Shirley Ellis

Prior to her rise, New York vocalist and composer Shirley Ellis performed with the Metronomes. Recognition arrived in the mid-1960s when she co-wrote and delivered several playful soul novelty numbers that included the Top Ten R&B entries “The Nitty Gritty” and “The Name Game.” Lincoln Chase, her husband and manager, partnered with her on “The Name Game,” which reached number four R&B and number three pop in 1965. She and Chase next teamed on the follow-up “The Clapping Song (Clap Pat Clap Slap),” which climbed to number 16 R&B and marked the close of that brief vogue. Two years later Ellis scored one final modestly successful, more traditional soul outing with “Soul Time.” Congress issued all of the earlier sides; by 1967, when “Soul Time” appeared, she had switched to Columbia.