The Marvelettes Biography, Photos and Posters

The Marvelettes

Biography

Started: 1960
City and Country of Origin: Inkster, Michigan
Music Training:
Awards:
Top Recordings: "Please Mr. Postman," "Playboy," "Beechwood 4-5789," "Someday, Someway," "Too Many Fish in the Sea" "Danger! Heartbreak Dead Ahead," "Don't Mess With Bill," "I'll Keep Holding On," "The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game"
The Marvelettes Biography: The Marvelettes were Motown's entry into the girl group phenomena of the early 1960s. The group is most noted for recording Motown's first US number 1 single "Please Mr. Postman."

The quintet consisted of original memebers Gladys Horton and Georgia Dobbins who formed the Casinyets (or "Can't Sing Yets") in their hometown, Inkster, Michigan, with backing vocalists Georgeanna Tillman, Wyanetta (usually spelled "Juanita") Cowart, and Katherine Anderson. The group calling itself the Marvels finished fourth in an Inkster High School talent show. Their finish enabled them to audition for Motown Records. The group alternated leads, but Berry Gordy walked in while Georgia was singing lead. The girls were called back for another audition and brought pianist William Garrett with them. Garrett had written a few tunes, one of which was reworked by Georgia into "Please Mr Postman." Dobbins and Garrett agreed to share the songwriting rights to the song, but Dobbins left the group and was replaced by Wanda Young when her father objected to her singing in nightclubs.

The girls auditioned for Gordy and Smokey Robinson and were signed by Motown and recorded on the Tamla imprint. Gordy changed their name to The Marvelettes and had "Please Mr Postman" rewritten for them. The song was a slow riser, but after 14 weeks it hit the top of the Billboard Hot 100 as well as the r&b charts. The group quickly became a top bill act for Motown.

Their second album featured songs from some of Motown's brightest writers like Brian Holland, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson and Lamont Dozier. The album featured the hit singles "Playboy" (#4 R&B / #7 Pop), a catchy pop song, "Beechwood 4-5789" (number 7 r&b / number 17 pop), which became the most popular telephone number in America before "867-5309", and the strictly rhythmic ballad "Someday, Someway" (number 8 r&b).

The group quickly followed with their third album, The Marvelous Marvelettes, which proved to be somewhat of a disappointment. By 1964 the times were changing rapidly, in particularly at Motown. The record company was now developing new even more attractive acts like Martha Reeves and the Vandellas and Diana Ross & The Supremes. Meanwhile the American music industry was being overrun by the British invasion from the east and the surfer invasion from California. Perhaps the worst thing to happen to the group, however, was of their own making when they turned down the opportunity to record the Holland-Dozier-Holland composition "Where Did Our Love Go." Instead they went with Norman Whitfield and Eddie Holland's "Too Many Fish In The Sea," which resulted in a minor hit. Cowart suffered what Motown officially called a "nervous breakdown" and left the group and by 1965 Georgeanna Tillman was battling lupus. Georgeanna was advised not to tour. She got married and left the group that year and died from sickle cell anemia in 1980.

A few minor hits kept The Marvelettes going until they released a hastily assembled album of their live performances ('Recorded Live On Stage') and a greatest hits compilation to stay afloat. 'The Marvelettes Greatest Hits' and the follow-up LP simply entitled 'The Marvelettes' were relatively successful, many of the new songs from the Greatest Hits LP weren't memorable.

"Too Many Fish in the Sea," released in late 1964, helped stem the tide and the group released 3 new songs Mickey Stevenson and Ivy Jo Hunter's "I'll Keep Holding On" and "Danger! Heartbreak Dead Ahead" as well as a Smokey Robinson composition "Don't Mess With Bill" which peaked at number 3 on the r&b charts and number 7 on the pop charts.

They continued their partnership with Robinson on their next album with the massively popular "The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game." They followed with Van McCoy's "When You're Young and in Love."

In 1967 lead singer Gladys Horton left the group to get married, and was replaced by Anne Bogan. The group's next album was named "Sophisticated Soul" and featured singles "You're the One," "My Baby Must Be a Magician," "Destination: Anywhere" and "Here I Am Baby." All 3 singles charted, but Motown had long since shifted its emphasis away from the Marvelettes to new groups like the Supremes, The Temptations and Marvin Gaye and none of their recording received the same type of support that their earlier releases did. When Motown moved its base of operation from Detroit to Los Angeles the group decided not to go and disbanded in 1970.

Gladys Horton, who sang lead on most of the hits before 1966, tried to rally the surviving members and reform the group in 1986, but no one was interested. In 1989 she recruited Pamelia Darden and Alicia Ingrim as her own "Original Marvelettes". In 1996 Pamelia created her own Marvelettes Revue and has since been touring world wide, though without Gladys, as Gladys has been preoccupied with the care of her handicapped son. Commercial success eluded the new group and once again they were forced to disband.

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