November 12, 2024 • 29 mins
Do you ever wonder what it was like to be part of the pioneering girl group, the Shirelles?
Join us as Beverly Lee takes us on a nostalgic journey back to 1957, sharing how the group's harmonic beginnings led to the creation of their first hit, "I Met Him on Sunday."
Discover the serendipitous moment they were discovered by Florence Greenberg of Tiara Records, their brief departure to DECCA, and their triumphant return to Scepter Records.
Beverly also recounts their historic performances, including sharing the stage with Dr. King at the Salute to Freedom show in Birmingham and breaking barriers at a segregated college in Selma, Alabama.
Ever been curious about the behind-the-scenes magic of creating an iconic hit song?
In this episode, Linda Scott reflects on her career and the making of "Will You Love Me Tomorrow," sharing insights into Carole King's involvement and the atmosphere in the studio.
Learn how the success of the song impacted Linda’s life and forged strong connections with her fans.
Plus, get a peek into her interactions with other legendary artists, including her humorous take on John Lennon and Yoko Ono.
Beverly opens up about navigating the music industry, from dealing with racial segregation to facing criticisms and forming lasting bonds with peers like the Beatles.
Lastly, Beverly Lee offers a heartfelt look into the challenges and triumphs faced throughout her career.
Hear about the financial exploitation they endured, the demanding performance schedules, and the emotional highs, like supporting her grandmother who saw her perform for the first time.
Beverly is also working on an exciting book project, capturing both personal and professional experiences.
This episode is a testament to the power of family, perseverance, and the enduring legacy of celebrated artists.
Don't miss this eye-opening and heartwarming conversation with a true music legend.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
My career in the entertainment industry has
enabled me to work with adiverse range of talent.
Through my years of experience,I've recognized two essential
aspects.
Industry professionals, whetherfamous stars or
behind-the-scenes staff, havefascinating stories to tell.
Secondly, audiences are eagerto listen to these stories,
(00:36):
which offer a glimpse into theirlives and the evolution of
their life stories.
This podcast aims to sharethese narratives, providing
information on how they evolvedinto their chosen career.
We will delve into theirjourney to stardom, discuss
their struggles and successesand hear from people who helped
them achieve their goals.
Get ready for intriguingbehind-the-scenes stories and
(00:58):
insights into the fascinatingworld of entertainment.
Hi, I'm Tony Mantor.
I'm thrilled to welcome BeverlyLee, the talented member of the
Shirelles, to Almost LiveNashville.
As a pioneer in the girl groupgenre, the Shirelles have earned
numerous accolades, includingthe Pioneer Award from the
(01:19):
Rhythm and Blues Foundation,induction into the Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame and recognition asone of the 100 greatest artists
of all time by Rolling Stone.
In 2022, their debut album wasselected by the Library of
Congress for preservation in theNational Recording Registry for
its cultural, historical andaesthetic significance.
(01:40):
It's an honor to have BeverlyLee join us today.
Thanks for coming on.
Oh, it's my pleasure, it's myhonor to have Beverly Lee join
us today.
Thanks for coming on.
Oh, it's my pleasure.
It's my understanding that in1957 was when the Shirelles got
together and formed a group.
How did that all come together?
Speaker 2 (01:56):
Well, there was a radio station, wwrl 1600 AM, in
New York City, with Dr Jive, andhe would play all the songs by
people like the Coasters,anthony Chantels and all the
popular artists at that time.
And Shirley was babysitting andI would go down and sit with
her and we listened to the radio.
(02:17):
We started harmonizing withsome of the songs.
For some strange reason, mickeystopped by one day and she
started doing it with us.
And then we saw Doris sing at aschool function and junior high
and I said why don't we ask herfather if she could sing with
us?
And that's how we began.
By the time we got to highschool we were fooling around in
(02:39):
gym.
Me and Shirley had gym together.
We were fooling around in gymand one of the teachers, mrs
Nolan, came through and she saidthere's.
We were fooling around in thegym and one of the teachers, mrs
Nolan, came through and shesaid there's going to be a show
at the auditorium.
Do this show or either fail gym.
And quite naturally we opted todo the show.
Well, at the time we weresinging songs like Little
Darling Walking Along Sunday,kind of Love.
For some strange reason I saidwell, let's write a song.
(03:02):
And we came up with the song.
I Met Him on Sunday.
We each took a line.
We didn't say you're going tosing this part or that part, the
harmonies just fell in line.
We did the show.
The kids loved the show.
They loved all the songs we didand when we got to I Met Him on
Sunday, they were preservedAfter the show was over.
You know the kids werecongratulating us and you know
the kids were congratulating us.
And the next day at school, ayoung lady approached us and she
(03:26):
said my mother owns a recordcompany.
Let my mother hear your song.
We didn't know what in theworld she was talking about and
her name was Mary Jane Greenberg.
Her mother was FlorenceGreenberg, who owned Tiara
Records.
We actually hid from Mary Janefor quite some time.
Whenever we see her, we splitup to sayam's Mary Jane.
We got tired of her chasing usdown.
We said, okay, we'll let youhear the song, and we finally
(03:47):
did.
Florence loved it.
She said I want to offer you acontract.
Oh, wow, well, our parents.
It didn't sit well with them.
They started thinking aboutshield business.
We were young teenagers.
We all told a lie, told ourparents you're the only one who
won't sign this contract, andthat's how we got our parents to
sign the contract, and the restis history.
God has been good to us, and soI met him one Sunday.
(04:09):
It's taken us around the world.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
Yeah, that's a great story.
Just goes to show you that younever know what can happen once
you get something started.
So after that, I believe theysold you and you wound up being
a DECA recording artist, correct?
Speaker 2 (04:23):
Right, because it made a little noise and they
signed us over to DECA.
But then DECA didn't know whatto do with us and then at that
time Florence was making enoughmoney where she began Scepter on
records, and so we, you know,went back there.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
Well, that was good.
It's too bad that DECA didn'twork out, but at least Florence
got you where you needed to beand that got you back to where
you kind of started.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Florence at the time then had Scepter Records and
then Juan.
Yeah, no, she had Tiara andthen Scepter and Juan.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
Yeah, now back then you actually broke down some
barriers.
Speaker 2 (04:59):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
You were kind of the first girl group that hit the
charts and did well and predatedsome of the Motown acts.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
Yes, it was amazing.
We never realized the impact wewere making on the industry
because it was male dominatedand we're the first black female
group to sell a million records.
We crossed over to pop.
It's the Supremes, but it's notbecause we were before the
Supremes Right.
And then we made history whenwe did, in 1923, the Salute to
(05:30):
Freedom show in 63 in Birmingham, alabama, where they were
raising funds for the people togo to March in Washington, and
we were blessed to have Dr Kingon stage while we were
performing.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
We also made history when we performed at a
segregated college, Selma,Alabama.
They didn't know that we wereblack at that time.
They would have itchings on thealbums.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
Right.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
In the South but in the North.
Our pictures were on and therewas a demand for us to come down
there and we went and it blewtheir minds when they saw us.
I said oh, uh-oh, to come downthere.
And we went and it blew theirminds when they saw us.
I said oh, oh, and then we werecalled that nasty n-word and uh
, we got an apology from thecollege that opened the doors
for the other black artists togo down to play in different
colleges.
So in a way we were guinea pigs.
