But will you love me tomorrow? : an oral history of the '60s girl groups

Title:

Author:

Flam, Laura, editor.

ISBN:

9780306829772

9780306829789

Edition:

First edition.

Publication Information:

New York, NY : Hachette Books, 2023.

Physical Description:

xiii, 434 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm

Contents:

Introduction -- The beginnings of the girl group sound: the 1950s -- The sound on the street : 1960-1963 -- Hitsville USA : 1960-1963 -- Topping the charts : 1963-1964 -- Motown becomes the sound of young America : 1964-1966 -- The end of an era : 1965-1970 -- Motown outgrows Detroit : 1967-present -- Coming back together and saying goodbye : 1970-present.

Abstract:

"The Girl Group Sound, made famous and unforgettable by acts like The Ronettes, The Shirelles, The Supremes, and The Vandellas, took over the airwaves by capturing the mix of innocence and rebellion emblematic of America in the 1960s. As songs like "Will You Love Me Tomorrow," "Then He Kissed Me," and "Be My Baby" rose to number one, Girl Groups cornered the burgeoning post-war market of teenage rock and roll fans, indelibly shaping the trajectory of pop music in the process. But the story of the Girl Group Sound is also one of race and power. The women, most of whom were Black and many of whom were only teenagers when their first songs were recorded, were cultivated, packaged, and sold by a music industry that cut them out of the lion's share of their profits. And though the women's careers would take them on tour with Civil Rights leaders and to performances at some of the earliest desegregated concerts, many found themselves cast aside as trends shifted in favor of the largely white British Invasion of the mid to late '60s. While the voices of the Girl Group Sound have become essential to the American canon, many of the artists remain all but anonymous to most listeners. Weaving together over 300 hours of interviews across more than ninety subjects, But Will You Love Me Tomorrow: An Oral History of the '60s Girl Groups gives voice to the many women of the era who have long been consigned to silence. Through the chorus formed by their collective voice in these pages, But Will You Love Me Tomorrow is a distinctly American coming-of-age story-it's a story of girls finding their footing as young women, of artistic success and struggle, and of the inequity faced by women of color in this country"-- Provided by publisher.

Subject Term:

Girl groups (Musical groups) -- History -- 20th century.

Women singers.

African American women singers.

Music and race -- United States -- History -- 20th century.

Genre:

Oral histories.

Added Author:

Flam, Laura,

Liebowitz, Emily Sieu,

Document ID:

SD_ILS:2436311

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Library	Collection	Collection	Call Number	Status
Searching... Betty Rodriguez Library (Fresno Co.)	Searching... Unknown	Non-fiction Area	782.42164 BUT	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Pinedale Branch Library (Fresno Co.)	Searching... Unknown	Non-fiction Area	782.42164 BUT	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Tulare Public Library	Searching... Unknown	Adult Non-fiction		Searching... Unknown
Searching... West Fresno Branch (Fresno Co.)	Searching... Unknown	Non-fiction Area	782.42164 BUT	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

Featuring over 300 hours of new interviews with 100+ subjects, an oral history of the girl groups (such as The Ronettes, The Shirelles, The Supremes, and The Vandellas) that redefined the early 1960s The girl group sound, made famous and unforgettable by acts like The Ronettes, The Shirelles, The Supremes, and The Vandellas, took over the airwaves by capturing the mixture of innocence and rebellion emblematic of America in the 1960s.

As songs like "Will You Love Me Tomorrow," "Then He Kissed Me," and "Be My Baby" rose to the top of the charts, girl groups cornered the burgeoning post-war market of teenage rock and roll fans, indelibly shaping the trajectory of pop music in the process. While the songs are essential to the American canon, many of the artists remain all but anonymous to most listeners.

With more than 100 subjects that made the music, from the singers to the songwriters, to their agents, managers, and sound engineers--and even to the present-day celebrities inspired by their lasting influence- But Will You Love Me Tomorrow: An Oral History of 60s Girl Groups tells a national coming-of-age story that gives particular insight into the experiences of the female singers and songwriters who created the movement.

