Soul / pop singer and songwriter Shirley Ellis – born Shirley Marie O’Garra on January 19, 1929, in The Bronk, New York City – is best known for her novelty hits “The Nitty Gritty” (1963), “The Name Game” (1964), and “The Clapping Song” (1965). Signed to Congress Records, Shirley Ellis scored a hit with her first single, 1963’s “The Nitty Gritty,” which hit number 8 on the Hot 100 and number 4 on the R&B Singles chart. However, the song’s sequel, “(That’s) What the Nitty Gritty Is” (1964) made the Top 100 but didn’t come close to matching the success of the original. She released two more singles in 1964 – “Shy One” and “Such a Night” – before scoring another massive hit at the end of that year with “The Name Game,” which climbed to number 3. The song – written by Shirley Ellis – was based on a childhood name game that she played as a child and the song’s place in pop culture has ensured that children still play this very game more than six decades after its release. In 1965, she released the single “The Clapping Song (Clap Pat Clap Slap)” which was a number 8 hit. The song has been covered several times including versions by Gary Glitter, The Belle Stars, Roger Taylor, and others. Shirley Ellis continued releasing singles such as “The Puzzle Song (A Puzzle in Song)” (1965), “Ever See a Diver Kiss His Wife While the Bubbles Bounce About Above the Water?” (1966), and “Sugar, Let’s Shing-a-Ling” (1967) but her hitmaking days were in her past. During her career, she released three albums – In Action (1964), The Name Game (1965), and Sugar, Let’s Shing-a-Ling (1967) and there have been several compilations released over the years. Shirley Ellis died on October 5, 2005, at the age of 76.
