Uploaded September 2015 | Updated September 2026, 57 seconds ago
"Maybe" was first recorded by the Chantels in 1957 in a doo-wop style. By early 1958 the song reached #15 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #2 on the R&B chart. Rolling Stone magazine ranked this original version at #195 on their list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Selling over a million copies, the song received a gold disc award. It is one of the earliest examples of the girl-group sound that sweep the US shortly after its release, and broke ground for the likes of The Shirelles, The Ronettes, and The Supremes. Unlike other black groups whose influences were based in gospel, The Chantels were influenced by classical music and Latin hymns. Lead singer Arlene Smith, who wrote the song, received classical training and performed at Carnegie Hall at age 12. The group recorded the song at a Manhattan church instead of a studio, because the acoustics were better. The Chantels honors also include induction into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, and the Rhythm and Blues Foundation Pioneer Award.
"Maybe" was first recorded by the Chantels in 1957 in a doo-wop style. By early 1958 the song reached #15 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #2 on the R&B chart. Rolling Stone magazine ranked this original version at #195 on their list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Selling over a million copies, the song received a gold disc award. It is one of the earliest examples of the girl-group sound that sweep the US shortly after its release, and broke ground for the likes of The Shirelles, The Ronettes, and The Supremes. Unlike other black groups whose influences were based in gospel, The Chantels were influenced by classical music and Latin hymns. Lead singer Arlene Smith, who wrote the song, received classical training and performed at Carnegie Hall at age 12. The group recorded the song at a Manhattan church instead of a studio, because the acoustics were better. The Chantels honors also include induction into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, and the Rhythm and Blues Foundation Pioneer Award.
