Shirley Marie O'Garra (stage name Shirley Ellis, January 19, 1929 – October 5, 2005) was an American soul music singer and songwriter of West Indian heritage. She is best known for her 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 1 million copies and was awarded a gold disc.
By 1954, Ellis had written two songs recorded by the Chords. As a singer, the Bronx-based teen won Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater in Harlem while also performing as a member of the Metronomes. All her solo hits were written by her and her manager, record producer, and songwriting partner Lincoln Chase. The pair worked ceaselessly together over the following years on perfecting every aspect of her talent. A tentative release for the small Shell logo in 1961 marked the recording bow of Shirley Elliston.
It was not until the fall of 1963 that the years of preparation paid off with the diminutive thrush's Congress label debut, the incredibly exciting "The Nitty Gritty". Shirley Ellis, after years of grooming, became an overnight Top 10 hitmaking sensation. Although she didn't quite explain the meaning of "The Nitty Gritty", the listener instinctively sussed that it was the unadorned kernel of reality at the heart of anything and everything. The phrase grabbed the imagination of society's mainstream and is enshrined in the common vocabulary to this day. As Christmas 1964 lurched ever nearer, Shirley bounced back onto the charts with a bullet. The convoluted craziness of "The Name Game" was impossible to withstand and would become the singer's biggest hit. She proved a sensation on Murray the K's Brooklyn Fox Holiday Show that winter, taking "Name Game" requests from the crowd. Her third Top 10 smash finally brought the star recognition in Britain and many other territories but "The Clapping Song" would prove impossible to top.
Shirley was then signed by Columbia. She registered her chart swan song with the memorable "Soul Time", the second of a trio of 45s for her new outlet. A June 1967 Columbia album, her third in all, was the last we heard from Shirley. Although she was reported to have then pacted with the Bell label, no records were forthcoming and she vanished into retirement in 1968.
She died on October 5, 2005 in New York City at the age of 76.
