A 'girl group' is an all-female vocal group

It's not a perfect descriptor, but it's the one that stuck, due mainly to the definitive girl groups of the late 1950s that sang about teenage love. Since then, though, the girl group sound has evolved, even if the term has remained the same.

Hear the first classic girl group record: the Chantels’ ‘Maybe’

While there were all-female vocal groups before the Chantels, most critics consider the group’s 1957 single “Maybe” to be the first record of the classic girl group sound because it established the model’s foundational elements: a mid-tempo backbeat, soaring harmonies, and yearning lyrics.

Before becoming a country superstar, Dolly Parton recorded girl group-style singles as a teenager, including one that became a hit outside the US.

The '90s saw a resurgence of the girl group

The '90s saw a resurgence of the girl group, with acts like TLC, the Spice Girls, and Destiny's Child turning the model on its head. While still strongly influenced by the '50s and '60s girl groups, these acts also worked in hip-hop and dance music. More significantly, they emphasized female empowerment—or "girl power"—rather than adolescent yearning.

Watch a definitive girl group documentary

The 1983 documentary "Girl Groups: The Story of a Sound" features archival footage of some of the Shirelles, the Ronettes, the Shangri-Las, and more alongside interviews with the performers and songwriters. It's a fascinating look back at the music, told by the people who pioneered it.

The American girl groups of the 1950s and '60s had a profound influence on The Beatles, who frequently paid homage to acts like the Marvelettes and the Ronettes

The Boswell Sisters were the precursors to the American girl group

The jazz trio, popular in the '20s and '30s, doesn't share much in common with the sounds of the well-known pop-oriented girl groups, but the sisters' prominence in a male-dominated industry provided an early example for later groups. Check out their appearance in the 1932 film "The Big Broadcast," performing the song "Crazy People."

Phil Spector's 'wall of sound' revolutionized girl groups—and pop music

The method captured a room of live musicians and transmitted the sound into a basement outfitted with more speakers and microphones. That sound was then sent into the central control room, producing a massive recording that sounded unlike anything else in pop music.

The Ronettes' 'Be My Baby' is a quintessential 'wall of sound' record

The 1963 single features one of the most recognizable drumbeats in the world; many critics consider the song the greatest pop recording of all time. If nothing else, it's a definitive example of both the classic girl group sound and Phil Spector's ingenious 'wall of sound.'

Phil Spector's Philles Records was home to several definitive girl group singles

The label, formed by Spector and Lester Sill, released most of Spector's early "wall of sound" recordings, including the Crystals' "Then He Kissed Me" and the Ronettes' "Be My Baby." This 1963 compilation, "Philles Records Presents Today's Hits," collects some of the label's early hits.

Take a look at an early rock 'n' roll artifact

This 1956 jukebox musical, "Rock, Rock, Rock!," is an early example of the burgeoning rock 'n' roll culture—with performances from Chuck Berry, Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, D.J. Alan Freed, and several others. It was also a catalyst, sending the new youth culture into theaters around the country.

The Shirelles' 'Will You Love Me Tomorrow' was the first girl group record to reach No. 1

The 1960 song, composed by husband-and-wife Brill Building occupants Gerry Goffin and Carole King, was more than a little suggestive. The main character wondered if her partner would abandon her after a night of passion, leading to some stations banning the record. But it also propelled the song to the top of the Billboard Hot 100.

Blues was a major influence on early rock

Early rock ‘n’ roll had a straightforward sound, relying mostly on guitar, bass, drums, piano, and saxophone playing up-tempo 12-bar blues. In subsequent decades, the form evolved and splintered into countless subgenres that used more diverse sounds, instruments, and lyrics.

Rock 'n' roll's history in 60 seconds

In the late 1940s, rock 'n' roll emerged from a mix of blues, country, gospel, and jazz. It gained traction through radio, rebellious icons, and evolving sound. This overview traces the genre’s roots, rise, and lasting influence—from early pioneers to the British Invasion and beyond.

Microphone technology made crooning possible

Before the electric microphone, vocalists needed to project to have their voices captured. The new technology, however, made softer, more intimate singing possible, leading to a new style of singing that took off in the late 1920s, with "crooners" becoming some of the first American pop stars.

