Shirley Goodman (born Shirley Mae Goodman, 19 June 1936 - 5 July 2005) was an American R&B singer known best for Shirley and Lee, a 1950s R&B duo. Later in her career, she had a resurgence with the disco hit, "Shame, Shame, Shame" in the 1970s.
Shirley Mae Goodman and Leonard Lee (29 June 1936 – 23 October 1976) were born just ten days apart in 1936 and grew up in New Orleans' Seventh Ward. One of their friends was a girl named Evangeline, whose parents owned the only piano in the neighbourhood. Every night after school, Shirley, Lee and about a dozen pals would congregate in Evangeline's living room and harmonise. The kids found out about Cosimo Matassa's J & M Studio and pestered him to let them record "I'm Gone", a song they had put together. By chance, Eddie Mesner, co-owner of the Los Angeles-based Aladdin label, got to hear and liked a tape of the song at Cosimo's while in town to audition talent. |
| Leonard Lee, Justin Adams & Shirley at Cosimo's |
In 1956, Shirley & Lee's "Let The Good Times Roll" and "I Feel Good" crossed over into the pop charts. Immediately transformed into the Sweethearts of Rock'n'Roll, they were embraced by the first wave of white teenage record buyers of the 1950s. The cuddly New Orleans duo was tailor made for young consumers of the era, as in trade magazines, and on record, they were the picture of
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adolescent innocence. They retained their popularity by working through most facets of romance, including break-ups, reunions, revenge, flirting and, eventually, rocking all night long.
Each new release was another chapter in their love affair that lasted nearly a decade, but in real life the pair's friendship was strictly platonic. While some dismiss their records as childish and repetitive, their music was undeniably classic New Orleans R&B. Their recordings always included the top-rated local session men, and their material was usually clever and provocative. But eventually the hits dried up and the duo bowed out of Aladdin in 1959. Soon after, Mesner sold his label and publishing to Imperial's Lew Chudd, supposedly to cover his gambling debts.
Shirley was pulled back into the limelight by another veteran of R&B duets, Sylvia Robinson - of Mickey & Sylvia fame. During the late '60s, Robinson founded the All Platinum label in New Jersey. She recorded new artists and tried to resurrect such veteran R&B acts as Donnie Elbert, Dave "Baby" Cortez, Billy Guy (of the Coasters), Derek Martin and Lonnie Youngblood. In 1974, Robinson crossed paths with Shirley, who was working out of music at the time. She was invited to the East Coast to cut the vocals on a disco record. The song, "Shame, Shame, Shame" as by Shirley & Co., was a huge hit the next year. In 1976, Leonard Lee, who had become a social worker, died of a heart attack, aged just 40.
(Edited from various sources mainly Jeff Hannusch's notes in "Let The Good Times Roll" Ace CD)