caption years_active alias label article_title past_members background genre image origin name
the addie `` micki '' harris , shirley owens , beverly shirelles lee , and doris coley . in 1962 . clockwise from top : 1957 -- 82 the poquellos , shirley & the shirelles tiara ; uk : top rank , stateside , pye international , decca , scepter , bell , rca the shirelles
 shirley owens doris coley addie harris mcpherson beverly lee group_or_band r , pop , soul & b , rock and roll , doo-wop the shirelles 1962.jpg passaic , new jersey , us the shirelles
the shirelles

the shirelles were an american girl group that achieved popularity in the early 1960s .
they consisted of schoolmates shirley owens -lrb- later shirley alston reeves -rrb- , doris coley -lrb- later doris kenner-jackson -rrb- , addie `` micki '' harris -lrb- later addie harris mcpherson -rrb- , and beverly lee .
founded in 1957 for a talent show at their high school , they were signed by florence greenberg of tiara records .
their first single , `` i met him on a sunday '' , was released by tiara and licensed by decca records in 1958 .
after a brief and unsuccessful period with decca , they went with greenberg to her newly formed company , scepter records .
working with luther dixon , the group rose to fame with `` tonight 's the night '' .
after a successful period of collaboration with dixon and promotion by scepter , with seven top 20 hits , the shirelles left scepter in 1966 .
afterwards , they were unable to maintain their previous popularity .
the shirelles have been described as having a `` naive schoolgirl sound '' that contrasted with the sexual themes of many of their songs .
several of their hits used strings and baião-style music .
they have been credited with launching the girl group genre , with much of their music reflecting the genre 's essence .
their acceptance by both white and black audiences , predating that of the motown acts , has been noted as reflecting the early success of the african-american civil rights movement .
they have received numerous honors , including the pioneer award from the rhythm and blues foundation , as well as being accepted in the rock and roll hall of fame in 1996 , and named one of the 100 best acts of all time by `` rolling stone '' in 2004 .
two of their songs , `` will you love me tomorrow '' and `` tonight 's the night '' , were selected by `` rolling stone '' on its list of the greatest songs of all time .
