes
Needle In A Haystack
The Velvelettes formed in 1961 at Western Michigan University. They were put in touch with Motown’s Berry Gordy through classmate Robert Bullock, who happened to be Gordy’s nephew. Their chart breakthrough really came with the release of this single, ‘Needle In A Haystack’ in 1964.
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