Arlene Smith obituary: The Guardian update: Key Highlights | TheBriefWire
Arlene Smith obituary: The Guardian update
Published 6 August 2026 Ā· entertainment
Singer who formed one of the first āgirl groupsā, the Chantels, whose 1950s hit Maybe sold more than a million copies Almost before the five
Singer who formed one of the first āgirl groupsā, the Chantels, whose 1950s hit Maybe sold more than a million copies Almost before the five Bronx schoolgirls who called themselves the Chantels had finished their unaccompanied delivery of a song called The Plea in his office on Broadway one day in 1957, the record label owner George Goldner was fishing in his desk for a contract they could take home and show their parents.
Within months the group were high in the charts with a ballad called Maybe, featuring the powerful lead voice of the 16-year-old Arlene Smith. The
Chantels set the pattern for the success of such āgirl groupsā, as they became known, as the Shirelles, the Crystals, the Chiffons, the Ronettes, and
Published: August 6, 2026 ā¢ 6:07 PM IST Ā· Updated: August 6, 2026 ā¢ 6:38 PM ISTBy TheBriefWire Editorial Team
Key points
Singer who formed one of the first āgirl groupsā, the Chantels, whose 1950s hit Maybe sold more than a million copies Almost before the five Bronx schoolgirls who called themselves the Chantels had finished their unaccompanied delivery of a song called The Plea in his office on Broadway one day in 1957, the record label owner George Goldner was fishing in his desk for a contract they could take home and show their parents.
Within months the group were high in the charts with a ballad called Maybe, featuring the powerful lead voice of the 16-year-old Arlene Smith.
The Chantels set the pattern for the success of such āgirl groupsā, as they became known, as the Shirelles, the Crystals, the Chiffons, the Ronettes, and many more.
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