India, July 31 -- Arlene Smith, the pioneering lead singer and co-founder of 1950s girl group The Chantels, has died at the age of 84 after suffering a heart attack, marking the end of a career that helped redefine early rock and roll for female vocal groups.
A Voice That Shaped Girl Group Music
Smith rose to prominence as a teenager with The Chantels, one of the first successful Black female vocal groups in the United States. She co-wrote and sang lead on the 1958 classic Maybe, a song that became a defining doo wop hit, sold more than a million copies and laid the foundation for the girl group sound that flourished in the 1960s. Artists including The Shirelles, The Ronettes and later generations of performers drew inspiration from the g...