The history of the American music industry is rife with unsung heroes, but perhaps nowhere is the gulf between influential contributions and proper recognition so wide as with the “girl groups,” as they’re popularly known, of the 1950s and ‘60s.
A new book, “But Will You Love Me Tomorrow: An Oral History of the ’60s Girl Groups,” aims to fill in the historical gaps with stories in the artists’ own words.
Ample space in the book is given to the legendary group the Shirelles, from whose hit song the title is borrowed and whose tight and infectious harmonies inspired the sound of the early Beatles and beyond.
In this interview, Shirelles’ founding member, Beverly Lee spoke with “City Lights” host Lois Reitzes to share more first-hand memories from her extraordinary career,
“We were ahead of our time. We were the first black group to cross over to pop, we were the first female black group to sell a million records, and we were voted best female group on Billboard for five years,” Lee says.
