BY KAREN BOSSICK

The Shirelles got together for a talent show at their New Jersey high school and went on to score the first No. 1 hit by a black girl’s group with Gerry Goffin and Carole King’s “Will You Love Me Tomorrow?”

The Chiffons, a trio of schoolmates from the Bronx, hit another No. 1 with “He’s so Fine” and followed that up with Goffin and King’s “One Fine Day” and “Sweet Talk’in Guy.”

And the Pointer Sisters grew up singing gospel music under the watchful eyes of their father, the Rev. Elton Pointer who told them rock and roll was the devil’s music. But their mother warmed up to it when the youngster sister brought home a copy of Elvis Presley’s “All Shook Up” because of “Crying in the Chape,” which was on the reverse side.

The storylines and songs behind these girl’s groups and others will take the stage on Wednesday, July 17, when Sun Valley Opera presents “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow,” a tribute to groups like the Supremes and Martha and the Vandellas.

The concert, which features a four-piece band headed by Sean Rogers, starts at 8 p.m. Wednesday, July 17, at the Sun Valley Pavilion. Tickets start at $39 and are available at www.sunvalleyopera.com.

The three Broadway stars who will perform will also present a sneak peek at a cocktail party on the lawn of a private home on Tuesday, July 16. Tickets are $200 and include premier seating at Wednesday’s concert.

The show is being produced for Sun Valley Opera by Mike Evariste, a Broadway performer and Tony-nominated producer who produced last year’s Tribute to the Temptations for Sun Valley Opera.

“After last year’s enthusiastic response to The Temptations Tribute, we asked 42 Seven Productions in New York to produce another show for us. This show showcases the music of girl groups that were high on the Billboard charts from the 1950s to the ‘90s,” said Frank Meyer, who co-founded Sun Valley Opera.

The three stars have been working six hours a day for the past two weeks to learn the harmony for 21 songs, including “One Fine Day,” “Dancing in the Streets,” Stupid Cupid,” “Be My Baby” and “Sincerely.”

Dionne Figgins, who appeared in Broadway’s “Memphis” and “Motown,” reviewed obscure videos of groups like the Supreme to choreograph the movements, adding a few of her own flourishes.

Tiffany Evariste cut her teeth on the Motown recordings her mother played and often performed songs from Diana Ross and Whitney Houston at family gatherings. She went on to play Mary Wilson, the founding and longest running member of The Supremes, in “Motown the Musical.”

“Mary Wilson was the glue that kept the Supremes together,” she said. “She was the intermediary between Diana Ross and Florence Ballard. And she recruited new people when Diana started to go solo.”

Not only has it been fun to learn about girl groups that she didn’t know, such as the McGuire Sisters, but the show has given Evariste a chance to sing bass parts, which is something women don’t often get to do.

“The entertainment values that these groups gave was so high with the costumes, choreography—it was a whole show,” she said. “And our show shows what some of the songs meant to them.”

Allison Semmes, who started singing in the Chicago Children’s Choir, made her Broadway debut with “The Book of Mormon” before performing Diana Ross in “Motown the Musical.” The role earned her the Broadway World Chicago award for Best Female Leading Actress.

“I learned Diana Ross was a regular girl. She grew up in a musical family in Detroit and she loved music, decided she wanted a career in music and she had a laser focus to achieve that goal. She’s inspiring in the way she set an example for setting out and doing whatever your heart wants,” said Semmes.

It didn’t hurt that Ross had Berry Gordy behind her, Semmes added. Having grown up in Detroit, Gordy  took raw talent and refined it in a hit-making factory patterned after the automobile factories in Detroit

“He had Maxine Waters teach them to sing and he taught them etiquette, even how to get in and out of cars for their tour through England. He understood from the automobile factories that you have to put in the work to get quality,” Semmes said.

Ashley Blanchet performed on Broadway in “Frozen,” “Annie,” and “Memphis,” before performing in “Beautiful,” the jukebox musical that tells the story of Carole King, who has long had a second home in the Sun Valley area.

“So, I would have to say I’m partial to the Shirelles,” she said. “Of course, the Supremes were in a class above all the others. They had a whole bunch of people working for them. And they were so refined, so classy with what they did. When I start dancing to the Supremes, suddenly I feel like I’m a grown woman.”

The girl’s groups provided a turning point in music in America as they offered a sexier sound, said Blanchet.

 “It’s fun to visit some of these songs, even though some are 70 years old. Although I didn’t grow up with these groups, it feels like I did because they’re all such classic songs.”

Many of the singers and songs today were heavily influenced by the groups’ music—Beyonce, for instance, was influenced by Diana Ross, Evariste noted.

Semmes agreed: “These girl’s groups paved the way for us today. We wouldn’t be where we are today if not for them stepping out and singing their songs. There wouldn’t be En Vogue or Destiny’s Child without the Shirelles and the Chiffons and their harmonies.”