The Girls

Assembled by Prince associate André Cymone in Minneapolis in 1983, the Girls were an obscure, little known female trio along the lines of Vanity 6 and Apollonia 6. Vanity 6 had done well for Prince in 1982, and Cymone was hoping to direct a hit female group of his own when, in 1983, he hired singers Sheila Rankin, Germain Brooks, and Doris Rhodes and called them the Girls. With a sexy image, R-rated lyrics, and a very Prince-influenced blend of funk, rock, and pop, the Girls were extremely Minneapolis-sounding. All of them were under 20: Rhodes, the oldest of the three, was 19...