Shirley Alston Reeves (born June 10, 1941), born Shirley Owens, is an American

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...

singer who was the main lead singer of the hit girl group

the Shirelles The Shirelles were an American girl group formed in Passaic, New Jersey in 1957. They consisted of schoolmates Shirley Owens (later Shirley Alston Reeves), Doris Coley (later Doris Kenner-Jackson), Addie "Micki" Harris (later Addie Harris McFad ...

. In addition to Owens, the Shirelles consisted of classmates of hers from

Passaic Passaic ( or ) is a city in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city had a total population of 70,537, ranking as the 16th largest municipality in New Jersey and an increase of 656 from the 69,7 ...

High School,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

: Doris Kenner Jackson, Addie "Micki" Harris McPhadden and Beverly Lee. Through marriages, she became Shirley Alston and later, Shirley Alston Reeves. Her strong, distinctive voice meant that she was the natural choice for their main lead singer, though Jackson was also featured as lead on several songs as well. Her nephew,

Gerald Alston Gerald Alston (born November 8, 1951) is an American soul/R&B singer, and the lead singer of the Grammy Award winning group The Manhattans between late 1970 and 1988, recording 25 top 40 R&B and 12 Hot 100 Pop Singles. Alston was lead singer on ...

is the lead singer of

The Manhattans The Manhattans are an American popular R&B vocal group. Their work " Kiss and Say Goodbye", recorded in 1976, and 1980's " Shining Star", both sold millions of copies. The Manhattans have recorded 45 hits on the ''Billboard'' R&B Chart, includ ...

. Reeves enjoyed a string of hits with the Shirelles throughout the 1960s, the most notable being

Will You Love Me Tomorrow "Will You Love Me Tomorrow", sometimes known as "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow", is a song with words by Gerry Goffin and music composed by Carole King. It was recorded in 1960 by the Shirelles at Bell Sound Studios in New York City, and hit n ...

. She left the Shirelles in 1975 to begin a solo career, initially recording under the name "Lady Rose". That same year, she recorded an album entitled ''With A Little Help From My Friends'', after the hit song by

the Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

, which featured members of the Flamingos,

the Drifters The Drifters are several American doo-wop and R&B/soul vocal groups. They were originally formed as a backing group for Clyde McPhatter, formerly the lead tenor of Billy Ward and his Dominoes in 1953. The second group of Drifters, formed in ...

Shep and the Limelites Shep and the Limelites was an American doo-wop trio of the early 1960s, composed of James "Shep" Sheppard (September 24, 1935 – January 24, 1970), Clarence Bassett (March 13, 1936 – January 25, 2005) and Charles Baskerville (July 6, 1936 – J ...

the Five Satins The Five Satins are an American doo-wop group, best known for their 1956 million-selling song, " In the Still of the Night." They were formed in 1954 and continued performing until 1994. When it was formed, the group consisted of six members, w ...

, the Belmonts, Danny & the Juniors, Herman's Hermits and La La Brooks of

the Crystals The Crystals are an American vocal group that originated in New York City. Considered one of the defining acts of the girl group era in the first half of the 1960s, their 1961–1964 chart hits – including "There's No Other (Like My Baby)", " ...

. The Shirelles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. She also performed on the ''Doo Wop 51'' PBS special in 2000, and continues to tour under the name 'Shirley Alston Reeves and her Shirelles'.Archived a
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References

1941 births Living people American rhythm and blues singers Singers from North Carolina Singers from New Jersey The Shirelles members 21st-century African-American women singers 20th-century African-American women singers {{US-singer-stub