Shirley Ellis, (born Shirley Marie Elliston), soul music singer and songwriter, was born circa 1941 in the Bronx of New York City and is best known for her hits "The Nitty Gritty" (1963), "The Name Game" (1965) and "The Clapping Song" (1965). Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.