(06:16):
You know, we went and we didquite the legwork and everybody
else just broke down the pathwayafter that yeah, and you did
help and blaze some outstandingtrails.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
A lot of your recordings hit the charts and
did really, really well.
You probably didn't evenrealize that a lot of the
younger kids were looking up atyou and just saying that's what
I want to do when I get theopportunity.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
We did and I know Mary Wilson said Shirelles
taught us, showed them that theycould do it, and we heard the
Chantelles singing and a lot ofpeople think we got our name
from the Chantelles.
That's not true.
The L sound was in theChantelles Dells.
There was some other groupswith the Ls and Bluebells and we
were called the Paquelos.
Florence didn't like that nameand she wanted to call us the
(07:03):
Honeytones.
Florence didn't like that nameand she wanted to call us the
Honeytones.
We didn't like that name.
So she had to make up a list ofnames and we made up a list of
names and concocted thatShirelle's.
People think it came fromShirelle but it didn't.
We did take it from her name.
I would gladly admit it, but wedidn't.
She admitted finally that itdidn't come from her name, but
thank God for the name becauseit's been a blessing to us.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
Yeah, it certainly has been outstanding, with all
the charts that you hit, gettingon radio and getting the
opportunity to travel.
What were some of the thingsthat you saw as you traveled
around the country that you canreflect on and just kind of know
that you had a hand in helpingchange some of the things that
have been done today?
Speaker 2 (07:42):
Well, for one thing, we couldn't stay in some of the
white hotels when we weretouring Right.
We would pull up on the otherside of town where we would stay
in room and houses.
Some of the African-Americanshad rooms that they went out and
the rest of the people on thebus tour bus would go on the
other side of town.
I remember Linda Scott cryingone time.
(08:03):
She said why can't we all staytogether?
We couldn't go into therestaurants.
I had never experienced thatbefore.
I went in one day and I sawthis man's eyes get bigger than
a silver dollar and I went and Isaid I told him what I wanted.
He said well, I can't do that.
And I said why not?
I said I want and I repeatedwhat I wanted and he said I
(08:23):
can't do it.
I said why can't you?
He said because you're colored.
I said oh, wow.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
Yeah, unfortunately that is very sad, but at least
you can know that you helpedchange a lot of this in the last
50 or 60 years.
Oh yes, so as you grew andbecame more popular, you had a
number one song with Will youLove Me Tomorrow.
So what's the story behind thatsong?
(08:49):
How did it come to you?
How did it all kind of falltogether so that you could be
the ones to record that hit song?
Speaker 2 (08:56):
I've heard a couple of different versions, but I'm
leaning towards the one that youknow.
In those days the recordcompanies owed favors to certain
people, and I guess it was aterm to do something for Carole
King, or who knows, anyhow,Right.
We heard the demo and Carole wassinging on the demo and it was
all twangy twangy, all countryand westerns and we don't like
that song.
Luther had an ear for music andhow to produce us.
(09:19):
He produced us better thananyone, except for when Luther
Evandros did a production on uswith Dionne Warwick singing we
Still Love you Tomorrow.
I always treasure that.
Luther said you're going to dothe song.
When we went into the studioI'll never forget it it was
filled with musicians cellos,violins, harps every instrument
you could name was there and wewere playing it.
(09:40):
I said, oh dear God, it was sobeautiful.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
So when you was in the studio recording it, you had
all the musicians therethrowing down the tracks.
What was your impression?
What did everybody feel likewhen they heard it played back
for the very first time?
It was magical.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
Oh, and Carole King played the pedal drums because
she didn't like the way the guywas playing.
So hey, girl power.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
Okay, so Carole played on that song too.
Yes, carole King is playing onit.
Oh, that's just, that's great.
So you heard it, you said itsounded magical, and then, of
course, they released it toradio and the magic continued to
happen, because it went tonumber one.
So how did that change yourlife?
Speaker 2 (10:20):
Well, we still didn't realize the impact that the
song had on other people's livesand it changed our lives
because we were able to allowyoung ladies to chart their
lives by our music.
We were like the girls nextdoor.
They could identify with us.
We were like little sistersthat they could listen to and
get advice in another waythrough our music.
Speaker 1 (10:41):
So back then you didn't have social media like
you have today, so theinteraction with the fans was
completely different.
You had your promo, you hadradio, you had your record label
promoting it.
What was it like when youplayed and performed with the
fans?
Speaker 2 (10:58):
Well, most of it was by performances, by the shows,
and we had quite a going and ourfans were so loyal to us.
We were very blessed withwonderful, awesome fans.
As a matter of of fact, quite afew of them became really good
friends with them and some ofthem we were like family, like
our president of our fan club atthe time, gloria McAntonia,
mount Marcantonio.
When she would come to theUnited States, shirley and I
(11:19):
would have her stay with us andwhen I'd go to England for a
vacation, know I'd go by Gloria.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
So I heard at one time and I don't know where it
came from that you had theperception as a very lovable,
likable girl group and it feltlike you could be the girl next
door type.
Speaker 2 (11:40):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (11:40):
I also heard that some of your critics if you want
to call it that said that yourlyrics was a little bit racier
than what they thought theyshould be.
And, of course, Elvis was doinghis thing, so did that affect
you?
Speaker 2 (11:53):
Yes, some of the feedback was coming from males.
Speaker 1 (11:55):
Really Wow.
Speaker 2 (11:57):
And you know it was male dominated and the males
were, you know, hitting thepress.
So we're coming out with theselyrics sticking up for ourselves
and I guess they said, hey, whodo they think they are?
And you know a lot of men don'tlike for a woman to speak her
mind or speak for herself,defend herself.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
Sure, sure, and the great thing is that you had so
many people looking up to youbecause you stood your ground
and defended yourself.
Yes, so I heard that theBeatles were pretty big fans of
yours.
Did you ever get?
Speaker 2 (12:31):
the opportunity to meet them.
You know we were supposed to.
When we were over in Englandsome of the band members the
English band members wouldalways say the Beatles love you.
I said who are the Beatles andyou know later on who they were.
And when they came to America,John, and they sent us an
invitation.
They wanted to meet up with usto go out to dinner and, you
(12:51):
know, hang out at the club.
But we were getting ready to goon the road.
They kept us on the roadconstantly.
After we came from one show, bythe time we got home we were
repacking and back off again, sowe didn't get the opportunity
to hang out with them.
But I'll tell you one thingwhat's her name?
Yoko or Oko?
She wouldn't have got John,yeah, Yoko Ono.
Yeah, because she wouldn't havegot John if he had met me.
Speaker 1 (13:11):
Okay, that's great.
Speaker 2 (13:13):
She wouldn't have gotten John Lennon, you wouldn't
have stood a chance.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
Okay, Okay.
So you rose to fame fairlyquickly actually, and then your
chart records and your careerstayed there for quite some time
.
Who did you get a chance to dosome shows with that you really
enjoyed and stands out in yourmemory today.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
Oh, wow, you name it.
We were the Coasters, theDrifters, the Platters.
We performed with RichardFranklin, the Supremes oh, we
did a tour, a Dick Clark tour,Supremes and Dixie Cups, the
Crystals, the Velvet, MarthaReese and the Vandellas.
