Shirley Ellis

Shirley Ellis
Birth nameShirley Marie O'Garra
Also known asShirley Ellis
Born(1929-01-19)January 19, 1929
The Bronx, New York City, U.S.
DiedOctober 5, 2005(2005-10-05) (aged 76)
The Bronx, New York City, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter
InstrumentVoice
Years active1958–1968
Labels
Formerly ofThe Metronomes

Shirley Marie O'Garra[1] (stage name Shirley Ellis, married name Shirley Elliston;[2] January 19, 1929 – October 5, 2005[3]) was an American soul music singer and songwriter of West Indian heritage.[4][5] She is best known for her novelty hits "The Nitty Gritty" (1963, US no. 8), "The Name Game" (1964, US no. 3) and "The Clapping Song" (1965, US no. 8 and UK no. 6). "The Clapping Song" sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc.[6]

  1. ^ "Person Details for Arnold Alphonso Elliston, "Florida, Marriages, 1830-1993" —". Familysearch.org. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  2. ^ Whitburn, J. (2010). The Billboard book of top 40 hits. New York: Billboard Books. p. 214. ISBN 0307985121
  3. ^ "Shirley Ellis Page". Soulwalking.co.uk. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  4. ^ "United States Census, 1930, Shirley O Gara in household of William O Gara". FamilySearch.org. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
  5. ^ "Shirley Ellis". Rateyourmusic.com. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
  6. ^ Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 190. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.