Most of the best-known girl groups were women of color (with a few notable exceptions, such as the Shangri-Las). When melded together, it created a sound as fresh and new as the 45s and transistor radios that blasted out the music. The songs blended elements of doo-wop, early rock ‘n’ roll, pop, gospel, and rhythm & blues. In this era, the music was transported from the street corners and dance halls to the radio, which broadcast it into living rooms across the country. There were also countless ladies who did not become household names, such as Arlene Smith, lead singer of the Chantels, who belted out the group’s classic “Maybe.”įor the purposes of this list, we decided to focus on the period known as the “Golden Age of Girl Groups.” Though we’re calling it ’60s in the headline, it really spanned from roughly 1955 to 1970. Leading these groups were great frontwomen like Diana Ross, Ronnie Spector, and Martha Reeves, as well as Darlene Love, who sang for multiple groups unbeknownst to the record buying public. The Supremes, The Ronettes, The Crystals, The Shirelles, and Martha and the Vandellas have been fixtures of “oldies” format radio for decades. Just saying the phrase “Girl Groups” conjures images of these well-styled ladies from the past singing their hearts out, dreaming of those young boys they hoped to marry.

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