Doris Kenner-Jackson (August 2, 1941 in Goldsboro, North Carolina – February 4, 2000) was a member (and occasional lead singer) of the Shirelles.
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| Addie, Beverly, Doris & Shirley |
Coley was born in the southern state of North Carolina but, like many black families, her parents moved north and she was brought up in Passaic, New Jersey. A classmate, Mary Jane Greenberg, told her music-business mother about the group's school appearance and Flo rence Greenberg became their manager, signing them to Scepter/Wand, her record label.
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| Shirley, Beverly, Doris & Addie |
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| Shirley, Addie, Beverly & Doris |
Goffin and King provided the Shirelles with Will You Love Me, though it was transformed by Luther Dixon's production, overlaying an r&b rhythm section with lush mellow string arrangements behind the slightly nasal voices of the group.
With Greenberg and Dixon, the Shirelles had three more million-sellers: Baby It's You, Everybody Loves A Lover and Dedicated To The One I Love. The last, originally written by Lowman Pauling for his group the Five Royales, featured Doris Coley on lead, and also gave the white Californian group, the Mamas and Papas, a hit in 1967.
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| Shirelles & Luther Dixon |
The last recorded performance of The Shirelles was in 1996 at their old high school. Doris performed with two other members of the Shirelles, Beverly Lee of Passaic and Shirley Alston Reeves (born Shirley Owens) of Hillside. The fourth Shirelle, Addie "Mickie" Harris, died in 1982. "God, it feels good to be here," Jackson said during that performance, which ![]()
ended in a shower of flowers, proclamations, honorary diplomas, and a standing ovation. None of the four students graduated with their class of 1958, but they earned diplomas later. The following night, the Shirelles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame during a ceremony in Manhattan.
ended in a shower of flowers, proclamations, honorary diplomas, and a standing ovation. None of the four students graduated with their class of 1958, but they earned diplomas later. The following night, the Shirelles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame during a ceremony in Manhattan. Despite her two-year fight with breast cancer, she was entertaining audiences until a few weeks before her death. At the age of 58, Doris Kenner-Jackson died on February 4, 2000, at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, Sacramento, CA.
(Info edited, mainly from the Guardian obit)