The Shirelles were the first all girl group of the Rock and Roll Era to score a number one record!Few performers can truly be called trendsetters. Fewer still can sustain a high-visibility presence in the pop culture consciousness for over 40 years. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame members, The Shirelles have done these things and more. They have earned their exalted place in modern musical history. Beginning in 1958 as schoolgirls in Passaic, New Jersey, The Shirelles quickly became rock & roll's first female supergroup and were the inspirations for a legion of female groups that followed. They are universally credited as the originators of the Girl Group Sound that is so beloved by the Baby Boomer generation. Their long string of hits, including Soldier Boy, Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow, Dedicated To The One I Love, Mama Said, and so many others, have been recorded by hundreds of artists, including The Beatles, Dionne Warwick, Aretha Franklin, Eric Clapton & The Yardbirds, The Mamas & the Papas, Bernadette Peters and Smokey Robinson

The "Crickets" started out as pure fiction -- the name a ruse by Buddy Holly, Jerry Allison, and Joe B. Mauldin to avoid the provisions of a 1956 contract that Holly had signed with Decca Records, that would have prevented the release of their then-new recording of "That'll Be The Day" on the Brunswick label. The name stuck, and for the next 15 months there were records by the Crickets and records by Buddy Holly -- which were virtually interchangeable -- and they were billed as Buddy Holly & The Crickets. By the end of 1958, however, the references to "Buddy Holly and the Crickets" were becoming valid in the worst possible way -- Holly's shifting and expanding musical interests, coupled with his move to New York and marriage to Maria Elena Santiago, and the differing relationships that the three had with their manager, Norman Petty, led to a split between Holly and his bandmates in the months immediately prior to Holly's death in a plane crash on February 3, 1959. The result of their split was a separate existence for the Crickets. More....

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Who can forget the ’50s? Twirling Hula-Hoops and batons on the front lawn; swallowing goldfish and ”souping up” cars; wearing letter sweaters, sorority pins and penny loafers. Girls loved Betsy McCall and wanted to be Sandra Dee. Boys wanted white bucks like Pat Boone’s and dreamed of marrying a girl just like mom. James Dean and Marilyn Monroe sizzled on the big screen while Mickey Mantle sent baseballs flying out of the park. Those were the days of champagne music from Lawrence Welk; smooth, soulful love songs from Nat ”King” Cole and Harry Belafonte; and ”Great Balls of Fire” from Jerry Lee Lewis. If you weren’t dancin’ in the moonlight with your darlin’, you were trying out the new steps to match the passion and rhythm of Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly.

During this cruise we’ll relive the good ole days through music, sports, TV and literature. You’ll recognize the music of Chuck Berry, Fats Domino and Elvis. You’ll meet recording stars, special guests and sports figures of the era. Join us on board as we re-create the activities and events that escorted us through the transition years in America. So, ladies, locate your popper beads and angora sweaters, and gentlemen, bring your white sport coats and pink carnations; get ready for superb entertainment and insightful conversation as we look back at America’s golden era.