Shirley Ellis
Shirley Ellis (born January 19, 1929 as Shirley Marie Elliston in Bronx , New York ; † October 5, 2005 ) was an American singer and songwriter who was mainly successful in soul music in the 1960s .
Life
Ellis, whose ancestors came from the West Indies , wrote the song Pretty Wild , which was recorded by the group The Chords under the pseudonym The Sh-Booms (Atlantic-Cat 117). At the Apollo Theater in Harlem , she won an amateur singing competition and became a member of The Metronomes. From 1959 began working with Lincoln Chase, who managed her career and became her producer and co-author. Chase had already enjoyed success with the songs Such a Night ( The Drifters ) and Jim Dandy ( LaVern Baker ). In 1961, Ellis recorded her first solo record under the name Shirley Elliston with the small record company Shell Records with the titles Love Can Make You Know / A Beautiful Love (catalog number 307). The record was unsuccessful.
Success came when Ellis signed a recording deal with Congress Records . With the title The Nitty Gritty , written by Lincoln Chase , Ellis came to number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 , on the Rhythm and Blues Charts (R&B) it rose to 4th place. Ellis had the greatest success in 1965 with the song The Name Game, written by her and Chase . It moved into the Hot 100 on January 30, 1965, reached number three on January 30, and was listed in the charts for a total of 14 weeks. In the rhythm and blues charts she came back to 4th place. 1965 was Ellis' most successful year, with The Clapping Song (8th) and The Puzzle Song (78th) she brought two more titles to the Hot 100. The Clapping Song , also written by Lincoln Chase, became her only international one Hit. Released in Great Britain by London Records (No. 9961), the track reached number 4 on the New Musical Express chart in June 1965 .
In 1966, Ellis signed a new recording deal with Columbia Records . There were only three single releases within two years, of which only the title Soul Time, written by her, was placed in the Hot 100 (67th). Her LP Soul Time With Shirley Ellis , released in June 1967 by Columbia, was her last known record production.
Listings on Billboard Hot 100
| year | title | Hot 100 | R&B |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | The nitty gritty | 8th. | 4th |
| 1964 | What the Nitty Gritty Is | 72. | 14th |
| 1965 | The Name Game | 3. | 4th |
| 1965 | The clapping song | 8th. | 16. |
| 1965 | The Puzzle Song | 78. | |
| 1967 | Soul time | 67. | 31. |
Discography
US singles
| title | Catalog no. | year |
|---|---|---|
| Love Can Make You Know / A Beautiful Love | Shell 307 | 1961 * |
| The Nitty Gritty / Give Me A List | Congress 202 | 1963 |
| What the Nitty Gritty Is / Get Out | Congress 208 | 1964 |
| Shy One / Takin 'Care of Business | Congress 210 | 1964 |
| Such a Night / Bring It on Home to Me | Congress 221 | 1964 |
| The Name Game / Whisper to the Wind | Congress 230 | 1964 |
| The Clapping Song / This Is Beautiful | Congress 234 | 1965 |
| The Puzzle Song / I See It, I Like It, I Want It | Congress 238 | 1965 |
| I Never Will Forget / I Told You So | Congress 246 | 1965 |
| One Sour Note / You Better Be Good, World | Congress 251 | 1965 |
| Ever See a Diver Kiss / Stardust | Congress 260 | 1965 |
| Birds, Bees, Cupids and Bows / Truly, Truly, Truly | Columbia 43829 | 1966 |
| Soul Time / Waitin ' | Columbia 44021 | 1966 |
| Sugar, Let's Shing-A-Ling / How Lonely Is Lonely | Columbia 44137 | 1967 |
* as Shirley Elliston
US vinyl long-playing records
| title | Catalog no. | year |
|---|---|---|
| In action | Congress 3002 | 1964 |
| The Name Game | Congress 3003 | 1965 |
| Soul Time With Shirley Ellis | Columbia 9479 | 1967 |
literature
- Frank Laufenberg: Rock- und Poplexikon Vol. 1 , Econ Taschenbuch Verlag, Düsseldorf 1998, p. 469, ISBN 3-612-26206-8
- Günter Ehnert: British Chart Singles 1950-1965 , Taurus Press Hamburg 1995, p. 64, ISBN 3-922542-32-8
Web links
- Biography and discography at spectropop.com
- Billboard quotes ( memento from January 18, 2013 in the web archive archive.today )
Notes and individual references
- ↑ Note: according to other information, she was born in 1941, which is rather unlikely because she would have written her first hits at the age of 13
- ↑ Shirley Ellis at souldetective3.blogspot.ca, accessed July 27, 2014
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Ellis, Shirley |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Elliston, Marie Shirley (maiden name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American singer and songwriter |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 19, 1929 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Bronx , New York |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 5, 2005 |