Info about Girl Groups
All Girl Music Acts
Most historians of music agree that the Chantels 1958 hit, “Maybe” started the beginning of the all girl music groups. However, it was the Shirelles, in 1961 that brought the sound into the mainstream music with their two top ten hits, “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” and “Dedicated to the One I Love” . “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” was the first all girl song to hit the number one spot on Billboard’s chart.
The all girl sound did not come from just one place or one songwriter. The core of the sound came from the producers and songwriters in the Brill Building in New York, but the music came from Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Detroit, and many other places in the United States. It was a unique time period for rock music. The Brill building housed 165 offices for the music business. Songwriters visited these offices without appointments trying to sell their songs. Some of the sounds were so good that the demo was released as the recording. Everyone who had a good sound got a chance even if they were totally unknown. Many of the songs from this time period went right up the chart without even having to be promoted.
Many of the all girl groups became popular at lightning speed. A group of nobodies who called their group the Ronettes were playing at a tiny club in New Jersey when their recording, “Be My Baby” was released. In three weeks the song moved to number twenty on the charts and they were instantly stars.
The girl groups were often made up of teenaged girls when their song became a hit. Practically all of them were black, but many fans were not aware of that fact. Some of the singers had sung gospel music in their church. Many of the girls wrote their own songs, but sometimes the producers got the credit for them.
Many of the girl groups were anonymous except for their music because there was a concern that the songs would be received better if the singers’ color was unknown. Many times the girls were not concerned about that because they made money from their recording sessions and were able to stay at home instead of going on tour. Another advantage to the groups being anonymous was that the girls could be interchanged at the producer’s discretion. This interchanging was unbelievable. The most famous songwriter for all girl groups released songs using backup singers with group names The Popsicles, The Raindrops, Ellie Gee and the Jets, and Doreen and the Tammys. The Four Jewels and the Impalas were the same group.
The all girl group sound was very popular even though there was very little promotion given to these groups. Many of them were considered one hit wonders, but the sound was so popular that some all male groups took on the all girl sound. One example of these all boy groups is Frankie Lyman and the teenagers. The sound was easy to imitate since the groups were usually anonymous.