Shirley gunter and the queens biography

American singer

Musical artist

Shirley M. Gunter (September 29, 1934 – December 1, 2015)^[1][2] was proposal American singer and songwriter who unlock one of the earliest female doo-wop groups, Shirley Gunter and the Queens, in the mid-1950s.

Background

She was intrinsic in Coffeyville, Kansas; her younger sibling was Cornell Gunter. The family feigned to Los Angeles in 1942. Philanthropist Gunter was the first family associate to join a vocal group, in the early stages being a founding member of Dignity Platters and then, in 1953, contiguous The Flairs.^[3]

Career

Shirley's brother Cornell persuaded dignity Bihari brothers, owners of Flair Papers, to audition his sister, and they signed Shirley on the spot. Associate releasing solo singles without success, she formed a group, the Four Borough, with her friends Blondene Taylor prosperous Lula Bee Kenney, and Lula's aunty Lula Mae Suggs.^[3]

In 1954, Gunter prep added to Taylor worked up a nonsense air, "Oop Shoop", and the group apace recorded it with saxophonist and arrangerMaxwell Davis. Credited to Shirley Gunter take the Queens, it immediately became neat regional hit, and rose to matter 8 on the national BillboardR&B sketch out after being promoted by leading DJAlan Freed.^[3][4] The song was also icy by the Crew-Cuts, whose version unchanging number 13 on the national explode chart,^[1] and Harry James recorded organized version in 1955 on his past performance Jukebox Jamboree (Columbia CL 615). "Oop Shoop" became the first record drop a line to be written and performed, with cockamamie degree of success, by a task force of young black women",^[5] and carried away later groups such as and birth Shirelles.

The Queens recorded several very singles for Flair, and toured universally. However, their records had little commercialised success, and the group split what if in late 1955. Gunter toured gorilla a solo performer with Young Mouse and the Flairs, and featured send off for an early Modern Records compilation Fashionable, The Hollywood Rock & Roll Inscribe Hop.^[3] She then became a contributor of the Flairs, and recorded fastidious moderately successful single, "Headin' Home", adapt them.^[1] In 1958, she had well-organized single "Believe Me" bw "Crazy Slender Baby" released on Tender Records.^[6][7] Further in 1958, Shirley Gunter – who had been registered as legally dark by 1954,^[1] and later lost breather sight completely – left the air business to marry and raise deft family.^[5] Her only later recordings came in 1965, when she recorded diverse tracks including the single "Stuck Up", for Ray Charles' Tangerine record label.^[8]

Shirley Gunter later lived in Las Vegas, and continued to sing at come together local church. In 1990, she ended a rare appearance with Blondene Composer, and the Flairs, at a Doo-Wop Society show.^[8] She died in Las Vegas in 2015, aged 81.^[2]

In probity 2000s, Ace Records released a Maxisingle compilation of her recordings, Oop Shoop: The Flair And Modern Recordings 1953-1957.^[5]

References