Author Notes

Emily Sieu Liebowitz is the author of National Park (2018) , longlisted for The Believer Book Award, and she is the recipient of fellowships from the Iowa Writers' Workshop, Vermont Studio Center, and Wendy's Subway. Her writing can be found in The Believer, The Brooklyn Rail, Poets & Writers , Poetry Magazine , and other publications. Liebowitz splits her time between Brooklyn, NY and her hometown of Hayward, CA.

Laura Flam is a lifelong New-Yorker, writer, interior designer and principal of the firm Reunion Goods & Services. She's based in New York City.

Reviews (3)

Kirkus Review

Loud, long-overdue applause for some of pop music's most talented singers. In this collaboration, Flam, a New York City--based writer and interior designer, and Liebowitz, author of the poetry collection National Park, unfold an extensive oral history of the many dynamic girl groups from roughly 1950 to 1970. These groups, usually comprised of young Black women, represent a powerful era of popular music that often goes unrecognized. Many readers may recognize such individuals as Darlene Love or Shirley Alston Reeves or recall groups singing backup for Sam Cooke, but the importance of these women to modern music has been downplayed. Groups like the Chantels, the Blossoms, the Shirelles, the Vandelles, and more performed an array of memorable songs. The authors state their purpose of applauding these young women who were often seen as "fleeting investments by a music industry that gave them remarkably shortened careers." Many of them experienced extreme abusive control from management as well as racism while touring. This oral history, based on more than 100 interviews, offers a well-selected, lively collection of interviews, and the authors allow the primary players to tell their own stories. Readers will form a fellowship with each of these young women as they rehash their compelling careers. Famous songwriters and performers such as Cher, Carole King, and Whoopi Goldberg chime in to either build on a particular story or to explain the relevance of a specific musician or group. Goldberg sums it up well: "I think that particular time with The Supremes, The Marvelettes, and Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, that was a really moving and shifting time in the country as well as in neighborhoods and realizing that there was no door that could keep you out if you were willing to knock the door open." A fast-paced, welcome celebration of groups that have been "at risk of erasure from the canon of pop music history." Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Booklist Review

Flam and Liebowitz's lively, entertaining oral history makes good use of dozens of interviews, most conducted recently but some from decades ago, to argue that "girl groups" from the fifties and after have played an overlooked but key role in the evolution of pop music. Many of the primarily Black singers from groups such as the Shirelles, the Ronettes, and the Crystals were only high-school students (or even younger) when they started out, and their stories of being swept up into the music business range from the exhilarating to the horrifying, due to exploitation, financial or otherwise. The authors also interview the musicians, notably including Carole King and Ellie Greenwich, who provided material for the groups. They neatly weave together different voices to provide perspective on compelling subjects in music history such as the dissolution of the Supremes and producer Phil Spector's influence. Anyone who ever swayed to "Chapel of Love," grooved to "Dancing in the Street," or mourned for the "Leader of the Pack" will be enchanted by this volume's clear-eyed nostalgia.

Library Journal Review

Fans of 1960s girl groups most likely remember the Supremes, the Ronettes, and the Shirelles, but many other groups have seemingly been forgotten. Songs such as "He's a Rebel" and "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?" were huge hits that helped bands such as the Crystals and the Shirelles to corner the market during the 1960s. Sadly, many of the artists who comprised those groups were young women who were considered interchangeable and fleeting investments. Writer/interior designer Flam and award-winning poet Liebowitz (National Park) believe the women of these singing groups, early influencers of the music and culture of today, deserve to be acknowledged. To create this fascinating and epic-sized oral history, the authors interviewed more than 100 people who sang, wrote, created, and popularized the genre, often left out of musical history. This book is also filled with reminiscences about the Brill Building, Phil Spector, Motown, and the early days of pop. VERDICT A noble effort that will likely appeal to music scholars and the genre's fans.--Rosellen "Rosy" Brewer