Shirelles/Florence Greenberg musical Baby It's You gets poor review

[stephanie]

Here are a few articles it looks like Chuch Jackson is suing as well. Xtown all I know is that Doris Kenner [[who died of breast cancer) had a group of Shirelles and so did Beverly. Bev didnt seem to have a problem with Doris having a group and I had heard they got mad at Shirley when she left the group to have a baby or something like that. I think the story is in one of our old threads if I can find it I will post it. If not I am sure there is someone here who knows the story.

http://news.radaris.com/news/Beverly/Lee

[stephanie]

Xtown I found this in wikipedia I hope it helps for the reasoning for the two groups.

Doris took a leave of absence from 1979 to 1982 and was replaced by Louise Bethune. Shortly after Doris returned, Micki Harris died of a heart attack during a performance in Atlanta on June 10, 1982. She was replaced by a returning Louise Bethune. By 1986, the group split, and the two originals formed their own groups: Coley fronting one group along with Fanita James and Gloria Jones of The Blossoms and occasionally, Carolyn Willis formerly of The Honey Cone; and Beverly Lee fronting the other [[which featured Eloise Whittiker). Various groups claiming to be the Shirelles had been touring the oldies circuit in the '90s, so one group agreed to tour the West Coast while the other toured the East Coast. This meant that promoters would look for an authentic Shirelle to be featured in the group. They reunited briefly for a program honoring them at the high school they attended in Passaic, New Jersey and sang background on Dionne Warwick's 1983 recording of "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?", found on her "How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye?" album. They had previously sung background for her on the song "Get Rid of Him", an answer to their own "Foolish Little Girl", on Warwick's 'Make Way For Dionne Warwick' album.

[theboyfromxtown]

Thanks Steph

It's a little unusual to have 2 groups but if it works in practice, good luck to them all.

[Ramone Verona]

Thank The Goodness that there has never been another group of Supremes since 1977!!
WHEW!!

[stephanie]

Xtown I read [[I did a search on our forum and found it) that Bev and Doris got along so they had no problem with the east coast and west coast thing to stop fake shirelles from performing. What I forgot is that when Shirley left to go solo she asked the other shirelles to get back together with her and she said they didnt want her back! I dont know what happened but it seems like all of the Shirelles remained friends except for Bev and Shirley I dont know why.

[randy_russi]

When Shirley left the group they continued as The Shirelles--Beverly, Doris, & Micki.
Micki passed in '82 and they replaced her and continued. Eventually Doris and Bev
split into two groups. Apparently they could individually make more money rather
than working together splitting evenly while paying the third girl.
Bev actually has the trademark on the name and Shirley can only bill herself as
"formerly of the Shirelles" or as "former lead singer of" or as "original lead singer
of".
Other groups have split into two groups because the original member can make
more. When a replacement member comes in to a group they don't come
making the same as a long-standing original member.

[tom_moulton]

Its usually MONEY!

[jobeterob]

http://www.wpix.com/news/morningnews...,6874969.story

Music Theater
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum
By KEVIN CLYNE

PIX11.com

July 13, 2011
Shirley Alston Reeves stopped by the morning show to talk about her upcoming appearance in "Baby It's You", a jukebox musical about pioneer girl group the Shirelles.

Reeves, the original lead singer of the Shirelles and a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, will join the cast of "Baby it's You" for five post-show concerts, July 19-22, at the Broadhurst theater. Portrayed by Christina Sajous in the musical, Reeves sang lead on many of the Shirelles greatest hits, including "Mama Said", "Tonight's the Night, and the musical's namesake "Baby It's You".

Tickets can be purchased at the box office or online at the musical's website: http://babyitsyouonbroadway.com.
Copyright © 2011, WPIX-TV
wpix-shirley-alston-reeves Share13Comments 0

[randy_russi]

Did anyone here on SDF go see Shirley perform with the cast of Baby It's You?

[milven]

I wanted to see the show again while she was appearing there, but was not able to.

The show will be closing on September 4th. But before it closes, the cast is going accross the Hudson River to Passaic NJ to do a mini-version of the show on the very stage that the original Shirelles made their debut over fifty years ago.


'Shirelles' will once again sing at Passaic High
Friday, July 29, 2011 Last updated: Friday July 29, 2011, 1:11 AM
BY TOM SULLIVAN

After the passage of 53 years the Shirelles will be performing again next week in the auditorium of Passaic High School where their career began.


The Cast of 'Baby it's You' based on the Shirelles, will hold a concert at Passaic High School on Sunday. Tickets are $20 each. The Shirelles was comprised of Passaic High School students managed by Passaic resident Florence Greenberg. Classics such as 'Dedicated to the one I love,' 'He's so fine,' 'Soldier Boy,' 'I say a little prayer,' 'I met him on a Monday,' 'Louie Louie.' and many doo wop, pop and rock hits will be performed. The cast of "Baby it's You," the Broadway musical that tells the story of Florence Greenberg and the four girls she plucked from the student body of PHS and shaped in to the world's first chart topping female rock group, is bringing its collection of golden oldies to the newly refurbished auditorium on Sunday, Aug. 7 for a concert beginning at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets will cost $20 at the door, and all proceeds will go to a scholarship fund to help a deserving PHS student seeking a career in the performing arts.

