Shirley Ellis

Shirley Marie O'Garra[1] (stage name Shirley Ellis, married name Shirley Elliston;[2] January 19, 1929 – October 5, 2005[3]) was an American soul music singer and songwriter of West Indian heritage.[4][5] She is best known for her novelty hits "The Nitty Gritty" (1963, US no. 8), "The Name Game" (1964, US no. 3) and "The Clapping Song" (1965, US no. 8 and UK no. 6). "The Clapping Song" sold over 1 million copies and was awarded a gold disc.[6]

Shirley Ellis
Birth nameShirley Marie O'Garra
Also known asShirley Ellis
Born(1929-01-19)January 19, 1929
The Bronx, New York City, U.S.
DiedOctober 5, 2005(2005-10-05) (aged 76)
The Bronx, New York City, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter
InstrumentsVoice
Years active1958–1968
Labels
Associated actsThe Metronomes

Career

By 1954, Ellis had written two songs recorded by the Chords.[5] She was originally in the group the Metronomes and married the lead singer, Alphonso Elliston. All her solo hits were written by her and her manager, record producer, and songwriting partner Lincoln Chase.

Ellis had recording contracts with the Kapp Records subsidiary Congress and later Columbia and Bell, but retired from the music industry in 1968.

Personal life

Shirley O'Garra was born to William H. and Petra (Smith) O'Garra. Her father was a native of Montserrat, and her mother was born in the Bahamas.[4] Shirley had three full siblings, Joyce, Bertram and William Jr., and four half siblings, Reginald, Suzanne, Joycelyn and Berbian. O'Garra married her husband, Arnold Alphonso Elliston (October 21, 1929 – August 23, 2009; professional name: Alphonso Elliston), in Florida on August 3, 1949.[1] She had one known son that goes by the name Shawn Amos. She died on October 5, 2005 in New York City at the age of 76.

Cover versions

Cover versions of her hits have been recorded by Madeline Bell, the Belle Stars, Laura Branigan, Aaron Carter, Gary Glitter, Ricardo Ray, Pia Zadora, Southern Culture on the Skids, Gladys Knight and the Pips (a version of "The Nitty Gritty", produced by Norman Whitfield), and Divine, a.k.a. Harris Glenn Milstead (a hi-NRG version of "The Name Game").[5] In addition, her song "Soul Time" was sampled by the UK band the Go! Team for their single "Bottle Rocket". In 2011, “The Name Game” was covered by Jessica Lange and the cast of American Horror Story: Asylum and was featured in the episode of the same name. [7]

Discography

Studio albums
  • In Action (1964, Congress)
  • The Name Game (1965, Congress)
  • Sugar, Let's Shing-a-Ling (1967, Columbia)

Compilation albums
  • The Name Game (1988, MCA Special Products)
  • The Very Best of Shirley Ellis (1995, Taragon)
  • The Complete Congress Recordings (2001, Connoisseur Collection)
  • Three Six Nine!: The Best of Shirley Ellis (2018, Ace)

Singles
Year Single Peak chart positions Album
US
[8]		 US
R&B
[8]		 AUS
[9]		 CAN
[10]		 UK
[11]
1963 "The Nitty Gritty" 8 4 — — — In Actionn
1964 "(That's) What the Nitty Gritty Is" 72 14 — — —
"Shy One" 130 43 — — —
"Such a Night" — — — — —
"The Name Game" 3 4 40 2 — The Name Game
1965 "The Clapping Song (Clap Pat Clap Slap)" 8 16 86 10 6 N/A
"The Puzzle Song (A Puzzle in Song)" 78 — — 32 —
"I Will Never Forget" — — — — — The Name Game
"You Better Be Good, World" — — — — — N/A
1966 "Ever See a Diver Kiss His Wife While the Bubbles Bounce About Above the Water?" 135 — — — —
"Birds, Bees, Cupids and Bows" — — — — — Sugar, Let's Shing-a-Ling
1967 "Soul Time" 67 31 87 — —
"Sugar Let’s Shing-a-Ling" — — — — —
1978 "The Clapping Song" (re-release) — — — — 59 N/A
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

References
  1. "Person Details for Arnold Alphonso Elliston, "Florida, Marriages, 1830-1993" —". Familysearch.org. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  2. Whitburn, J. (2010). The Billboard book of top 40 hits. New York: Billboard Books. p. 214. ISBN 0307985121
  3. "Shirley Ellis Page". Soulwalking.co.uk. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  4. "United States Census, 1930, Shirley O Gara in household of William O Gara". FamilySearch.org. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  5. "Rateyourmusic.com". Retrieved October 17, 2014.
  6. Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 190. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
  7. "diddywah.blogspot.com". Diddy Wah. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
  8. "US Charts > Shirley Ellis". Billboard. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  9. David Kent (1993). Australian Charts Book 1970—1992. Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  10. "CAN Charts > Shirely Ellis". RPM. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  11. "UK Charts > Shirley Ellis". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
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