Dedicated To The One I Love
Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow
Boys
Mamma Said
Baby It's You
Soldier Boy
It's Love That Really Counts
Foolish Little Girl
The Shirelles created some of the finest songs of the sixties and most were played at the Wheel/Blue Note Manchester.
In the early sixties it was Boys that was probably the most covered, mainly by the beat groups of Liverpool. They toured the UK in 1963 with Duane Eddy and Gene Vincent and were sensational when they appeared at the Odeon on Oxford Road in Manchester.
The Beatles, Dave Berry, Manfred Mann, even Van Morrison have made versions of Shirelles' tracks. Lead Singer Shirley Owens is certainly one of Soul's most underrated singers. Dave Berry made his name and fortune from a cover of Baby It's You which was played to death in the old Twisted Wheel, especially after he sang it live. For some reason his black gloves and microphone manoeuvres proved very popular with the girls.
I heard the original by The Shirelles only recently on the Jonathan Ross Radio Show. I immediately got a copy of this superior, atmospheric original.
Mrs Florence Greenberg operated the Scepter label and took a strong interest in helping the Shirelles with Luther Dixon assigned to produce them and later writing a few of their hits.
Brill Building songwriters:Goffin-King, Burt Bacharach and Hal David, and Van McCoy all wrote their hits.