Shirley Alston Reeves was the lead member of the hit singing group, The Shirelles

The Shirelles

The Shirelles were an African-American girl group that achieved popularity in the early 1960s. They consisted of schoolmates Shirley Owens , Doris Coley , Addie "Micki" Harris , and Beverly Lee...

. As well as Owens, the Shirelles consisted of classmates of hers from Passaic

Passaic, New Jersey

Passaic is a city in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 69,781, maintaining its status as the 15th largest municipality in New Jersey with an increase of 1,920 residents from the 2000 Census population of 67,861...

 High School, New Jersey

New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

: Addie "Micki" Harris, Doris Kenner Jackson

Doris Coley

Doris Coley was a member of the Shirelles. She initially left the group in 1968, but returned in 1975....

, and Beverly Lee

Beverly Lee

Beverly Lee was a member of the all girl vocal pop group, The Shirelles. She was born on August 3, 1941, in Passaic, New Jersey.Today, she holds the trademark for the Shirelles' name.-External links:*...

. Through marriages, she became Shirley Alston and later, Shirley Alston Reeves. Her strong, distinctive voice meant that she was the natural choice for their main lead singer, though Jackson was also featured as lead on several songs as well.

Reeves enjoyed a string of hits with the Shirelles throughout the 1960s.