A girl group is a music act featuring several female singers who
generally harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a
narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American
female pop music singing groups, many of whom were influenced by
doo-wop and which flourished in the late 1950s and early 1960s between
the decline of early rock and roll and start of the British Invasion.
All-female bands, in which members also play instruments, are usually
considered a separate phenomenon. These groups are sometimes called
"girl bands" to differentiate, although this terminology is not
universally followed.With the advent of the music industry and radio
broadcasting, a number of girl groups emerged, such as the Andrews
Sisters. The late 1950s saw the emergence of all-female singing groups
as a major force, with 750 distinct girl groups releasing songs that
reached US and UK music charts from 1960 to 1966. The Supremes alone
held 12 number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 during the height
of the wave and throughout most of the British Invasion rivaled the
Beatles in popularity.In later eras, the girl group template would be
applied to disco, contemporary R&B, and country-based formats, as well
as pop. A more globalized music industry saw the popularity of
dance-oriented pop music led by major record labels. This emergence,
led by the US, UK, South Korea, and Japan, produced popular acts, with
eight groups debuting after 1990 having sold more than 15 million
physical copies of their albums.One of the first major all-female
groups was the Hamilton Sisters and Fordyce, an American trio who
successfully toured England and parts of Europe in 1927, recorded and
appeared on BBC radio â€" they toured the US variety and big-time
theaters extensively, and later changed their stage name to the Three
X Sisters. The ladies were together from 1923 until the early 1940s,
and known for their close harmonies, as well as barbershop style or
novelty tunes, and utilized their 1930s radio success. The Three X
Sisters were also especially a notable addition to the music scene,
and predicted later girl group success by maintaining their popularity
throughout the Great Depression. The Boswell Sisters, who became one
of the most popular singing groups from 1930 to 1936, had over twenty
hits. The Andrews Sisters started in 1937 as a Boswell tribute band
and continued recording and performing through the 1940s into the
late-1960s, achieving more record sales, more Billboard hits, more
million-sellers, and more movie appearances than any other girl group
to date. The Andrews Sisters had musical hits across multiple genres,
which contributed to the prevalence and popularity of the girl group
form.
generally harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a
narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American
female pop music singing groups, many of whom were influenced by
doo-wop and which flourished in the late 1950s and early 1960s between
the decline of early rock and roll and start of the British Invasion.
All-female bands, in which members also play instruments, are usually
considered a separate phenomenon. These groups are sometimes called
"girl bands" to differentiate, although this terminology is not
universally followed.With the advent of the music industry and radio
broadcasting, a number of girl groups emerged, such as the Andrews
Sisters. The late 1950s saw the emergence of all-female singing groups
as a major force, with 750 distinct girl groups releasing songs that
reached US and UK music charts from 1960 to 1966. The Supremes alone
held 12 number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 during the height
of the wave and throughout most of the British Invasion rivaled the
Beatles in popularity.In later eras, the girl group template would be
applied to disco, contemporary R&B, and country-based formats, as well
as pop. A more globalized music industry saw the popularity of
dance-oriented pop music led by major record labels. This emergence,
led by the US, UK, South Korea, and Japan, produced popular acts, with
eight groups debuting after 1990 having sold more than 15 million
physical copies of their albums.One of the first major all-female
groups was the Hamilton Sisters and Fordyce, an American trio who
successfully toured England and parts of Europe in 1927, recorded and
appeared on BBC radio â€" they toured the US variety and big-time
theaters extensively, and later changed their stage name to the Three
X Sisters. The ladies were together from 1923 until the early 1940s,
and known for their close harmonies, as well as barbershop style or
novelty tunes, and utilized their 1930s radio success. The Three X
Sisters were also especially a notable addition to the music scene,
and predicted later girl group success by maintaining their popularity
throughout the Great Depression. The Boswell Sisters, who became one
of the most popular singing groups from 1930 to 1936, had over twenty
hits. The Andrews Sisters started in 1937 as a Boswell tribute band
and continued recording and performing through the 1940s into the
late-1960s, achieving more record sales, more Billboard hits, more
million-sellers, and more movie appearances than any other girl group
to date. The Andrews Sisters had musical hits across multiple genres,
which contributed to the prevalence and popularity of the girl group
form.
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