Wow, that's an impressive list,for sure when we were all in the
(13:57):
dressing room and one nightbefore the show, we were talking
and the springs were askingquestions and said don't worry,
girls, your turn is coming.
Well, later on after the show,we heard a lot of hollering,
screaming of joy in the hallwayand we looked out our song is
number one and they took overlike a rocket.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
Yeah, it's amazing.
All you have to do is have thatone big hit record and what
things can happen after that hadthat one big hit record and
what things can happen afterthat.
That's right.
And barry was cranking them out.
Yeah, he certainly did.
I've been very fortunate tomeet a lot of the motown stars
and they all have stories totell and they're all varied, of
course right smoky and thetemptations and the four tops
(14:36):
and stevie yeah they had aninternational show in Paris and
Sherelle Dion work and StevieWonder and some other artists
from other countries and everytime we were getting changing
you're ready to go on stage.
Speaker 2 (14:49):
Who popped in the door?
But Stevie.
I said Stevie, I'm here to sayyou can see?
Stevie had a little question onme.
That was called Stevie, theeighth wonder in the world.
Speaker 1 (14:59):
Yeah, I like that.
So what are some of the thingsthat you reflect back on?
Are there any things that youwould have changed at all, or
would you have just tweaked thema little bit, or are you pretty
happy with the way thingsturned out for you?
Speaker 2 (15:17):
Well, things happened the way they went for a reason.
Right, but I wish that I paid alittle bit more attention to
the business side, becausethere's show and there's
business, and then they didn'tlike for you to ask too many
questions because we were doinga song for the movie it's a Mad
Mad, mad, mad Mad World and wehad to learn the different
languages for the songs.
And while the other girls werelearning your arts and the
(15:41):
different languages, florencesaid Betty.
She said come on, I want toteach girls music.
And she started up the businessand she took me in this room
and a big wall and all kind ofcolored coded pins and I'm
asking all these questions whyis this here and what color is
that?
What does that represent?
What's number one here again,she never mentioned teaching us
the business again.
Speaker 1 (16:01):
Yeah, unfortunately.
Teaching us the business againyeah, unfortunately, I've heard
that from so many people thatmade music in that particular
era is that management and therecord labels took complete
advantage of them.
Speaker 2 (16:14):
Yes, because we knew nothing about it.
And then they used theirlawyers.
We didn't know.
Speaker 1 (16:19):
So do you feel that you was taken advantage of a lot
in that time?
Speaker 2 (16:24):
yes yeah, that's too bad no, definitely we were taken
advantage of yeah we were toldwe were gonna have a trust fund.
We heard if I had a thousanddollars?
Each time I heard girls, you'regonna be rich, girls, you're
gonna be rich, girls gonna berich.
We turned 21.
We asked how much money do wehave?
Oh, it was him and him and themoney's been stolen and wow.
Speaker 1 (16:46):
Yeah, that is just so sad.
I've heard that so many timeswhere their management or their
label took complete advantage ofthem and the money they thought
they were going to have theydidn't have, and then we just
kind of kicked to the curb anddidn't know what to do after
that.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
Right, and these were adults and Florence was like a
mother to us.
You know, she was good to usand she was very protective.
But when we saw the other side,I said, okay, right, I won't
definitely say that she took themoney, but the money went
somewhere.
Speaker 1 (17:18):
Yeah, unfortunately, that's so true.
The money went somewhere.
Yeah, unfortunately, that's sotrue.
So you was really hot back thenrecord selling.
How many concerts did you do ina year?
How much did they have you outthere?
Speaker 2 (17:29):
We were out there constantly.
We would do those shows at theApollo.
We were doing like six andseven shows throughout the day
and evening.
As soon as we came off stagethe half of them meaning the
show would be starting in a halfan hour you could barely catch
your breath.
We did the shows of Mary Dekayat the Brooklyn Fox and Alan
Freed at Paramount.
You know they were great showsbecause they had anywhere from
(17:51):
12 to 15, 16 different artistson.
There was a lot that went onbackstage.
I'm writing the books.
I will be telling them about alot of the tales that happened
on tours and theaters.
It was a wonderful experience.
Speaker 1 (18:05):
Oh, that's great to hear.
So are you in the process ofwriting the book, or has the
book already been written?
Speaker 2 (18:11):
Yes, the book has been written, but I'm tweaking,
I'm rewriting some of the things.
Speaker 1 (18:16):
When's it going to be released?
Do you know yet?
Speaker 2 (18:18):
That I don't have a publisher yet, so I have to
finish writing that I hadsomeone I was collaborating with
, but I didn't care forsomething he had written.
It was too much of him in thereand I wanted it to be me
talking.
Speaker 1 (18:31):
Sure, sure.
I mean it's your story.
So is this story going to belike an autobiography of your
life, or is it more on the musicside of the business?
Speaker 2 (18:42):
It's culmination.
Speaker 1 (18:43):
Oh, that's great.
I'm sure that will be veryinteresting with all the stories
you've got to tell Now.
Just recently you had the honorof being inducted into the Rock
and Roll Hall of Fame.
Speaker 2 (18:57):
Oh yes, 1996.
In New Jersey Rock and RollHall of Fame We've got Shirell's
Boulevard, a street named afterShirell's.
In the Shirell's Auditoriumwe're in the class of 22 with
the Library of Congressinductees for tonight's tonight.
Speaker 1 (19:13):
Yeah, I think that's awesome I was going to bring
that up to you that you're inthe Library of Congress under
the cultural and historicalsignificance.
That's pretty cool.
Yes, so with everything thatyou've had the opportunity to do
and that's just tremendousamount of things, is there any
one thing that, just out ofeverything, shines above the
(19:35):
rest and it's just one thingthat you'll always remember and
it's kind of special to you?
Speaker 2 (19:40):
Yes, Well, there's more than one, but I'll just
name a couple.
Speaker 1 (19:44):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (19:44):
The day I told my grandmother she didn't have to
clean homes anymore.
Oh nice, that was one of themoments.
That was my Grammy.
We never got a Grammy.
We were never nominated for aGrammy.
Speaker 1 (19:54):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
I asked my grandmother if she had ever seen
a $100 bill.
She said no.
I said, mama, you've never seena $100 bill.
She said no, baby.
I said, mama, I'm coming downtomorrow, I'm going to show you
something.
And I covered her table withhundreds and hundreds and
hundreds of hundred dollar bills.
She picked one up and shelooked.
Speaker 1 (20:12):
Nice.
Speaker 2 (20:13):
And she still didn't get the concept that this was
her money, that I had saved forher.
This is yours, right?
And she just looked at me andshe smiled.
She said, oh, thank you, baby.
And when she came to one of ourshows at Governor's Island, the
Coast Guard brought her and myaunt Gigi over and she had never
seen me perform before.
It was a beautiful night, a bigbay, french doors, and they
(20:33):
were open full moon and theStatue of Liberty is right there
, to the right.
I'll never forget it.
And our club was a pack andthey were all going and hugging
my grandmother.
And she's sitting there beamingwith tears in her eyes, seeing
me perform for the first time.
And I'm up there crying becauseI'm seeing my grandmother there
.
Sure, when she left, they werehugging me.
Hug your grandmother for me.
(20:54):
And it was just a night I'llnever forget.
There's a whole lot more, butthat'll be in the book.
Speaker 1 (21:00):
Yeah, that is just so awesome.
