| Shirley Ellis | |
| Background: | solo_singer |
| Birth Name: | Shirley Marie O'Garra |
| Alias: | Shirley Ellis |
| Birth Date: | January 19, 1929 |
| Birth Place: | The Bronx, New York City, U.S. |
| Death Place: | The Bronx, New York City, U.S. |
| Instrument: | Voice |
| Occupation: | Singer, songwriter |
| Years Active: | 1958–1968 |
| Past Member Of: | The Metronomes |
Shirley Marie O'Garra[1] (stage name Shirley Ellis, married name Shirley Elliston;[2] January 19, 1929 – October 5, 2005[3]) was an American soul music singer and songwriter of West Indian heritage.[4] [5] She is best known for her novelty hits "The Nitty Gritty" (1963, US no. 8), "The Name Game" (1964, US no. 3) and "The Clapping Song" (1965, US no. 8 and UK no. 6). "The Clapping Song" sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc.[6]
By 1954, Ellis had written two songs recorded by the Chords.[5] She was originally in the group the Metronomes and married the lead singer, Alphonso Elliston. All her solo hits were written by her and her manager, record producer, and songwriting partner Lincoln Chase.[7]
Ellis had recording contracts with the Kapp Records subsidiary Congress and later Columbia and Bell, but retired from the music industry in 1968.
In August 2020, "The Clapping Song" was used in a TV commercial for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0, and in April 2021 her "I See It, I Like It, I Want It" was in another Samsung commercial, this time for the Galaxy Z Flip 5G and Galaxy Z Fold2. In 2021, "The Clapping Song" was used in the movie . In 2023, "I See It, I Like It, I Want It" was featured in a Walmart commercial. In 2024, "The Puzzle Song" was used in an Amazon Prime commercial.
Shirley O'Garra was born to William H. and Petra (Smith) O'Garra. Her father was a native of Montserrat, and her mother was born in the Bahamas.[4] Shirley had three full siblings, Joyce, Bertram and William Jr., and four half siblings, Reginald, Suzanne, Joycelyn and Berbian. O'Garra married her husband, Arnold Alphonso Elliston (October 21, 1929 – August 23, 2009; professional name: Alphonso Elliston), in Florida on August 3, 1949.[1] She died on October 5, 2005, in New York City at the age of 76.
Cover versions of her hits have been recorded by Madeline Bell, the Belle Stars,[7] Laura Branigan, Aaron Carter, Gary Glitter, Ricardo Ray, Pia Zadora, Southern Culture on the Skids, Gladys Knight & the Pips (a version of "The Nitty Gritty", produced by Norman Whitfield), and Divine, Harris Glenn Milstead (a hi-NRG version of "The Name Game").[5] In addition, her song "Soul Time" was sampled by the UK band the Go! Team for their single "Bottle Rocket". In 2011, "The Name Game" was covered by Jessica Lange and the cast of and was featured in the episode of the same name.[8]
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | Release date | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [9] | US R&B | AUS [10] | CAN [11] | UK [12] | |||||||||||
| 1963 | "The Nitty Gritty" | 8 | 4 | - | 19[13] | - | align=left rowspan="4" | In Action | October 25, 1963 | ||||||
| 1964 | "(That's) What the Nitty Gritty Is" | 72 | 14 | - | - | - | February 18, 1964 | ||||||||
| "Shy One" | 130 | 43 | - | - | - | April 9, 1964 | |||||||||
| "Such a Night" | - | - | - | - | - | June 13, 1964 | |||||||||
| "The Name Game" | 3 | 4 | 40 | 2 | - | align=left rowspan="1" | The Name Game | November 12, 1964 | |||||||
| 1965 | "The Clapping Song (Clap Pat Clap Slap)" | 8 | 16 | 86 | 10 | 6 | align=left rowspan="2" | March 10, 1965 | |||||||
| "The Puzzle Song (A Puzzle in Song)"/"I See It, I Like It, I Want It" (B-side) | 78 | - | - | 32 | - | May 15, 1965 | |||||||||
| "I Will Never Forget" | - | - | - | - | - | align=left rowspan="1" | The Name Game | July 3, 1965 | |||||||
| "You Better Be Good, World" | - | - | - | - | - | align=left rowspan="2" | October 23, 1965 | ||||||||
| 1966 | "Ever See a Diver Kiss His Wife While the Bubbles Bounce About Above the Water?" | 135 | - | - | - | - | January 4, 1966 | ||||||||
| "Birds, Bees, Cupids and Bows" | - | - | - | - | - | align=left rowspan="3" | Sugar, Let's Shing-a-Ling | October 17, 1966 | |||||||
| 1967 | "Soul Time" | 67 | 31 | 87 | 39[14] | - | January 30, 1967 | ||||||||
| "Sugar Let's Shing-a-Ling" | - | - | - | - | - | May 8, 1967 | |||||||||
| 1978 | "The Clapping Song" (re-release) | - | - | - | - | 59 | align=left rowspan="1" | June 23, 1978 | |||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||||
