NEW YORK — The girl group sound, made famous and unforgettable by acts like The Ronettes, The Shirelles, The Supremes, and The Vandellas, revolutionized American pop music. While songs like “Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” “Then He Kissed Me,” and “Be My Baby” are essential to the American canon, many of the artists remain all but anonymous to most listeners.
Some of the women of the many girl groups featured in this book went on to achieve stardom in their own right. Some had successful careers behind the scenes in the music industry. Most returned to quiet lives beyond the public eye, some empowered, some broken. But all have amazing stories to tell about their experiences and insight to share about this momentous period in the history of the music industry and of our country. In BUT WILL YOU LOVE ME TOMORROW? An Oral History of The ’60s Girl Groups (Hachette Books; 9/5/23), by Laura Flam and Emily Sieu Leibovitz; Readers will discover:- How the girl groups were at the vanguard of desegregating pop music and culture, playing shows that integrated audiences for the first time
- Why the girl groups’ contributions have been largely erased from the history of pop music, the civil rights movement, and the feminist movement while the songwriters and producers have been lionized
- New insight into the workings of the studio system of the 1960s, including predatory practices around studio time, royalties, and writing credits
- Beautiful stories of female friendship and achievement — and fierce feuds
- Harrowing tales of touring as a Black girl — sometimes as young as 12 — in the Jim Crow South
- Insider stories about some of the era’s biggest stars, including Frankie Lymon, Etta James, Phil Spector, Berry Gordy, Marvin Gaye, Dionne Warwick, Sam Cooke, Smokey Robinson, Cher, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Carole King, and more
- Fun facts about the history of specific girl groups, like the “no-hit Supremes,” who went on to become one of the most famous and successful groups in American music
Featuring new interviews with more than 100 subjects that made the music, from the singers to the songwriters, to their agents, managers, and sound engineers — and even to the present-day celebrities inspired by their lasting influence — BUT WILL YOU LOVE ME TOMORROW tells a national coming-of-age story that gives particular insight into the experiences of the female singers and songwriters who created the movement.
About the authors:
Laura Flam is a lifelong New Yorker, writer, and girl-group fan. Emily Sieu Liebowitz is the author of National Park (2018), longlisted for The Believer Book Award, and the recipient of fellowships from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Her writing can be found in The Believer, The Brooklyn Rail, Poets & Writers, and other publications. Liebowitz splits her time between Brooklyn, New York, and her hometown of Hayward, California.
BUT WILL YOU LOVE ME TOMORROW?
An Oral History of the ’60s Girl Groups
Hachette Books | September 5, 2023
$31 | Hardcover | 448 Pages | ISBN: 9780306829772
For more information or to request an interview, please contact:
Sharon Kunz, Hachette Books, sharon.kunz@hbgusa.com | 617-263-2964
Cheryl Duncan, Cheryl Duncan & Company, cheryl@cdcprnews.com | 201-552-9239
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