Some people get so busy thatthey forget that family is so
important.
But sometimes they just get sobusy from traveling all around
the country and all around theworld they lose track of time.
But what you just said is justso very special.
Speaker 2 (21:17):
No, family is very important to me my grandmother's
, and that's my mother's mother.
I was talking about my othergrandmother, my father's mother.
They just nurtured me so much.
You know, I'll tell the storiesabout my other grandmother.
She was a pistol and she was acombination of Medea, sophia and
Granny from the Beverly Hillsbuilding.
I had a lot of fun with her.
Speaker 1 (21:40):
Okay, so that was a tremendously emotional personal
story about your career.
Now, how about a musical storyabout your career?
Do you have anything that juststands above the rest?
That is a great memory.
Speaker 2 (21:53):
Quite a few.
When we got Gold Record forWill you Still Love Me Tomorrow,
Will Chamberlain presented usat the Apollo Theater.
Speaker 1 (22:00):
Oh, nice yeah, I always liked him.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
And the first time we heard.
I met him on Sunday, our firstrecord that was released.
We were in school, in theclassroom.
They had informed the schoolthat they were going to play it
on the radio and we heard it atthe same time that the kids did
over the intercom.
That was thrilling.
Speaker 1 (22:17):
Oh yeah, I can just imagine the one thing.
I know it never gets oldhearing what you're doing coming
over the radio.
Speaker 2 (22:25):
No, and what's so awesome is when you realize the
lives that you touched, thestories that we hear how we
brought them through this orbrought them through that.
Some were when they had a lovedone pass, or some of them that
were really ill, or some weregetting ready to take their
lives, and you know a lot ofpeople under our wings.
Speaker 1 (22:44):
That's a great thing about music is how it can affect
the people that listen to it.
So, speaking of that, you havefans and because fans are
fanatics, did you have any fansthat followed you from show to
show that you maybe got a littleconcerned about because you
thought it was more of a stalkerthan actually a fan?
Speaker 2 (23:03):
Yes, it was one.
I could still see his face.
And when we would play like thebottom line and other little
clubs down in New York, he wouldappear and he would be there.
He was usually pretty close upto the stage.
Wow.
And then one time, you know, wewere down in the dressing room,
other people were down and wewere talking in between shows,
boom, all of a sudden heappeared.
I said, oh, wow, yeah, peopleknew to keep an eye on him.
(23:26):
After Wow, yeah, people knew tokeep an eye on him.
After that he sent a letter toSifter Records and he had my
name in it, some kind of way.
He committed suicide.
Speaker 1 (23:32):
Oh, yeah, that's too bad the way he would stare at me
.
Right.
Speaker 2 (23:41):
So do you still hear from fans even today on
different things?
Yeah, I just got some moreletters from fans in England.
Speaker 1 (23:44):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (23:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (23:51):
Yeah, England is still very appreciative of the
older music and especially soulmusic in the northern part.
Speaker 2 (23:54):
Yes, they appreciate it much more than over here in
America, because Americans don'ttend to understand the
treasures that they have here.
You have to go abroad, and inJapan too, they really love your
music.
Speaker 1 (24:05):
Yeah, sometimes that is just the case.
So how long was it that thegroup stayed together with all
the original members intact?
Speaker 2 (24:16):
If anyone left, it was usually the three of us.
We still stayed together.
It was four of us me and Mickeyand Shirley, or me and Mickey
and Doris, or me and Mickey, andwe had a lady named Louise
Bethune that would fill in tooUp until Shirley left, like in
76 or 77, because she startedher career.
Speaker 1 (24:36):
Right.
She kind of went on her ownright.
Speaker 2 (24:38):
Lady Rose, and then she yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:40):
Yeah.
So of all the members, arethere any out there that are
still performing, or have theyall just kind of said you know
it's time to give it up and justsit back and enjoy life a
little bit?
Speaker 2 (24:53):
well.
Unfortunately, mickey passed in82 regency in atlanta and god
was good.
He granted her her wish shealways said when she died.
She said she wouldn't go fastand she wanted to go with her
rock and roll shoes on.
And that's just what happened.
We finished, we wanted to get abite to eat and she knew what I
wanted and I told her you knoworder for me.
I'm going up to change.
I was on my way out the door tocome down and I got a call from
(25:15):
Dottie Nachi from the Hyattresidency saying Beverly, come
down, something's wrong withMickey.
And there she was.
I found out afterwards it triedto revive her.
It was so meaningful to me.
And then Doris, unfortunatelyin the year 2000,.
She passed Last year or eitheryear before last Shirley retired
(25:37):
.
So I'm still rocking androlling and I'm grateful to God,
I'm a rocking granny.
Speaker 1 (25:40):
Okay, yeah, that's just.
I think that's just awesome.
So do you get out much or doyou just kind of look and pick
and choose on the shows that youwant to do?
Speaker 2 (25:50):
I'm picking and choosing because you know there
are other projects I'm workingon.
Like I told you, I'm doing abook and there's some other
things I'm looking into.
I have a play and a musical.
You'll have my eye going.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
Nice, nice, yeah, well, I tell you it's been a
real pleasure to talk with you,because it's always nice to talk
with someone that's beenthrough so much of the beginning
parts of music and how it'schanged and where they can
reflect back and see what it wasthen, what it is now and
actually what you did helpedcreate a lot of what is now.
Speaker 2 (26:23):
Yes, and you know, what I love is years and years
and years from now, people willhear our music and it'll be
meaningful.
Speaker 1 (26:32):
Yes, absolutely, because you contributed and had
a lot of great hit records.
Speaker 2 (26:38):
And then I'm really grateful because I said I'm a
fan of our music now, because Ilistened to some of the songs, I
said, wow, we were ahead of ourtime because we were doing blue
pop music and we were doinggospel.
Speaker 1 (26:49):
Yeah, yeah, because you got.
You got recognized by the R&BSociety too, right.
Speaker 2 (26:53):
Yes, the Rhythm and Blues.
Ian Warwick honored us with theSoul of American Music and Bo
Bates sang.
Speaker 1 (27:00):
Mama Said when you get recognized with so many
different outlets like that,that really does tell the story
of what you accomplished, andthe fact that you accomplish it
during the times the way theywere, is an outstanding
statement for you.
Speaker 2 (27:17):
It means so much to me that we get it while we're
alive, and that's the beauty ofit.
Speaker 1 (27:23):
Yes, I agree, A lot of awards.
Sometimes they don't get themwhile they're alive.
It's not the same.
I agree with you there.
The fact that you're gettingall these accolades while you're
still here to really embracethem, that's very nice.
Speaker 2 (27:36):
It is.
And I look at some of thetrophies and some of the
programs that we've been on andsay, oh wow, you know, these
memories are just awesome.
I wouldn't trade for all themoney in the world.
Speaker 1 (27:46):
Yeah, I don't blame you.
And the fact that you've gotgold records and the concerts
that you've done around theworld, it's truly an outstanding
accomplishment.
Speaker 2 (27:54):
And the people that we met and we performed for
presidents and I said, wow, whowould have thought that someone
from the projects would grow up,travel the world, perform for
presidents and save these fancyhotels, fly in private jets and
the whole nine yards.
Speaker 1 (28:11):
Only God.
Only God blessed us.
Yeah, yeah, and you've had sucha great music career.
