’60s Girl Groups, Part I

Class Schedule: January 22, 27, & 29, 2026 | 7:30 – 9:00 PM

The 1960s may be remembered for the British Invasion, soul, and the birth of the Beatles and art rock. However, the early-to-mid 1960s is also known for its “girl groups,” trios or quartets singing Brill Building compositions and other pop.  Motown also perfected the girl group formula, with the Supremes reigning as one of the most successful and influential acts of the 1960s. Indeed, the girl group tradition continues today with Fifth Harmony, Blackpink, and many others.  However, the genre’s roots extend back even further, to the 1960s.

Part one of the “Girl Groups” course will trace the beginnings of these acts, with the 1920s and 1930s producing singers such as the Andrews Sisters and the Boswell Sisters.  By the 1950s the McGuire Sisters and the Chordettes picked up the baton, lending a pop sheen to an otherwise jazz-dominated genre.  The early 1960s kicked off the genre’s peak, with UK and US acts such as the Vernons Girls, the Shirelles, and the Shangri-Las scoring hits on the charts. Perhaps no one defined the early girl group era like Phil Spector, who produced such groups as the Ronettes and the Crystals. The course will explore these roots and the earliest girl group successes through multimedia presentations and discussion.

Zoom Link will be provided upon registration.