Shirley Owens

Shirley Owens (born June 10, 1941, in Henderson, North Carolina) was the member of the hit group, [a=The Shirelles]. As well as Owens, The Shirelles consisted of classmates of hers from Passaic High School, New Jersey: [a=Addie Harris], [a=Doris Coley], and [a=Beverly Lee]. However, her strong, distinctive voice meant that Owens was the natural choice for lead singer.

Owens enjoyed a string of hits with The Shirelles throughout the 1960s. Through marriages, she became Shirley Owens Alston and later, Shirley Alston Reeves. She left The Shirelles in 1975 to begin a solo career, recording under the name [a=Lady Rose (2)]. That same year, she recorded an album entitled With A Little Help From My Friends, after the hit song by [a=Beatles].

She was inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in 1996