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A girl group, as the name implies, is a musical group featuring a group consisting usually of young female singers, singing mostly pop and R&B songs. It is essentially the female equivalent of a boy band. They are distinct from girl bands and All-women bands, where the women sing and play instruments.

Early girl-groups

Girl groups date back to the late 1950s and the beginning of the 1960s, when they were often manufactured by producers or record companies. Often in these times, the girl group was used as a vehicle for the latest work by a label's resident songwriters, such as the work of Phil Spector and the early days of Motown. Even earlier, female pop music singing groups were popular; "Sister groups" like the Andrews Sisters and the Boswell Sisters were composed of sisters or relatives. Groups such as the Boswells and the Keller Sisters and Lynch were pop recording artists dating as far back as the 1920s.

The sound of many early rock and roll girl groups was engineered by a producer. For instance, Phil Spector's Wall of Sound production featured a thick layer of instrumentation (drums, guitar, bass, a horn section and often something more exotic, such as Glockenspiel or vibraphone). Amidst the musical accompaniment, there was a lead vocal, often deliberately girlish in tone, singing deceptively simple, naïve lyrics which artfully and eloquently expressed the emotions of teenagers of the time. An example would be The Shirelles' "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow", which doubles as both a charming love song and, implicitly, a portrayal of adolescent sexual mores. Other groups, including some New York City-based ones like The Chiffons, used more conventional pop music arrangements, while the Motown groups used typical driving Motown arrangements of the period.

By the mid-late 1960s, in the face of the British Invasion and the increasing popularity of rock music, the popularity of girl groups began to wane. During this time, only a few all-female groups, such as The Supremes and Martha and the Vandellas, made the transition to an earthier, soulful sound and success. Fanny was among the first all-female rock act to gain success in the United States and Europe. This group was among the first to sign with a major recording company (1969, Warner Brothers) and record albums released by major labels.

Later girl groups

In recent times, the sound of girl groups has been defined, and has helped to define, the popular musical styles of the period.

While the 1980s saw the emergence of rock and punk-rock girl groups such as The Go-Go's, the girl groups of the 1990s returned to a manufactured pop style marketed as clean-cut and aimed at young, predominantly female, audiences. The Spice Girls were one of the most influential girl group of this time, bringing their slogan "Girl Power" to popular use through several number one pop singles, sold-out concerts, and even a popular motion picture. In the early 2000s, girl groups again increased in popularity, spawning such bands as California-based Dream, the Swedish quartet Play, the Russian duo t.A.T.u..

Today's most notable girl groups include American bands such as Destiny's Child and British bands such as Atomic Kitten, Girls Aloud and the Sugababes.

Rock and roll | Rock genres

Soul music

Girl group - Motown Sound - Northern soul - Psychedelic soul - Memphis soul - Neo soul - Funk - Hip hop soul - Disco

Styles of pop music

Bubblegum pop - Futurepop - Indie pop - Pop punk - Pop-rap - Power pop - Synthpop/Electropop - Teen pop - Traditional pop

Other topics

Boy band - Girl group - Popular music

Categories: Soul music | Music genres | Musical groups


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