Shirley Alston Reeves born June 10, 1941

Shirley Alston Reeves (born June 10, 1941), born Shirley Owens, is an American soul singer who was the main lead singer of the hit girl group the Shirelles. 

Raised in Passaic, New Jersey, she formed the group in 1957 with classmates Beverly Lee, Doris Kenner Jackson (nee Coley), and Addie "Micki" Harris under the name The Poquellos 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 where as The Shirelles they achieved fame with hits like "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" (1960) which was the first number-one hit by a Black girl group on the Billboard Hot 100, and "Dedicated to the One I Love" (1961). Owens’ warm, soulful voice defined their sound, and was the lead singer, though Jackson was also featured as lead on several songs, as well. Blending pop, R&B, and doo-wop. The Shirelles released 12 studio albums, with over 20 charting singles, influencing the girl group era and artists like The Beatles.

                                  

After a successful period of collaboration with Dixon and promotion by Scepter, with seven top 20 hits, the Shirelles left Scepter in 1966. Afterwards, the Shirelles declined in popularity due in part to pressure from the British Invasion and the heavy competition from other girl groups, including the Chiffons, the Supremes, the Ronettes, Martha & the Vandellas, and the Crystals. 

Clockwise from top-Addie Harris,
Shirley Owens, Beverly Lee
and Doris Coley

During this period, Warwick often replaced Coley on stage due to the latter's family commitments. The Shirelles were still bound to Scepter and thus unable to record for another company until the end of their contract in 1966. Their last single to chart was 1967's "Last Minute Miracle", which peaked at No. 99.

After the commercial failure of their most recent releases, Coley left the group in 1968 to focus on her family. The remaining three Shirelles recorded songs for several labels, including Bell Records, RCA Victor, and United Artists until 1971. Afterwards, they toured singing their older songs, and participated in the filming of the 1973 documentary Let the Good Times Roll, recording two songs for it. Coley returned as lead singer in 1975, replacing Owens, who left that year to pursue a solo career.

Owens then went on to release albums like With a Little Help from My Friends (1975) under the name Shirley Alston,which featured members of the Flamingos, the Drifters, Shep and the Limelites, the Five Satins, the Belmonts, Danny & the Juniors, Herman's Hermits and La La Brooks of the Crystals. Then she recorded as Lady Rose and released a self titled album in 1977. Also that year  as Shirley Lady Rose Alston" she recorded Sings Shirelles Greatest Hits. Doris, Beverly and Shirley would come together once more to record on Dionne Warwick's 1983 album, "How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye", which featured a new version of "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?"

In 1994, the Shirelles were honored by the Rhythm and Blues Foundation with the Pioneer Award for their contributions to music. The award was accepted by Owens, Lee, and Kenner. As Coley was accepting her award, she said "This is dedicated to the one I love", and sang an impromptu rendition of "Soldier Boy" together with Owens and Lee. Two years later they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, together with Gladys Knight & the Pips. At the ceremony in the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York, the three surviving members sang a medley of songs after being presented the awards by Merry Clayton, Marianne Faithfull, and Darlene Love.

Shirley continued to perform as Shirley Alston Reeves and The Shirelles with various line-ups into the 2000s. The Shirelles were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame. Lee and Owens accepted the award. In September, 2008, The Shirelles' hometown of Passaic, New Jersey honored the group by renaming a section of Paulison Avenue as Shirelles Boulevard. Shirley is married to Kenneth Reeves and has two children. She retired from performing in 2020 but remains a celebrated figure in R&B history, living in North Carolina.

(Edited from Wikipedia)