I'm just really glad thatyou're here to tell the story
and look back and enjoy it all.
Yes, you know, that's awesome.
Speaker 2 (28:22):
Thank you to our fans and everyone who's supported us
in any manner.
Speaker 1 (28:27):
Yeah Well, I really appreciate you taking the time
to talk with me about this.
I think a lot of people arereally going to like this story,
for sure.
Speaker 2 (28:36):
Well, you know, I love the way you interviewed and
you did your homework.
You know you're not just askingblasé questions and you've been
very stimulating and I'vereally really enjoyed this.
Speaker 1 (28:46):
Oh, thank you so much .
It's been my pleasure.
Thanks for joining us today.
We hope you enjoyed the show.
This has been a Tony Mantorproduction.
(29:07):
For more information, contactmedia at plateau music dot com.
My career in the entertainment industry has
enabled me to work with adiverse range of talent.
Through my years of experience,I've recognized two essential
aspects.
Industry professionals, whetherfamous stars or
behind-the-scenes staff, havefascinating stories to tell.
Secondly, audiences are eagerto listen to these stories,
(00:36):
which offer a glimpse into theirlives and the evolution of
their life stories.
This podcast aims to sharethese narratives, providing
information on how they evolvedinto their chosen career.
We will delve into theirjourney to stardom, discuss
their struggles and successesand hear from people who helped
them achieve their goals.
Get ready for intriguingbehind-the-scenes stories and
(00:58):
insights into the fascinatingworld of entertainment.
Hi, I'm Tony Mantor.
I'm thrilled to welcome BeverlyLee, the talented member of the
Shirelles, to Almost LiveNashville.
As a pioneer in the girl groupgenre, the Shirelles have earned
numerous accolades, includingthe Pioneer Award from the
(01:19):
Rhythm and Blues Foundation,induction into the Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame and recognition asone of the 100 greatest artists
of all time by Rolling Stone.
In 2022, their debut album wasselected by the Library of
Congress for preservation in theNational Recording Registry for
its cultural, historical andaesthetic significance.
(01:40):
It's an honor to have BeverlyLee join us today.
Thanks for coming on.
Oh, it's my pleasure, it's myhonor to have Beverly Lee join
us today.
Thanks for coming on.
Oh, it's my pleasure.
It's my understanding that in1957 was when the Shirelles got
together and formed a group.
How did that all come together?
Speaker 2 (01:56):
Well, there was a radio station, wwrl 1600 AM, in
New York City, with Dr Jive, andhe would play all the songs by
people like the Coasters,anthony Chantels and all the
popular artists at that time.
And Shirley was babysitting andI would go down and sit with
her and we listened to the radio.
(02:17):
We started harmonizing withsome of the songs.
For some strange reason, mickeystopped by one day and she
started doing it with us.
And then we saw Doris sing at aschool function and junior high
and I said why don't we ask herfather if she could sing with
us?
And that's how we began.
By the time we got to highschool we were fooling around in
(02:39):
gym.
Me and Shirley had gym together.
We were fooling around in gymand one of the teachers, mrs
Nolan, came through and she saidthere's.
We were fooling around in thegym and one of the teachers, mrs
Nolan, came through and shesaid there's going to be a show
at the auditorium.
Do this show or either fail gym.
And quite naturally we opted todo the show.
Well, at the time we weresinging songs like Little
Darling Walking Along Sunday,kind of Love.
For some strange reason I saidwell, let's write a song.
(03:02):
And we came up with the song.
I Met Him on Sunday.
We each took a line.
We didn't say you're going tosing this part or that part, the
harmonies just fell in line.
We did the show.
The kids loved the show.
They loved all the songs we didand when we got to I Met Him on
Sunday, they were preservedAfter the show was over.
You know the kids werecongratulating us and you know
the kids were congratulating us.
And the next day at school, ayoung lady approached us and she
(03:26):
said my mother owns a recordcompany.
Let my mother hear your song.
We didn't know what in theworld she was talking about and
her name was Mary Jane Greenberg.
Her mother was FlorenceGreenberg, who owned Tiara
Records.
We actually hid from Mary Janefor quite some time.
Whenever we see her, we splitup to sayam's Mary Jane.
We got tired of her chasing usdown.
We said, okay, we'll let youhear the song, and we finally
(03:47):
did.
Florence loved it.
She said I want to offer you acontract.
Oh, wow, well, our parents.
It didn't sit well with them.
They started thinking aboutshield business.
We were young teenagers.
We all told a lie, told ourparents you're the only one who
won't sign this contract, andthat's how we got our parents to
sign the contract, and the restis history.
God has been good to us, and soI met him one Sunday.
(04:09):
It's taken us around the world.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
Yeah, that's a great story.
Just goes to show you that younever know what can happen once
you get something started.
So after that, I believe theysold you and you wound up being
a DECA recording artist, correct?
Speaker 2 (04:23):
Right, because it made a little noise and they
signed us over to DECA.
But then DECA didn't know whatto do with us and then at that
time Florence was making enoughmoney where she began Scepter on
records, and so we, you know,went back there.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
Well, that was good.
It's too bad that DECA didn'twork out, but at least Florence
got you where you needed to beand that got you back to where
you kind of started.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Florence at the time then had Scepter Records and
then Juan.
Yeah, no, she had Tiara andthen Scepter and Juan.
Speaker 1 (04:54):
Yeah, now back then you actually broke down some
barriers.
Speaker 2 (04:59):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
You were kind of the first girl group that hit the
charts and did well and predatedsome of the Motown acts.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
Yes, it was amazing.
We never realized the impact wewere making on the industry
because it was male dominatedand we're the first black female
group to sell a million records.
We crossed over to pop.
It's the Supremes, but it's notbecause we were before the
Supremes Right.
And then we made history whenwe did, in 1923, the Salute to
(05:30):
Freedom show in 63 in Birmingham, alabama, where they were
raising funds for the people togo to March in Washington, and
we were blessed to have Dr Kingon stage while we were
performing.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
We also made history when we performed at a
segregated college, Selma,Alabama.
They didn't know that we wereblack at that time.
They would have itchings on thealbums.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
Right.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
In the South but in the North.
Our pictures were on and therewas a demand for us to come down
there and we went and it blewtheir minds when they saw us.
I said oh, uh-oh, to come downthere.
And we went and it blew theirminds when they saw us.
I said oh, oh, and then we werecalled that nasty n-word and uh
, we got an apology from thecollege that opened the doors
for the other black artists togo down to play in different
colleges.
So in a way we were guinea pigs.
(06:16):
You know, we went and we didquite the legwork and everybody
else just broke down the pathwayafter that yeah, and you did
help and blaze some outstandingtrails.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
A lot of your recordings hit the charts and
did really, really well.
You probably didn't evenrealize that a lot of the
younger kids were looking up atyou and just saying that's what
I want to do when I get theopportunity.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
We did and I know Mary Wilson said Shirelles
taught us, showed them that theycould do it, and we heard the
Chantelles singing and a lot ofpeople think we got our name
from the Chantelles.
That's not true.
The L sound was in theChantelles Dells.
There was some other groupswith the Ls and Bluebells and we
were called the Paquelos.
Florence didn't like that nameand she wanted to call us the
(07:03):
Honeytones.
Florence didn't like that nameand she wanted to call us the
Honeytones.
