#421 Various Artists - The Best of the Girl Groups (1990)

MUSIC HISTORY WRITTEN BY HEAD WRITER DJ MORTY COYLE:

Released by Rhino Records and produced by Bill Inglot in 1990 this is a pretty comprehensive two volume compilation of epic hits by some of the greatest female fronted groups of the ‘60s.

There had been several huge female acts in the ’40s and early ‘50s like The Andrew Sisters, The Bobbettes, and The Chantals.

But by the mid-‘50s Rock and Roll was as much a youth movement as a music genre and it caught on with the kids like wildfire.

Within a couple years of its introduction everyone wanted to be a part of it but not everyone had the money or discipline to go buy and learn to play a guitar.

But you could sing Doo-Wop with your friends at school, or on the corner, or walking around the neighborhood.

By the late ’50s Doo-Wop had become one of the most popular styles of Rock and Roll but with minor exception it was still a male-dominated genre.

But all that changed in the early ‘60s when girl groups exploded out of everywhere.

The girls, who weren’t necessarily encouraged to learn instruments and join bands, found out they could still participate.

Many of them grew out of family acts or school-friends singing covers. Some were put together by crafty producers and songwriters to cash-in on and catch the trending wave. Some were the writers and arrangers of their own material.

Like the social media stars of today record companies could virtually go to any high school and find the next potential pop sensation.

And as most of the time girls were easier to mold and present they could be scouted, given in-house songs to record with staff producers, dressed in approved outfits, choreographed, and popped out to make way for the next ones.

With their tight harmonies and clever hooks, female-centric lyrics often about innocent romance, lush and innovative musical arrangements, detailed choreography, and unique fashion and style, they became a ‘60s American phenomenon and a musical industry unto themselves.

And one of the most significant details is that many were women of color and for the first time they appealed to and were accepted by mainstream Pop Music listeners.

Although the Girl Group period really only lasted about five or six years the ripple effect on everyone and especially the female vocalists and musicians that followed them was immeasurable.

And you can hear the roots of these pioneers through the decades by artists like the Pointer Sisters, The Emotions, Sister Sledge, The Go-Gos, TLC, En Vogue, Vanity and Apollonia 6, the Spice Girls, Destiny’s Child, and countless others

Now the two main girl groups notably absent on these sets are The Supremes and The Ronettes but fortunately we just reviewed them on the last two episodes so we’re good to go.