Shirley Owens

Shirley Owens (born June 10, 1941, in Henderson, North Carolina) was the member of the hit group, The Shirelles. As well as Owens, The Shirelles consisted of classmates of hers from Passaic High School, New Jersey: Addie Harris, Doris Coley, and Beverly Lee. However, her strong, distinctive voice meant that Owens was the natural choice for lead singer.

Owens enjoyed a string of hits with The Shirelles throughout the 1960s. Through marriages, she became Shirley Owens Alston and later, Shirley Alston Reeves. She left The Shirelles in 1975 to begin a solo career, recording under the name Lady Rose. That same year, she recorded an album entitled With A Little Help From My Friends, after the hit song by [a=Beatles].

She was inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in 1996