Episode Details

Arlene Smith, the soulful voice behind the Chantels’ legendary hit “Maybe,” has died at 84 after a heart attack in New York. Her powerful, hopeful vocals helped break barriers as one of the first Black girl groups to conquer the charts — turning relationship longing into anthem magic that Janis Joplin and the Three Degrees later honored. Beyond “Maybe,” she shaped music history with hits like “Every Night (I Pray)” and “Look in My Eyes,” then quietly taught music in NYC schools for decades. Her legacy? A trailblazer who proved Black women could own the male-dominated soundscape — and forever changed doo-wop.

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