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| Shirley Goodman |
| Born: 7-19-1936 Died: 7-5-2005 ....from complications of a stroke. |
| Born in New Orleans, in 1936. Shirley was a high school student when she first teamed up with Leonard Lee, a family friend. The legendary Dave Bartholomew (Fats Domino producer) produced the duo's first single, "I'm Gone," for Aladdin Records. The song peaked at #- 2 on the national R&B charts in 1952. Early in their careers, Shirley & Lee became known as "the Sweethearts of the Blues," a nickname given not for their personal relationship, but for their romantic sagas of their songs, which often bordered on telling a fictional soap-opera storyline about two lovers. Their fans would buy the singles simply to keep up with the continuing story of the two sweethearts. The story continued with the very next single, "Shirley Come Back to Me," a heartbreaker released in early 1953, followed by "Shirley's Back," later that year. This happy theme continued through the happy ending for the next single, "The Proposal" b/w "Two Happy People." Too young to perform in nightclubs where alcohol was served, the duo toured as part of rhythm and blues packages that visited theaters nationwide. Generally, a family member chaperoned Shirley. "It was real exciting," Shirley recalled in author Jeff Hannusch's "I Hear You Knockin'." "We had so much work, we only had one day off a month for a couple of years. We did the Apollo, the Brooklyn Paramount, the Uptown -- we practically played everywhere with everybody. By the end of 1954, Aladdin Records was reveling in the success of Shirley & Lee. Of course, the couple in the songs had already been apart and were now back together, so they had to shake things up with the next release, "Lee Goofed," and they followed that with "Confessin'" but by now audiences seemed to be tiring of the soap opera, so Shirley & Lee issued "Feel So Good" in May of 1955. The song did well, but it was the B-side, "You'd Be Thinking Of Me," that put the duo back on the R&B charts. "Lee's Dream" also charted. In early 1956, Aladdin released "A Little Word," which received airplay, but sales were lackluster. In late 1956 the song with which Shirley & Lee are most often associated with entered the charts. "Let The Good Times Roll" was a major hit. Although some DJ's refused to play it, claiming that it had suggestive lyrics. The song crossed over to the pop charts, where it peaked at #-20. It sold well-over one million copies and for nearly 50 years has been a staple of oldies play lists. To date, there are over a hundred cover versions of the song, but many still prefer the original. .After the demise of Aladdin Records in 1959, Shirley & Lee recorded for both the Warwick and Imperial labels but were never able to recapture the nationwide success of their biggest hit. After a few final singles in 1962-1963, "the Sweethearts of the Blues" decided to call it quits. Lee began to record as a solo act for Imperial Records. Shirley developed an act with Jesse Hill, Shirley & Jesse. They worked in and around New Orleans with Mac Rebennack, who later become Dr. John. After moving to Los Angeles in the 1960's, she worked with other artists. She contributed backing vocals to "Let It Loose," a track on the Rolling Stones' 1972 album "Exile on Main Street," and Dr. John's 1972 "Gumbo" album, among others. In 1975, Shirley reappeared on the R&B scene, this time paired with studio musicians -- they called themselves Shirley and Company -- for "Shame, Shame, Shame," released on the Vibration label. The song featured Shirley sharing lead vocals with Jesus Alvarez. The song was written and produced by Sylvia Robinson who had also been a part of a 1950's successful duo, Mickey & Sylvia, with Mickey Baker. One of the musicians included in the recording was Kenny Jeremiah, who had been a founding member of the Soul Survivors ("Expressway To Your Heart") in the1960's. The disco-fied hit topped the R&B and disco charts both at number one that summer and peaked at number twelve on the pop charts. However the follow up single, "Cry, Cry, Cry" was less successful. The cover of the album remains a classic, for the younger generation the message is lost. For those of us old enough to remember it reminds us of a shameful period in America's history. It depicts Shirley shaking a disapproving finger at ex-President Richard Nixon.....as if to say "Shame, Shame Shame" on his Watergate antics. Leonard Lee her old friend and partner passed away on October 23, 1976. Shirley, married and the mother of one son, faded into the background. She remained in Los Angeles on and off for 27 years before returning to Louisiana. There she was a member of St. John Divine and Genesis Missionary Baptist churches, where she sang in their choirs. She suffered a stroke recently and succumbed to it's effects on July 5, 2005. She is remembered here for one of disco's earliest hits and the large body of work with Leonard Lee......thank you Ms. Shirley Goodman-Pixley. |
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