Shirley Mae Jones was born in a small town in Pennsylvania. Shirley attended the local schools and at the age of six she was the youngest member of the Methodist Church Choir. Recognizing her gifted and natural singing ability, her parents took her to one of Pittsburgh's top vocal coaches. Shirley had planned to go on to college but went on to New York in the summer of 1953. She was definitely in the right place at the right time. Rodgers and Hammerstein had been searching and auditioning. They wanted just the right new face to play the role of Laurey Williams in OKLAHOMA! Shirley Jones walked into an open-call audition and their search was over. You have seen and heard Shirley in such things as Carousel, Music Man and of course her role as Shirley Partridge in the Partridge Family.