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The Supremes
Motown Archives
After auditioning forSmokey Robinson, who brought them to Motown Records, they were introduced toBerry Gordyand signed a record deal in 1961; shortly after, Martin left and the group changed its name to the Supremes.
Of the original Supremes, only Diana Ross is still alive and performing. Wilson died in 2021 at the age of 76 and Ballarddied in 1976at the age of 32.
Earlier this year,Wilson’s daughter Turkessa Babich and Ballard’s daughter Lisa Chapman, accepted The Supremes' lifetime achievement award at the Recording Academy’s 2023 special merit ceremony on behalf of their mothers.
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The Ronettes
The Ronettes.R. H. Vincent/Redferns/Getty
Record producerPhil Spectorhelped create the group’s unforgettable signature sound (though his eventual marriage to Ronniewas an abusive one).
The group performed live together for thelast time in 1966and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.
The Ronettes' memorable style also set them apart from other girl groups.
“We wanted to be different, because there were all these other girl groups with wide dresses. When the Supremes came on, they had on gowns. I said, ‘Uh uh. That’snotour look.’ My aunt made us our first outfits, and I told her, ‘I don’t want anything wide, we want something tight,’ because we’d dance,” Spector told PEOPLE in 2018.
Spector diedin 2022and her sister Bennett diedin 2009. Talley is still alive but has retired from singing.
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The Pointer Sisters
Ebet Roberts/Redferns
The Pointer Sisters also kept it in the family: The iconic trio was made up of real-life sisters Anita, Bonnie and June Pointer. The group came together in 1969 toform the legendary groupresponsible for songs like “I’m So Excited,” “Jump,” “Slow Hand,” “Fire,” “He’s So Shy” and “Neutron Dance.”
The group rose to fame in 1973, continuing to top the charts throughout the 70s and 80s.
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The Go-Go’s
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After first coming together as a group in 1978, The Go-Go’s would rise to fame over the following decade, becoming a pop-rock supergroup responsible for songs like “Our Lips Are Sealed,” “Vacation” and “We Got the Beat.”
At the time of their rise to stardom, they were one of a few all-girl groups in an often male-dominated industry.
“That didn’t affect us one single bit. We weren’t theleast bit interested in any of that kind of crap,” Schock told PEOPLE in 2021. “You know, gender never came into the picture. We were just a gang of five girls having a great time, playing music, doing what we love, hanging out with our friends, running from one show to another.”
In 1985, the band would disband after nearly a decade of making music for their fans and various members pursued projects on their own, including later writing songs for pop stars likeMiley CyrusandSelena Gomez, per the band’s website.
The band collaborated sporadically throughout the years and in 2011 received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In 2016, Carlisle, Wiedlin, Caffey and Schock performed their hit “We Got the Beat” at the Billboard Music Awardsto celebrate the song’s 35th anniversaryand later that year played their final show of a farewell tour at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles.
In 2021, the group was inducted in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
“You get the five of us in one room, the energy is palpable,” Schock said of the band’s longtime connection. “We have this crazy chemistry that happens and you can’t buy that.”
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The Bangles
Midori Tsukagoshi/Shinko Music/Getty
It all started with a newspaper ad. That’s right, in 1980, Susanna Hoffs decided to place an ad in Los Angeles’Recyclerin hopes of starting her own girl band, The Bangles' website explains. After Annette Zilinskas responded — and connected with sisters Vicki and Debbi Peterson — the group was officially created. Originally called “The Bangs,” the group released their debut single in 1981 titled “Getting Out of Hand” (with a b-side track titled “Call on Me”) and became part of a group of musicians known as the The Paisley Underground who were reviving a sound that had been made popular in the 1960s. The following year, they changed their name to The Bangles.
The band went on hiatus in the 1990s, though they did record a song for the soundtrack of 1998’sAustin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.
Since then, Steele has left the band though the remaining trio continued to tour following her departure and released their sixth studio albumSweetheart of the Sunin 2011, the band’s website highlighted. In 2014, they released a compilation album and in 2019 teamed up with some of their contemporaries to create a collection of covers.
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Spice Girls
Spice Girls.Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
TheSpice Girlsfirst spiced up our lives back in the 1990s when they landed on the scene with their debut single “Wannabe” in 1996.
Despite their manufactured beginnings, the women decided to take matters into their own hands, theTimes said, and piled into Horner’s car and fled with the group’s master recordings.
