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The Shirelles – Soldier Boy (1962)
Soldier Boy” is the name of a song written by Luther Dixon and Florence Greenberg. The song was released as a single by The Shirelles in 1962 and met with great success, topping the Billboard Hot 100.
This song became the Shirelles their second pop number one;”Soldier Boy” also reached the Top 30 in the UK in 1962.
Ok now this song was a very important part of my youth. Why? Because this is one of the songs (along with “Downtown” and “Baby the Rain Must Fall” as I recall) that I would have my Barbie sing when she was dressed in her slinky black strapless gown, at her microphone with her pink scarf, performing for a crowd of thousands (er – that were in my head LOL). Ah yes … I remember it well.
The Shirelles quartet, formed in New Jersey in 1958, were the first major female vocal group of the rock and roll era, defining the so-called girl group sound with their soft, sweet harmonies and yearning innocence. Their music was a blend of pop and R&B, especially Doo-wop and smooth uptown soul that appealed to listeners across the board, before Motown ever became a crossover phenomenon with white audiences. Though The Chantels preceded them by several years, their international success was unprecedented, paving the way for legions of imitators; their inviting musical blueprint had an enduring influence not just on their immediate followers, but on future generations of female pop singers, who often updated their songs without losing their initial appeal. In addition, they provided some of the earliest hits for important Brill Building songwriters like Gerry Goffin & Carole King, Burt Bacharach & Hal David, and Van McCoy”
For more on The Shirelles, please read the very detailed Wiki Page at this link: italicized info in this post came from this source.
Enjoy the music and thanks for stopping by.
Related posts:
- "Mama Said" Performed by The Shirelles (1961)
- "Foolish Little Girl" Performed by the Shirelles (1963)
- "Look In My Eyes" Performed by The Chantels (1961)
- "Long Live Our Love" Performed by the Shangri-Las (1966)
- “Maybe” Performed by The Chantels (1957)
Filed under: Girl Groups, Luther Dixon & Florence Greenberg., R&B, Scepter, Sixties, Soldier Boy, The Shirelles
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