R&B
Shirley and Lee were Shirley Goodman (later Shirley Pixley) and Leonard Lee from New Orleans, Louisiana. They wrote “Let the Good Times Roll” and recorded it in 1956. And that year, it went to #1 on the U.S. R&B Chart and #2 on the U.S. Pop Chart. Providing a great beat on the track is drummer Earl Palmer. He played on so many albums, it is said that his list of credits reads like a Who’s Who of American popular music of the last 60 years. The song was also featured on the soundtrack to the 1986 film Stand by Me.
There have been numerous covers of “Let the Good Times Roll,” including versions by Sonny and Cher, The Righteous Brothers, Barbra Streisand, The Searchers Harry Nilsson, Roy Orbison, The Youngbloods, Conway Twitty, The Animals, The Kingsmen, The Sonics, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers — just to name a few.
Shirley Goodman also had a hit as part of the disco band Shirley & Company with “Shame, Shame, Shame.”