That’s right, the movie’s premiere was just one of the many times the women of the Spice Girlshave brushed shoulders with the Royal family.For the 1997 premiere, a youngPrince Harry,Prince Williamandthen-Prince Charlesjoined the celebration at London’s Leicester Square.
The group powered through until 2000 when they opted for a hiatus — though they did reunite for a 2007-2008 tour andperiodically tease the possibility of another reunion.
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Destiny’s Child
Kelly Rowland, Beyoncé and Michelle Williams.Steve Granitz/WireImage
Destiny’s Childgave us some of the most memorable songs of the millennium, including “Bootylicious” and “Independent Woman Pt. 1.” But before they reached their final iteration, a trio made up ofKelly Rowland,Michelle WilliamsandBeyoncé Knowles,the group was initially signed in 1996 with Rowland, Knowles, LeToya Luckett and LaTavia Roberson.
After similar management conflict, Franklin quit, leaving Rowland, Williams and Knowles to pick up the pieces – andwrite a hit song about the drama, called “Survivor.”
They achieved massive success: “Independent Woman Pt. 1” was No. 1 on Billboard for11 weeks, a feat that secured the group a spot in Guinness Book of World Records for “Most weeks at No.1on US singles chart - girl band.”
08of 12TLCRon Galella/Getty ImagesTLCmade waves in the 1990s as a trio made up of Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins, Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas and Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes. Their hits include “Waterfalls”, “No Scrubs”, “Creep” and “Unpretty.““Waterfalls” spent seven weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart; belying its upbeat, catchy melody, the song actuallyhit on rather serious topicsincluding the AIDS crisis and the illegal drug trade in the U.S.According to the Recording Industry Association of America, TLC is the second biggest-selling female group, behind The Chicks, with23 million certified units.Tragically, Left Eye waskilled in a car accidentin 2002 at the age of 30 while doing charity work in Honduras.T-Boz and Chilli have carried on the group’s legacy and continued to perform as a duo. At ’90s Con in March 2022,the pair revealed that they had plans of heading to Broadway.Chilli also reminisced on what made their group so special: “The chemistry between the three of us when Lisa was here isjust something that is either there or it’s not. I can’t sing her part, [T-Boz] can’t sing my parts, we can’t do Lisa’s raps. Everybody has respect for the other and what they do; we just come together through all of it, and this is deeper than a marriage. We’re sisters, this is my sister, and we’re always going to be together.”
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TLC
Ron Galella/Getty Images
TLCmade waves in the 1990s as a trio made up of Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins, Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas and Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes. Their hits include “Waterfalls”, “No Scrubs”, “Creep” and “Unpretty.”
“Waterfalls” spent seven weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart; belying its upbeat, catchy melody, the song actuallyhit on rather serious topicsincluding the AIDS crisis and the illegal drug trade in the U.S.
According to the Recording Industry Association of America, TLC is the second biggest-selling female group, behind The Chicks, with23 million certified units.
Tragically, Left Eye waskilled in a car accidentin 2002 at the age of 30 while doing charity work in Honduras.
T-Boz and Chilli have carried on the group’s legacy and continued to perform as a duo. At ’90s Con in March 2022,the pair revealed that they had plans of heading to Broadway.
Chilli also reminisced on what made their group so special: “The chemistry between the three of us when Lisa was here isjust something that is either there or it’s not. I can’t sing her part, [T-Boz] can’t sing my parts, we can’t do Lisa’s raps. Everybody has respect for the other and what they do; we just come together through all of it, and this is deeper than a marriage. We’re sisters, this is my sister, and we’re always going to be together.”
09of 12Fifth HarmonyAlly Brooke, Normani, Camila Cabello, Lauren Jauregui and Dinah Jane in Fifth Harmony.Bryan Steffy/BET/GettyPerhaps the most noteworthy groups to come out of the American versionX-Factor,Fifth Harmonyreleased two albums during their tenure as a group,Reflectionand7/27, and scored multi-platinum singles including “Worth It” and “Work From Home.““Sledgehammer"earned the group their first top 40 Billboard Hot 100 entryin the U.S., and it was eventually certified platinum.Made up ofCamilla Cabello,Lauren Jauregui,Normani,Dinah JaneandAlly Brooke, the group was formed during season two and came in third place. All five women are now solo artists, following Cabello’s unexpected departure in 2016 to launch a solo career.Though the remaining members continued to perform following Cabello’s exit, they officially went onhiatus in 2018.“It was a whirlwind. I’m going to say how proud I am of Fifth Harmony, of what we did, of what we did for music, what we did for female empowerment, what we did for girl groups,” Brooke said of her time in the group, while noting thedifficulties she faced during that time.“We will be in the history books, y’all.”
