Arlene Smith, the lead singer and songwriter of the Chantels, a pioneering all-female vocal group of the late 1950s, died on July 29 in the Bronx at age 84. According to her manager, Paul Errante, Smith passed away in a hospital due to a heart attack.

The Chantels—comprising Smith, Sonia Goring, Lois Harris, Renée Minus, and Jackie Landry—were teenagers when they recorded their breakthrough single “Maybe” in October 1957 in a Manhattan church basement. The song, penned by Smith, featured her distinctive, emotive lead vocals and the group’s harmonies, becoming one of the most enduring hits in the doo-wop genre. “Maybe” was released in December of that year and reached number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the R&B chart.

Despite the song’s chart success, its broader impact on music history is widely recognized. Ronnie Spector of the Ronettes, another influential girl group, credited “Maybe” for inspiring her own artistic ambitions. Released during a time when doo-wop was dominated by male groups, the Chantels’ success helped lay the foundation for the early 1960s girl-group movement that included acts like the Shirelles, the Chiffons, and the Shangri-Las.

However, the Chantels faced significant challenges due to their gender and race. Smith later recounted that the music industry struggled to market them, and the group confronted systemic racial barriers. For example, the cover of their 1958 debut album was altered by their record label, End Records, replacing an image of the group with one featuring white teenagers. The group also faced hostility and segregation during tours in the Deep South, with members forced to change in unconventional and sometimes unsafe locations.

Born on October 5, 1941, in the Bronx, Smith was the eldest child of Ray and Iola Smith. She had early training in classical voice and sang Gregorian chants and Latin hymns with her future group members at St. Anthony of Padua School. The Chantels were formed in part through the efforts of doo-wop singer Richard Barrett, who managed the group after meeting them following a concert.

After “Maybe,” the Chantels had two more minor hits in 1958—“Every Night (I Pray)” and “I Love You So”—and performed at venues such as the Apollo Theater and on television programs like “American Bandstand.” Smith left the group in 1959 to pursue a solo career. She worked with producer Phil Spector and released the single “Love, Love, Love” in 1961, though it did not achieve commercial success.

Following her solo ventures, Smith studied music theory and composition at Juilliard and later earned a master’s degree in education, working as a schoolteacher in the Bronx. She continued performing with a reformed version of the Chantels from 1971 until 2012, and the original group reunited several times during the 1990s, including for the televised “Doo Wop 50” concert in 1999.

Smith is survived by her brother, Ray Smith. Reflecting on her work on “Maybe,” she once described the effort required in the studio, noting that the group recorded around 50 takes to capture the performance she wanted. “I had to give 150 percent,” she said in a 2015 interview, emphasizing her desire to convey genuine emotion even through the medium of a car radio.