Such a field trip is a rare occurrence for a major Broadway musical, but after the matinee at the Broadhurst Theater on West 44th Street the cast will board a bus and head for Paulison and Passaic avenues, where the street sign reads Shirelles Boulevard. The program will be rounded out with musical selections from members of the high school band. Beth Leavel of Harrington Park who plays Florence Greenberg will be there, accompanied by Crystal Starr Knighton of Hackensack and Kyra Da Costa of Jersey City, who along with Erica Ash and Christina Sajous bring the Shirelles to life with such classics as "Dedicated to the one I love," "He's so fine," "Soldier Boy," "I say a little prayer," "I met him on a Monday," "Louie Louie." and many doo wop, pop and rock hits.

When the show opened April 27 the critics were unanimous that the girls had nailed the distinctive harmonies and the catchy melodies that allowed the Shirelles to become the first all-girl group to top the charts and go on to global stardom.

In 1958 Greenberg decided to start her own record company even though, in her own words she was a "...white woman in a black business - and one who can't carry a tune."

Her daughter, Mary Jane, a senior at PHS, insisted she attend a talent show at the school and listen to her four classmates.

She did, liked them, signed them and built Scepter Records around them. Earlier this month Shirley Alston Reeves, one of the original four girls, took the stage at the Broadhurst after the show for four nights and did some of the original songs in her original style.

Some 12 cast members will participate in the PHS show, including Allan Louis, Geno Henderson, Barry Pearl and Brandon Uranowitz.

[theboyfromxtown]

...Classics such as 'Dedicated to the one I love,' 'He's so fine,' 'Soldier Boy,' 'I say a little prayer,' 'I met him on a Monday,' 'Louie Louie.' and many doo wop, pop and rock hits will be performed..

Monday? I thought it was a Sunday

Were the Shirelles about at the time of "I Say A Little Prayer"?

[milven]

You are right. I Met Him On A Sunday is the title. The Shirelles had already peaked when I Say A Little Prayer came out. In the show, the plot shows that Dionne Warwick was the next hot artist on the label. The Shirelles were sliding down and were about to be cast off by Sceptor and Dionne Warwick was on her way to stardom

[drlorne]

I just booked my tickets for Sept. 1. Bought the soundtrack and was blown away by it, was surprised it was closing, so I just did it. This is my music, and a Chapter in Stephen Covey book: "No one ever died wishing they had spent more time at the office", helped realize to do things while I can even though I might stretch myself financially.

If you can't attend the play at least buy the soundtrack, it really is very wonderful.

Lorne

[milven]

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. If this is your music, then you will enjoy it.
And there are discounted tickets available

TO GET YOUR DISCOUNTED TICKETS:
ONLINE: visit BroadwayOffers.com and use code BBPB623
BY PHONE: Call 212-947-8844 and mention code BBPB623
Performance Schedule:
TGIF! FRIDAY MATINEES AT 2PM
Tues at 7pm, Thurs–Sat at 8pm;
Wed, Fri & Sat at 2pm, Sun at 3pm

[drlorne]

Thanks for the phone numbers. That would be great to be able to see it twice! Not sure my partner will be willing, but he can do something else, I'm sure.

L

[kenneth]

Since the success of the "Jersey Boys," the "jukebox musicals" have tried to beef up with actual story lines, not just staged presentations of the hit songs. With Greenberg, you would think there would be plenty to write about. She was, after all, an innovator, a woman in a male-dominated industry. She didn't seem to crave publicity. I mean, I knew very little about her even at the time that Sceptre folded. I remember reading an interview when she was quite elderly, and she referred to B.J. Thomas as a "handsome guy" who had "only one hit!" I think her memory was a little foggy by then; even the writer [[I think it was in Goldmine magazine) tried pointing out to her that Thomas was her most successful solo artist other than Warwick.

Speaking of Warwick, how sad that she has to sue these people. That woman has become rather mean spirited. After hearing this and seeing her bad behavior on "Celebrity Apprentice," I want to avoid her in print and other current media and just listen to her oldies!

Finally, I imagine the reason the prop poster in the show refers to "Ron Isley" instead of the "Isley Brothers" is not a mistake. Likely, they did not have permission to use the "Isley Brothers" name as it's still an active [[somewhat) trademark. The Isleys were pretty forward thinking about their own intellectual property. I think even back in the 80s, they had already trademarked their name as non-relative members came and went, though at one time they changed their name to "Isley Jasper Isley" as I recall.