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Fifth Harmony
Ally Brooke, Normani, Camila Cabello, Lauren Jauregui and Dinah Jane in Fifth Harmony.Bryan Steffy/BET/Getty
Perhaps the most noteworthy groups to come out of the American versionX-Factor,Fifth Harmonyreleased two albums during their tenure as a group,Reflectionand7/27, and scored multi-platinum singles including “Worth It” and “Work From Home.”
“Sledgehammer"earned the group their first top 40 Billboard Hot 100 entryin the U.S., and it was eventually certified platinum.
Made up ofCamilla Cabello,Lauren Jauregui,Normani,Dinah JaneandAlly Brooke, the group was formed during season two and came in third place. All five women are now solo artists, following Cabello’s unexpected departure in 2016 to launch a solo career.
Though the remaining members continued to perform following Cabello’s exit, they officially went onhiatus in 2018.
“It was a whirlwind. I’m going to say how proud I am of Fifth Harmony, of what we did, of what we did for music, what we did for female empowerment, what we did for girl groups,” Brooke said of her time in the group, while noting thedifficulties she faced during that time.“We will be in the history books, y’all.”
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Little Mix
Little Mix.John Phillips/Getty
LikeOne Directionbefore them,Little Mixgot their start onThe X-Factor U.K. when the judges placed Perrie Edwards, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jesy Nelson and Jade Thirlwall together in 2011. From there, they took off.
“It’s so refreshing to see females owning it right now,” Pinnock told the magazine back in 2015. “Girl power is what we’re about. It’s what we stand for as a group. We want to do everything we can to make women feel better about themselves.”
In December 2020, Nelson announced she’dbe stepping away from the groupand in 2021, the remaining trio — who continued to tour and released their hits albumBetween Us, which featured several previously unreleased tracks — saidthey’d be taking a hiatus from music.
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The Chicks
The Chicks.Rick Kern/WireImage
Since releasing their first album in 1990,The Chickshave cemented their place as country legends and are thebest-selling female groupin the U.S. ever.
The group first consisted of sisters Martie Maguire and Emily Strayer, as well as Laura Lynch and Robin Lynn Macy, according to CMT, andreleased their first three albums independently. By 1995 Macy and Lynch had left and Natalie Maines had joined, creating the trio we know today. In 1998, they releasedWide Open Spaceswhich included the single “I Can Love You Better” — their first to make it to the top 10 on the country charts, CMT said.
The 12-time-Grammy winning group continued making music into the early aughtsthough a brief comment from Maines in 2003 ahead of a concert in London, sharing her disapproval of the Iraq war and then-PresidentGeorge W. Bush,put them at the center of a firestorm of controversy.
In 2006, the group released their acclaimed albumTaking the Long Way,then took a long break from the music industry to focus on parenthood and regroup after the firestorm.
In 2020, The Chicks returned to the public eye with therelease of “Gaslighter,"— their first new single in 13 years, and first off their album of the same name.
That year, they also announced that they werechanging their name from Dixie Chicks to The Chicksamid nationwide protests for racial justice.
In January, they announcedtheir first-ever concert residencycalled “The Chicks: Six Nights in Vegas"which is set to take place in May at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.
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BLACKPINK
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty
One ofK-Pop’s (and the universe’s) biggest girl groups, BLACKPINK, first rose to the top of the U.S. pop charts in 2020 — but their first 2016 single “Boombayah,” secured their spot as global superstars.
The four person group, made up of Kim Jisoo, Kim Jennie, Park Chaeyoung (Rosé) and Lalisa Pranpriya Manoban (also spelled Manobal), gets their name from the from their songs' mixture of tough (black) and flirty (pink) elements.
The band has a signature phrase, “BLACKPINK in your area,” which declares the group’s plan for global domination — first uttered in their 2016 debut song. The group now has amassed over 84 million subscribers and counting on itsYouTube channel— with the video for “Kill This Love” reaching over 1.7 billion views as of February 2023.
Speaking of YouTube, the group alsoset the Guinness World Records for the most-watched music videoswithin 24 hour of release on the platform with their videos for “Kill This Love” in 2019 and “How You Like That” in 2020, theorganizationnotes.
And — to further the plans of taking over the music world — in 2023, the group will make history as the first K-pop headlining act at Coachella.
source: people.com
