Biography
Shirley Goodman carved out an extraordinary resurgence in popular music, reemerging roughly twenty years after her first wave of fame as one member of the R&B hit duo Shirley & Lee via the disco-era breakout "Shame, Shame, Shame." Born in New Orleans on June 19, 1936, she honed her piercing vocal approach singing in a Baptist church choir while also harmonizing informally with peers on neighborhood street corners. Her first public performance came at age nine during a local amateur revue. At thirteen she participated in a schoolmates’ demo session for “I’m Gone,” overseen by producer Cosimo Matassa; months later, when Matassa played the tape for Aladdin Records chief Eddie Messner, the executive singled out Goodman’s distinctive high-pitched delivery, located her, signed her to the label, and paired her with longtime family friend Leonard Lee, whose resonant blues-inflected baritone supplied a perfect contrast. Under Dave Bartholomew’s production, the pair recorded their initial release, “I’m Gone,” replacing conventional vocal blending with an alternating boy-girl dialogue format that later shaped ska and reggae.
That track climbed to number two on Billboard’s R&B chart during fall 1952, quickly succeeded by “Shirley, Come Back to Me” and “Shirley’s Back,” which established the adolescent-romance storyline running through the duo’s early singles. Labeled “the Sweethearts of the Blues,” they spent the balance of the decade touring, periodically supported by up-and-coming New Orleans musicians such as Allen Toussaint, Huey “Piano” Smith, and James Booker. Although live crowds expanded, listeners eventually lost interest in the melodramatic scenarios of sides like “Lee Goofed” and “Confessin’,” prompting Shirley & Lee to pivot toward rock & roll with the 1956 classic “Let the Good Times Roll,” their first Billboard Hot 100 entry. The follow-up “Feel So Good” duplicated that chart success, yet after Messner’s death and the transfer of Aladdin’s catalog to Imperial, the duo’s commercial momentum faded; they moved to the modest Warwick imprint in 1959. The shift proved advantageous when 1960’s “I’ve Been Loved Before” reached number 88 and a new version of “Let the Good Times Roll” hit number 48. Warwick folded in 1961, a short Imperial return followed, and Shirley & Lee disbanded the next year.
Goodman then relocated to California with her son and established herself as a sought-after session singer. In 1967 producer Huey Meaux united her with fellow New Orleans transplant Jessie Hill for the Wand duet “Ivory Tower.” Additional joint recordings proved commercially unsuccessful, yet Crazy Cajun still gathered the material onto the 1970 LP You’ll Lose a Good Thing. She also collaborated with Brenton Wood on the 1969 Whizz single “Kid Games and Nursery Rhymes.” Further session work included a contribution to the Rolling Stones’ Exile on Main St. before she stepped away temporarily, taking a position in the offices of Playboy magazine. While operating the switchboard there she reconnected with music-industry veteran Sylvia Robinson, now co-owner of All Platinum Records. The two corresponded regularly, and in late 1974 Robinson financed Goodman’s trip to New Jersey to record lead vocals on the dance track “Shame, Shame, Shame.” Released under the name Shirley & Company, the single became an immediate international disco success and peaked at number 12 on the Billboard pop chart. Goodman promoted the record on the road through mid-1976, returned to New Orleans in 1979, and soon withdrew from pop music permanently.
That track climbed to number two on Billboard’s R&B chart during fall 1952, quickly succeeded by “Shirley, Come Back to Me” and “Shirley’s Back,” which established the adolescent-romance storyline running through the duo’s early singles. Labeled “the Sweethearts of the Blues,” they spent the balance of the decade touring, periodically supported by up-and-coming New Orleans musicians such as Allen Toussaint, Huey “Piano” Smith, and James Booker. Although live crowds expanded, listeners eventually lost interest in the melodramatic scenarios of sides like “Lee Goofed” and “Confessin’,” prompting Shirley & Lee to pivot toward rock & roll with the 1956 classic “Let the Good Times Roll,” their first Billboard Hot 100 entry. The follow-up “Feel So Good” duplicated that chart success, yet after Messner’s death and the transfer of Aladdin’s catalog to Imperial, the duo’s commercial momentum faded; they moved to the modest Warwick imprint in 1959. The shift proved advantageous when 1960’s “I’ve Been Loved Before” reached number 88 and a new version of “Let the Good Times Roll” hit number 48. Warwick folded in 1961, a short Imperial return followed, and Shirley & Lee disbanded the next year.
Goodman then relocated to California with her son and established herself as a sought-after session singer. In 1967 producer Huey Meaux united her with fellow New Orleans transplant Jessie Hill for the Wand duet “Ivory Tower.” Additional joint recordings proved commercially unsuccessful, yet Crazy Cajun still gathered the material onto the 1970 LP You’ll Lose a Good Thing. She also collaborated with Brenton Wood on the 1969 Whizz single “Kid Games and Nursery Rhymes.” Further session work included a contribution to the Rolling Stones’ Exile on Main St. before she stepped away temporarily, taking a position in the offices of Playboy magazine. While operating the switchboard there she reconnected with music-industry veteran Sylvia Robinson, now co-owner of All Platinum Records. The two corresponded regularly, and in late 1974 Robinson financed Goodman’s trip to New Jersey to record lead vocals on the dance track “Shame, Shame, Shame.” Released under the name Shirley & Company, the single became an immediate international disco success and peaked at number 12 on the Billboard pop chart. Goodman promoted the record on the road through mid-1976, returned to New Orleans in 1979, and soon withdrew from pop music permanently.