GIRL GROUPS OF THE '60s: WHO LED THE PACK?
The uniquely American girl group phenomenon had a relatively brief lifespan: it arose in the late '50s at the tail end of the first onslaught of rock 'n' roll; it flourished in the early '60s, a period given over mostly to light pop and pop-oriented R&B; and it fell by the wayside in the second half of the '60s as the British Invasion, increasingly sophisticated music, and emerging stylistic hybirds such as folk-rock swiftly revolutionized popular music.
GIRL GROUPS OF THE '60s: WHO LED THE PACK?
Jim Feldman
The uniquely American girl group phenomenon had a relatively brief lifespan: it arose in the late '50s at the tail end of the first onslaught of rock 'n' roll; it flourished in the early '60s, a period given over mostly to light pop and pop-oriented R&B; and it fell by the wayside in the second half of the '60s as the British Invasion, increasingly sophisticated music, and emerging stylistic hybirds such as folk-rock swiftly revolutionized popular music. Yet, in only a few years, the charts were flooded with untold numbers of releases by scores of girl groups. Many of the groups were indistinguishable or overtly imitative as were far too many 45s—follow-up singles were perhaps the most blatant example of cashing in on a good thing instead of creating one; witness the degeneration of one of the great records of all time (absolutely), Martha & the Vandellas“'Heat Wave,” through their subsequent release, the OK-but-unnecessary “Quicksand.” to the limp, inappropriately titled “Live Wire."
An image that implied anything more passionate than youthful romantic longing was forbidden, at least on the surface of things.