We didn't like that name.
So she had to make up a list ofnames and we made up a list of
names and concocted thatShirelle's.
People think it came fromShirelle but it didn't.
We did take it from her name.
I would gladly admit it, but wedidn't.
She admitted finally that itdidn't come from her name, but
thank God for the name becauseit's been a blessing to us.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
Yeah, it certainly has been outstanding, with all
the charts that you hit, gettingon radio and getting the
opportunity to travel.
What were some of the thingsthat you saw as you traveled
around the country that you canreflect on and just kind of know
that you had a hand in helpingchange some of the things that
have been done today?
Speaker 2 (07:42):
Well, for one thing, we couldn't stay in some of the
white hotels when we weretouring Right.
We would pull up on the otherside of town where we would stay
in room and houses.
Some of the African-Americanshad rooms that they went out and
the rest of the people on thebus tour bus would go on the
other side of town.
I remember Linda Scott cryingone time.
(08:03):
She said why can't we all staytogether?
We couldn't go into therestaurants.
I had never experienced thatbefore.
I went in one day and I sawthis man's eyes get bigger than
a silver dollar and I went and Isaid I told him what I wanted.
He said well, I can't do that.
And I said why not?
I said I want and I repeatedwhat I wanted and he said I
(08:23):
can't do it.
I said why can't you?
He said because you're colored.
I said oh, wow.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
Yeah, unfortunately that is very sad, but at least
you can know that you helpedchange a lot of this in the last
50 or 60 years.
Oh yes, so as you grew andbecame more popular, you had a
number one song with Will youLove Me Tomorrow.
So what's the story behind thatsong?
(08:49):
How did it come to you?
How did it all kind of falltogether so that you could be
the ones to record that hit song?
Speaker 2 (08:56):
I've heard a couple of different versions, but I'm
leaning towards the one that youknow.
In those days the recordcompanies owed favors to certain
people, and I guess it was aterm to do something for Carole
King, or who knows, anyhow,Right.
We heard the demo and Carole wassinging on the demo and it was
all twangy twangy, all countryand westerns and we don't like
that song.
Luther had an ear for music andhow to produce us.
(09:19):
He produced us better thananyone, except for when Luther
Evandros did a production on uswith Dionne Warwick singing we
Still Love you Tomorrow.
I always treasure that.
Luther said you're going to dothe song.
When we went into the studioI'll never forget it it was
filled with musicians cellos,violins, harps every instrument
you could name was there and wewere playing it.
(09:40):
I said, oh dear God, it was sobeautiful.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
So when you was in the studio recording it, you had
all the musicians therethrowing down the tracks.
What was your impression?
What did everybody feel likewhen they heard it played back
for the very first time?
It was magical.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
Oh, and Carole King played the pedal drums because
she didn't like the way the guywas playing.
So hey, girl power.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
Okay, so Carole played on that song too.
Yes, carole King is playing onit.
Oh, that's just, that's great.
So you heard it, you said itsounded magical, and then, of
course, they released it toradio and the magic continued to
happen, because it went tonumber one.
So how did that change yourlife?
Speaker 2 (10:20):
Well, we still didn't realize the impact that the
song had on other people's livesand it changed our lives
because we were able to allowyoung ladies to chart their
lives by our music.
We were like the girls nextdoor.
They could identify with us.
We were like little sistersthat they could listen to and
get advice in another waythrough our music.
Speaker 1 (10:41):
So back then you didn't have social media like
you have today, so theinteraction with the fans was
completely different.
You had your promo, you hadradio, you had your record label
promoting it.
What was it like when youplayed and performed with the
fans?
Speaker 2 (10:58):
Well, most of it was by performances, by the shows,
and we had quite a going and ourfans were so loyal to us.
We were very blessed withwonderful, awesome fans.
As a matter of of fact, quite afew of them became really good
friends with them and some ofthem we were like family, like
our president of our fan club atthe time, gloria McAntonia,
mount Marcantonio.
When she would come to theUnited States, shirley and I
(11:19):
would have her stay with us andwhen I'd go to England for a
vacation, know I'd go by Gloria.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
So I heard at one time and I don't know where it
came from that you had theperception as a very lovable,
likable girl group and it feltlike you could be the girl next
door type.
Speaker 2 (11:40):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (11:40):
I also heard that some of your critics if you want
to call it that said that yourlyrics was a little bit racier
than what they thought theyshould be.
And, of course, Elvis was doinghis thing, so did that affect
you?
Speaker 2 (11:53):
Yes, some of the feedback was coming from males.
Speaker 1 (11:55):
Really Wow.
Speaker 2 (11:57):
And you know it was male dominated and the males
were, you know, hitting thepress.
So we're coming out with theselyrics sticking up for ourselves
and I guess they said, hey, whodo they think they are?
And you know a lot of men don'tlike for a woman to speak her
mind or speak for herself,defend herself.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
Sure, sure, and the great thing is that you had so
many people looking up to youbecause you stood your ground
and defended yourself.
Yes, so I heard that theBeatles were pretty big fans of
yours.
Did you ever get?
Speaker 2 (12:31):
the opportunity to meet them.
You know we were supposed to.
When we were over in Englandsome of the band members the
English band members wouldalways say the Beatles love you.
I said who are the Beatles andyou know later on who they were.
And when they came to America,John, and they sent us an
invitation.
They wanted to meet up with usto go out to dinner and, you
(12:51):
know, hang out at the club.
But we were getting ready to goon the road.
They kept us on the roadconstantly.
After we came from one show, bythe time we got home we were
repacking and back off again, sowe didn't get the opportunity
to hang out with them.
But I'll tell you one thingwhat's her name?
Yoko or Oko?
She wouldn't have got John,yeah, Yoko Ono.
Yeah, because she wouldn't havegot John if he had met me.
Speaker 1 (13:11):
Okay, that's great.
Speaker 2 (13:13):
She wouldn't have gotten John Lennon, you wouldn't
have stood a chance.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
Okay, Okay.
So you rose to fame fairlyquickly actually, and then your
chart records and your careerstayed there for quite some time
.
Who did you get a chance to dosome shows with that you really
enjoyed and stands out in yourmemory today.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
Oh, wow, you name it.
We were the Coasters, theDrifters, the Platters.
We performed with RichardFranklin, the Supremes oh, we
did a tour, a Dick Clark tour,Supremes and Dixie Cups, the
Crystals, the Velvet, MarthaReese and the Vandellas.
Wow, that's an impressive list,for sure when we were all in the
(13:57):
dressing room and one nightbefore the show, we were talking
and the springs were askingquestions and said don't worry,
girls, your turn is coming.
Well, later on after the show,we heard a lot of hollering,
screaming of joy in the hallwayand we looked out our song is
number one and they took overlike a rocket.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
Yeah, it's amazing.
All you have to do is have thatone big hit record and what
things can happen after that hadthat one big hit record and
what things can happen afterthat.
That's right.
And barry was cranking them out.
Yeah, he certainly did.
I've been very fortunate tomeet a lot of the motown stars
and they all have stories totell and they're all varied, of
course right smoky and thetemptations and the four tops
(14:36):
and stevie yeah they had aninternational show in Paris and
Sherelle Dion work and StevieWonder and some other artists
from other countries and everytime we were getting changing
you're ready to go on stage.
