Complex sentence: The Shirelles were an African-American girl group that achieved popularity in the early 1960s; it consisted of schoolmates Shirley Owens, Doris Coley, Addie "Micki" Harris, and Beverly Lee.
Split into simpler sentences: The Shirelles were an African-American girl group that achieved popularity in the early 1960s. It comprised schoolmates Shirley Owens, Doris Coley, Addie "Micki" Harris, and Beverly Lee.