American girl group, the first to have a number one single on the Billboard Hot 100.

The members of the quartet were Shirley Owens (the main lead singer; later known as Shirley Alston, then Shirley Alston Reeves), Doris Coley (later known as Doris Kenner, then Doris Jackson; who sang lead on Dedicated to the One I Love, Welcome Home Baby, Blue Holiday and a number of B-sides and album cuts), Beverly Lee, and Addie Harris.

The quartet formed in New Jersey in 1958, and went on to release a string of hits including Baby It’s You (written by Burt Bacharach/Mack David/Barney Williams), Mama Said, Foolish Little Girl, and the US #1 Pop hits Will You Love Me Tomorrow (Gerry Goffin/Carole King) and Soldier Boy (Florence Greenberg/Luther Dixon). The Shirelles were the first major female vocal group of the rock and roll era, preceding Motown as a crossover phenomenon with white audiences.

Inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 (Performer).