Speaker 2 (14:49):
Who popped in the door?
But Stevie.
I said Stevie, I'm here to sayyou can see?
Stevie had a little question onme.
That was called Stevie, theeighth wonder in the world.
Speaker 1 (14:59):
Yeah, I like that.
So what are some of the thingsthat you reflect back on?
Are there any things that youwould have changed at all, or
would you have just tweaked thema little bit, or are you pretty
happy with the way thingsturned out for you?
Speaker 2 (15:17):
Well, things happened the way they went for a reason.
Right, but I wish that I paid alittle bit more attention to
the business side, becausethere's show and there's
business, and then they didn'tlike for you to ask too many
questions because we were doinga song for the movie it's a Mad
Mad, mad, mad Mad World and wehad to learn the different
languages for the songs.
And while the other girls werelearning your arts and the
(15:41):
different languages, florencesaid Betty.
She said come on, I want toteach girls music.
And she started up the businessand she took me in this room
and a big wall and all kind ofcolored coded pins and I'm
asking all these questions whyis this here and what color is
that?
What does that represent?
What's number one here again,she never mentioned teaching us
the business again.
Speaker 1 (16:01):
Yeah, unfortunately.
Teaching us the business againyeah, unfortunately, I've heard
that from so many people thatmade music in that particular
era is that management and therecord labels took complete
advantage of them.
Speaker 2 (16:14):
Yes, because we knew nothing about it.
And then they used theirlawyers.
We didn't know.
Speaker 1 (16:19):
So do you feel that you was taken advantage of a lot
in that time?
Speaker 2 (16:24):
yes yeah, that's too bad no, definitely we were taken
advantage of yeah we were toldwe were gonna have a trust fund.
We heard if I had a thousanddollars?
Each time I heard girls, you'regonna be rich, girls, you're
gonna be rich, girls gonna berich.
We turned 21.
We asked how much money do wehave?
Oh, it was him and him and themoney's been stolen and wow.
Speaker 1 (16:46):
Yeah, that is just so sad.
I've heard that so many timeswhere their management or their
label took complete advantage ofthem and the money they thought
they were going to have theydidn't have, and then we just
kind of kicked to the curb anddidn't know what to do after
that.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
Right, and these were adults and Florence was like a
mother to us.
You know, she was good to usand she was very protective.
But when we saw the other side,I said, okay, right, I won't
definitely say that she took themoney, but the money went
somewhere.
Speaker 1 (17:18):
Yeah, unfortunately, that's so true.
The money went somewhere.
Yeah, unfortunately, that's sotrue.
So you was really hot back thenrecord selling.
How many concerts did you do ina year?
How much did they have you outthere?
Speaker 2 (17:29):
We were out there constantly.
We would do those shows at theApollo.
We were doing like six andseven shows throughout the day
and evening.
As soon as we came off stagethe half of them meaning the
show would be starting in a halfan hour you could barely catch
your breath.
We did the shows of Mary Dekayat the Brooklyn Fox and Alan
Freed at Paramount.
You know they were great showsbecause they had anywhere from
(17:51):
12 to 15, 16 different artistson.
There was a lot that went onbackstage.
I'm writing the books.
I will be telling them about alot of the tales that happened
on tours and theaters.
It was a wonderful experience.
Speaker 1 (18:05):
Oh, that's great to hear.
So are you in the process ofwriting the book, or has the
book already been written?
Speaker 2 (18:11):
Yes, the book has been written, but I'm tweaking,
I'm rewriting some of the things.
Speaker 1 (18:16):
When's it going to be released?
Do you know yet?
Speaker 2 (18:18):
That I don't have a publisher yet, so I have to
finish writing that I hadsomeone I was collaborating with
, but I didn't care forsomething he had written.
It was too much of him in thereand I wanted it to be me
talking.
Speaker 1 (18:31):
Sure, sure.
I mean it's your story.
So is this story going to belike an autobiography of your
life, or is it more on the musicside of the business?
Speaker 2 (18:42):
It's culmination.
Speaker 1 (18:43):
Oh, that's great.
I'm sure that will be veryinteresting with all the stories
you've got to tell Now.
Just recently you had the honorof being inducted into the Rock
and Roll Hall of Fame.
Speaker 2 (18:57):
Oh yes, 1996.
In New Jersey Rock and RollHall of Fame We've got Shirell's
Boulevard, a street named afterShirell's.
In the Shirell's Auditoriumwe're in the class of 22 with
the Library of Congressinductees for tonight's tonight.
Speaker 1 (19:13):
Yeah, I think that's awesome I was going to bring
that up to you that you're inthe Library of Congress under
the cultural and historicalsignificance.
That's pretty cool.
Yes, so with everything thatyou've had the opportunity to do
and that's just tremendousamount of things, is there any
one thing that, just out ofeverything, shines above the
(19:35):
rest and it's just one thingthat you'll always remember and
it's kind of special to you?
Speaker 2 (19:40):
Yes, Well, there's more than one, but I'll just
name a couple.
Speaker 1 (19:44):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (19:44):
The day I told my grandmother she didn't have to
clean homes anymore.
Oh nice, that was one of themoments.
That was my Grammy.
We never got a Grammy.
We were never nominated for aGrammy.
Speaker 1 (19:54):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
I asked my grandmother if she had ever seen
a $100 bill.
She said no.
I said, mama, you've never seena $100 bill.
She said no, baby.
I said, mama, I'm coming downtomorrow, I'm going to show you
something.
And I covered her table withhundreds and hundreds and
hundreds of hundred dollar bills.
She picked one up and shelooked.
Speaker 1 (20:12):
Nice.
Speaker 2 (20:13):
And she still didn't get the concept that this was
her money, that I had saved forher.
This is yours, right?
And she just looked at me andshe smiled.
She said, oh, thank you, baby.
And when she came to one of ourshows at Governor's Island, the
Coast Guard brought her and myaunt Gigi over and she had never
seen me perform before.
It was a beautiful night, a bigbay, french doors, and they
(20:33):
were open full moon and theStatue of Liberty is right there
, to the right.
I'll never forget it.
And our club was a pack andthey were all going and hugging
my grandmother.
And she's sitting there beamingwith tears in her eyes, seeing
me perform for the first time.
And I'm up there crying becauseI'm seeing my grandmother there
.
Sure, when she left, they werehugging me.
Hug your grandmother for me.
(20:54):
And it was just a night I'llnever forget.
There's a whole lot more, butthat'll be in the book.
Speaker 1 (21:00):
Yeah, that is just so awesome.
Some people get so busy thatthey forget that family is so
important.
But sometimes they just get sobusy from traveling all around
the country and all around theworld they lose track of time.
But what you just said is justso very special.
Speaker 2 (21:17):
No, family is very important to me my grandmother's
, and that's my mother's mother.
I was talking about my othergrandmother, my father's mother.
They just nurtured me so much.
You know, I'll tell the storiesabout my other grandmother.
She was a pistol and she was acombination of Medea, sophia and
Granny from the Beverly Hillsbuilding.
I had a lot of fun with her.
Speaker 1 (21:40):
Okay, so that was a tremendously emotional personal
story about your career.
Now, how about a musical storyabout your career?
Do you have anything that juststands above the rest?
That is a great memory.
Speaker 2 (21:53):
Quite a few.
