Leaders of the Pack

Sean MacLeod is a songwriter, music producer, and lecturer from Dublin, Ireland. He has been writing and producing music for over twenty-five years and currently teaches courses in music and media at the Limerick College of Further Education, Ireland.

• Chapter 1: Teenagers, Rock ‘n’ Roll and Post War LiberationChapter 2: The Shirelles and the Beginning of The Girl Group Era Chapter 3: Phil Spector Girl Groups: The Crystals and the RonettesChapter 4: Motown Girl Groups: The Marvelettes, The Supremes, and The Vandellas Chapter 5: The Shangri-Las and the End of The Girl Group Era Chapter 6: Girl Groups, Girl Bands, and 60s PopChapter 7: The Girl Groups’ Legacy: The 70sChapter 8: The Girl Groups’ Legacy: The 80sChapter 9: Material Girls MadonnaChapter 10: Modern Girls: The Spice Girls to Lady Ga GaNotesBibliographyIndex

A British songwriter and producer, MacLeod has compiled a detailed history of the early 1960s girl musical groups—in both the US and Great Britain—and their legacies. Drawing on a range of sources (some primary but most secondary), MacLeod begins with a history and an analysis of the Shirelles and moves on to the Crystals, the Ronettes, the Marvelettes, the Supremes, the Vandellas, and the Shangri-Las. He also discusses such producers as Berry Gordy and Phil Spector. With the arrival, in the mid-1960s, of the Beatles and other British groups (who were significantly influenced by the girl groups), the musical scene changed significantly. MacLeod follows the story through the remainder of the 20th century and into the 21st, discussing The Beach Boys, The Who, The Rolling Stones, the Ramones, Blondie, Madonna, the Spice Girls, Lady Gaga, and Britney Spears—all seemingly influenced by the earlier girl groups. There are lengthy notes and a detailed bibliography, demonstrating the author’s wide range of sources, but few illustrations. With its wide chronological coverage, this is a useful addition to the literature. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty; general readers.