Four schoolmates from Passaic, New Jersey, the Shirelles became, with 1960's 'Will You Love Me Tomorrow,' the first African American girl group to top the Billboard Hot 100 — a soft-harmony sound that set the template the entire girl-group era would follow. Their blend of vulnerability and pop craft, produced with Brill Building precision, opened commercial doors for the Supremes, the Ronettes, and every vocal group that came after. Their run at the top was brief, but the sound they perfected became one of the load-bearing walls of 1960s pop.

the sound in question

1960

Will You Love Me TomorrowThe Shirelles