What is a

Shirelle? To shirr means to either draw cloth together

along two or more parallel lines or to bake eggs, removed

from their shell, until they are set.

Though the

rhythym and blues group from the 1960s doesn't have

anything to do with either of these actions, their name

is better than what it once was; The Poquellos. The

Shirrelles will be appearing this Friday and Saturday

bringing their legendary sound to the Frederick Brown Jr.

Amphitheater and possibly offering an explanation of

their name.

The

Shirrelles, from Passaic, N.J., began performing in high

school under the name of The Poquellos. They were a

quartet - Shirley Owens, Addie "Micki"

Harris, Doris Coley and Beverly Lee - that played

dances, parties and other social functions.

It was at

one of these functions in 1958 that a girl in their

class, Mary Jane Greenberg, heard the song, "I Met

Him On A Sunday." Greenberg's mother, Florence, ran

a small recording studio out of their home and recorded

and sold the song over to Decca Records.

Soon after

the release of the single, Greenberg became the group's

manager and formed a new label with Luther Dixon. The

label was called Scepter Records and would go on to

release nearly all of The Shirrelles' music.

Over the

next few years, The Shirrelles became the most

influential girl group in the history of rock and roll.

They were practically in the top 10 for three straight

years, recording the hits "Dedicated To The One I

Love," "Soldier Boy," "One Fine

Day" and "Foolish Little Girl." They were

such an influence that The Beatles covered two of their

songs on their first album. The charts were being

inundated with groups that tried to sound like The

Shirrelles and by 1963 the group had hit a standstill.

Luther

Dixon left Scepter Records in 1963, which started a legal

dispute between himself, The Shirrelles, and Florence

Greenberg. The lawsuit lasted over three years and The

Shirrelles were not allowed to release any material

during that time. It was a very trying time and Doris

Coley left the band. The Shirrelles were buried beneath a

thousand groups that sounded like them and an explosive

time in America as the Vietnam conflict was escalating.

The

remaining members of the group occasionally toured with

the rock and roll legends circuit, playing with artists

and bands that hit their crest of popularity when they

did. It was after one of these shows in 1982 that Harris

died of heart failure. The group was silent for 10 years

until they were awarded a million dollars in a lawsuit

against Scepter records for royalties that were owed to

them.

The group

reunited two years later with Coley and performed at the

Rhythym and Blues Foundation's Pioneer Awards Show. Soon

after, they were inducted into the Rock N' Roll Hall of

Fame.

Currently,

they tour on the oldies circuit, and play all of their

hits for baby boomers searching for that nostalgic vibe.

Their influence has stretched into modern music and can

be heard in groups like En Vogue, Xscape, and even the

Spice Girls.

Tickets are

still available for this weekend's performances. They

will be playing with Terry Lee and the GT's. The show

wiill begin at 8 p.m. and tickets are $21. Call

770-631-0630 for information

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