'Where Did Our Love Go' was the first of 12 No. 1 singles for the Supremes

Dolly Parton released her first recording at age 13, a rockabilly number she cowrote called 'Puppy Love.'

A legendary rock writer ranks the greatest girl group records

Greil Marcus is considered one of the greatest American rock writers of all time, providing a literary legitimacy to rock ‘n’ roll when it was still considered mere pop culture. This 1975 essay on the great girl group records is the perfect example, offering a thought-provoking analysis of the era’s definitive singles.

'Rock 'n' roll' eventually became 'classic rock'

As the 1980s arrived, rock radio began pivoting to the term “classic rock,” allowing them to focus on the Baby Boomer demographic and ignore the still-evolving genre. Since then, “classic rock” remains, though it’s constantly being redefined, due in no small part to its slippery name.

As disco grew more popular, country star Dolly Parton experimented with the genre.

Brian Wilson originally wrote the Beach Boys' classic 'Don't Worry Baby' for the Ronettes, but the legendary girl group rejected it.

Destiny's Child was the biggest girl group of the 2000s

Before she was the mononymous superstar, Beyoncé Knowles was one-fourth of Destiny's Child, the biggest girl group of the 2000s. The group's second album, "The Writing's on the Wall"—which included hits about female independence like "Bills, Bills, Bills"—sold 13 million copies, making it one of the bestselling girl group records of all time.

How Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees New Order forged a new sound

Formed in the ashes of post-punk outfit Joy Division, the British group incorporated synthesizers and pulsating, disco beats for "Blue Monday," their early single that would come to define the 1980s sonic landscape.

Rock 'n' roll began as a hybrid of several American musical styles

Rock ‘n’ roll combined blues, swing, country, and other American musical forms in the late 1940s. From there, it splintered into countless subgenres and is still evolving.

The distinctions between 'R&B' and 'rock 'n' roll' were mostly racial

"Rhythm and blues” was a broad name used for African American music in the 1940s after “race music” fell out of favor. Musically speaking, "rock 'n' roll" sounded very similar, though it was marketed to white teenagers rather than Black audiences.

How British youth resurrected overlooked American soul music

Motown released some of the 1960s' biggest soul records and changed the sound of pop music. The label also inspired countless smaller, regional labels that released songs by lesser-known artists that received limited attention. That changed with the rise of British Northern Soul, an underground scene that repurposed these obscure records (including several overlooked Motown releases) for all-night dance parties and, in the process, minted some unexpected American superstars.

Broadway's songwriters began experimenting in the 1920s

Broadway’s early decades were heavily influenced by opera and vaudeville, but songwriters in the 1920s began exploring more narrative-based songwriting and psychologically complex characters. That trend would continue in the following decades, though it would evolve in even more nuanced ways.

Read a 1984 interview with Dolly Parton, conducted by artist Andy Warhol.

Motown Records used the assembly line for songwriting

In the 1960s, Motown Records was the world's most reliable rock 'n' roll label and the home of the Supremes. That success was largely due to its songwriting process, a finely tuned assembly line model inspired by Motown owner Berry Gordy's time working at the Ford Motor Company.

Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys were an influence on early punk rock

The Beach Boys' sunny sound profoundly influenced early punk acts, such as the Ramones, who took Brian Wilson's sugary hooks and ramped up the tempo. In the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, California pop-punk acts such as the Descendents, Green Day and Blink-182 continued the tradition.

Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys were an influence on early punk rock

The Beach Boys' sunny sound profoundly influenced early punk acts like the Ramones, who took Brian Wilson's sugary hooks and ramped up the tempo.

Explore a critics' list of the 100 best songs of the 1960s, featuring records by the Beach Boys, the Ronettes, Miles Davis, and more.

Few realized Connee Boswell used a wheelchair

The original American girl group, the Boswell Sisters, toyed with jazz standards by experimenting with challenging renditions. The group became a popular radio act during the 1920s and 1930s, with few of their fans aware that group leader Connee Boswell used a wheelchair.

A year before Elvis appeared on 'Ed Sullivan,' Bill Haley brought rock 'n' roll to the program

Although Elvis Presley's 1956 appearance on the popular TV show is viewed as a key moment in the rise of rock 'n' roll, the music appeared on the program a year earlier, on August 5, 1955, when Bill Haley and His Comets performed their hit "Rock Around the Clock."