When we got Gold Record forWill you Still Love Me Tomorrow,
Will Chamberlain presented usat the Apollo Theater.
Speaker 1 (22:00):
Oh, nice yeah, I always liked him.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
And the first time we heard.
I met him on Sunday, our firstrecord that was released.
We were in school, in theclassroom.
They had informed the schoolthat they were going to play it
on the radio and we heard it atthe same time that the kids did
over the intercom.
That was thrilling.
Speaker 1 (22:17):
Oh yeah, I can just imagine the one thing.
I know it never gets oldhearing what you're doing coming
over the radio.
Speaker 2 (22:25):
No, and what's so awesome is when you realize the
lives that you touched, thestories that we hear how we
brought them through this orbrought them through that.
Some were when they had a lovedone pass, or some of them that
were really ill, or some weregetting ready to take their
lives, and you know a lot ofpeople under our wings.
Speaker 1 (22:44):
That's a great thing about music is how it can affect
the people that listen to it.
So, speaking of that, you havefans and because fans are
fanatics, did you have any fansthat followed you from show to
show that you maybe got a littleconcerned about because you
thought it was more of a stalkerthan actually a fan?
Speaker 2 (23:03):
Yes, it was one.
I could still see his face.
And when we would play like thebottom line and other little
clubs down in New York, he wouldappear and he would be there.
He was usually pretty close upto the stage.
Wow.
And then one time, you know, wewere down in the dressing room,
other people were down and wewere talking in between shows,
boom, all of a sudden heappeared.
I said, oh, wow, yeah, peopleknew to keep an eye on him.
(23:26):
After Wow, yeah, people knew tokeep an eye on him.
After that he sent a letter toSifter Records and he had my
name in it, some kind of way.
He committed suicide.
Speaker 1 (23:32):
Oh, yeah, that's too bad the way he would stare at me
.
Right.
Speaker 2 (23:41):
So do you still hear from fans even today on
different things?
Yeah, I just got some moreletters from fans in England.
Speaker 1 (23:44):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (23:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (23:51):
Yeah, England is still very appreciative of the
older music and especially soulmusic in the northern part.
Speaker 2 (23:54):
Yes, they appreciate it much more than over here in
America, because Americans don'ttend to understand the
treasures that they have here.
You have to go abroad, and inJapan too, they really love your
music.
Speaker 1 (24:05):
Yeah, sometimes that is just the case.
So how long was it that thegroup stayed together with all
the original members intact?
Speaker 2 (24:16):
If anyone left, it was usually the three of us.
We still stayed together.
It was four of us me and Mickeyand Shirley, or me and Mickey
and Doris, or me and Mickey, andwe had a lady named Louise
Bethune that would fill in tooUp until Shirley left, like in
76 or 77, because she startedher career.
Speaker 1 (24:36):
Right.
She kind of went on her ownright.
Speaker 2 (24:38):
Lady Rose, and then she yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:40):
Yeah.
So of all the members, arethere any out there that are
still performing, or have theyall just kind of said you know
it's time to give it up and justsit back and enjoy life a
little bit?
Speaker 2 (24:53):
well.
Unfortunately, mickey passed in82 regency in atlanta and god
was good.
He granted her her wish shealways said when she died.
She said she wouldn't go fastand she wanted to go with her
rock and roll shoes on.
And that's just what happened.
We finished, we wanted to get abite to eat and she knew what I
wanted and I told her you knoworder for me.
I'm going up to change.
I was on my way out the door tocome down and I got a call from
(25:15):
Dottie Nachi from the Hyattresidency saying Beverly, come
down, something's wrong withMickey.
And there she was.
I found out afterwards it triedto revive her.
It was so meaningful to me.
And then Doris, unfortunatelyin the year 2000,.
She passed Last year or eitheryear before last Shirley retired
(25:37):
.
So I'm still rocking androlling and I'm grateful to God,
I'm a rocking granny.
Speaker 1 (25:40):
Okay, yeah, that's just.
I think that's just awesome.
So do you get out much or doyou just kind of look and pick
and choose on the shows that youwant to do?
Speaker 2 (25:50):
I'm picking and choosing because you know there
are other projects I'm workingon.
Like I told you, I'm doing abook and there's some other
things I'm looking into.
I have a play and a musical.
You'll have my eye going.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
Nice, nice, yeah, well, I tell you it's been a
real pleasure to talk with you,because it's always nice to talk
with someone that's beenthrough so much of the beginning
parts of music and how it'schanged and where they can
reflect back and see what it wasthen, what it is now and
actually what you did helpedcreate a lot of what is now.
Speaker 2 (26:23):
Yes, and you know, what I love is years and years
and years from now, people willhear our music and it'll be
meaningful.
Speaker 1 (26:32):
Yes, absolutely, because you contributed and had
a lot of great hit records.
Speaker 2 (26:38):
And then I'm really grateful because I said I'm a
fan of our music now, because Ilistened to some of the songs, I
said, wow, we were ahead of ourtime because we were doing blue
pop music and we were doinggospel.
Speaker 1 (26:49):
Yeah, yeah, because you got.
You got recognized by the R&BSociety too, right.
Speaker 2 (26:53):
Yes, the Rhythm and Blues.
Ian Warwick honored us with theSoul of American Music and Bo
Bates sang.
Speaker 1 (27:00):
Mama Said when you get recognized with so many
different outlets like that,that really does tell the story
of what you accomplished, andthe fact that you accomplish it
during the times the way theywere, is an outstanding
statement for you.
Speaker 2 (27:17):
It means so much to me that we get it while we're
alive, and that's the beauty ofit.
Speaker 1 (27:23):
Yes, I agree, A lot of awards.
Sometimes they don't get themwhile they're alive.
It's not the same.
I agree with you there.
The fact that you're gettingall these accolades while you're
still here to really embracethem, that's very nice.
Speaker 2 (27:36):
It is.
And I look at some of thetrophies and some of the
programs that we've been on andsay, oh wow, you know, these
memories are just awesome.
I wouldn't trade for all themoney in the world.
Speaker 1 (27:46):
Yeah, I don't blame you.
And the fact that you've gotgold records and the concerts
that you've done around theworld, it's truly an outstanding
accomplishment.
Speaker 2 (27:54):
And the people that we met and we performed for
presidents and I said, wow, whowould have thought that someone
from the projects would grow up,travel the world, perform for
presidents and save these fancyhotels, fly in private jets and
the whole nine yards.
Speaker 1 (28:11):
Only God.
Only God blessed us.
Yeah, yeah, and you've had sucha great music career.
I'm just really glad thatyou're here to tell the story
and look back and enjoy it all.
Yes, you know, that's awesome.
Speaker 2 (28:22):
Thank you to our fans and everyone who's supported us
in any manner.
Speaker 1 (28:27):
Yeah Well, I really appreciate you taking the time
to talk with me about this.
I think a lot of people arereally going to like this story,
for sure.
Speaker 2 (28:36):
Well, you know, I love the way you interviewed and
you did your homework.
You know you're not just askingblasé questions and you've been
very stimulating and I'vereally really enjoyed this.
Speaker 1 (28:46):
Oh, thank you so much .
It's been my pleasure.
Thanks for joining us today.
We hope you enjoyed the show.
This has been a Tony Mantorproduction.
(29:07):
For more information, contactmedia at plateau music dot com.
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