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

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

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 McF ...

The Shirelles

In addition to Owens, The Shirelles consisted of fellow

Passaic Passaic ( or ) is a city in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city was the state's 16th-most-populous municipality,New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

) alumni Doris Kenner Jackson, Addie "Micki" Harris McPhadden and Beverly Lee. Owens' strong, distinctive voice meant that she was a natural choice for the lead singer, though Jackson was also featured as lead on several songs, as well. 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 written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. It was first recorded in 1960 by the Shirelles for their album '' Tonight's the Night''; released as a singl ...

". She left The Shirelles in 1975 to begin a solo career, initially recording under the name "Lady Rose". The Shirelles were inducted into the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...

in 1996. She also performed on the ''Doo Wop 51''

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

special in 2000.

Solo

In 1975, 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 music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

, which featured members of

the Flamingos The Flamingos are an American doo-wop group formed in Chicago in 1953. The band became popular in mid-to-late 1950s and are best known for their 1959 cover version of "I Only Have Eyes for You". They have since been hailed as being one of the f ...

the Drifters The Drifters are an American pop and R&B/soul vocal group. 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 1959 and ...

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 – ...

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, wh ...

the Belmonts The Belmonts were an American doo-wop group from the Bronx, New York, that originated in the mid-1950s. The original group consisted of Angelo D'Aleo (born February 3, 1940), Carlo Mastrangelo (October 5, 1937 – April 4, 2016), and Fred M ...

Danny & the Juniors Danny & the Juniors were an American doo-wop and rock and roll vocal group formed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Originally consisting of Danny Rapp, Dave White, Frank Maffei and Joe Terranova, the group was formed in 1955. They are best know ...

Herman's Hermits Herman's Hermits are an English rock and pop group formed in 1963 in Manchester and formerly fronted by singer Peter Noone. Known for their jaunty beat sound and Noone's often tongue-in-cheek vocal style, the Hermits charted with numerous tra ...

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)", ...

. Shirley continues to tour under the name 'Shirley Alston Reeves and her Shirelles'.Archived a
Ghostarchive
and th
Wayback Machine

Personal life

Through marriages, she became Shirley Alston and later, Shirley Alston Reeves. Her nephew,

Gerald Alston Gerald Alston (born November 8, 1951) is an American soul/R&B singer, and the lead singer of the Manhattans. Between late 1970 and 1988, the group had 25 top 40 R&B and 12 Hot 100 hit singles. Alston was lead singer on their most successful 1976 ...

is the lead singer of

The Manhattans The Manhattans are an American R&B vocal group. Their songs " 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, including tw ...

Discography

Albums

Compilation albums

Singles

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Owens, Shirley 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 21st-century American women singers 20th-century African-American women singers 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American singers