The Marvelettes

The group that became the first Motown success story had humble beginnings. Lacking confidence in their singing abilities, Gladys Horton and Georgia Dobbins 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. In 1961 the quintet, now called the Marvels, entered the Inkster High School talent show, where they finished fourth. Though only the first three winners could win the prize of a trip to audition for the new Motown record company, they were allowed to audition as well.

In April 1961 the group auditioned for Motown executives Brian Holland and Robert Bateman, with the girls alternating leads. Berry Gordy, who walked in when Georgia was singing lead, scheduled a second audition after asking if the group had any original material. At the next audition, Georgia arrived with pianist William Garrett, who had also written a few tunes. Flipping through his briefcase, she was drawn to a song that had only a few lyrics and no music. Georgia liked the title and wanted to change the tune from what Garrett had initially intended to be a blues song into something more favourable for a young girl group. Garrett agreed, as long as he was given songwriting credit along with Georgia. Georgia, who had no previous songwriting experience, took the tune home and reconstructed it into a song whose lyrics pointed to a girl missing her boyfriend who has been far away for a long time. That song turned out to be their first single and greatest hit, 'Please Mr Postman'.

They returned to Motown with the song and a new member, Wanda Young (later Rogers), who replaced Dobbins (whose church-going father was against the idea of his daughter singing in night clubs) giving them, like the Shirelles before them, two lead singers. They auditioned for Berry Gordy himself and Smokey Robinson and received a recording contract.

Motown gave the Marvels the star treatment. Gordy renamed the group the Marvelettes and had 'Please Mr Postman re-written for the group. Vocal coaches, etiquette teachers, fashion advisors and others also worked on the group's image, and in the summer of 1961 their first single, 'Please Mr Postman' was released on the Tamla imprint with Gladys Horton as the lead voice. The song proved to be a slow burner, not even entering the Billboard Pop Chart (now known as the Billboard Hot 100) until September 4th of that year. The song hit number one on the Billboard R&B Chart. In a short-sighted move, Motown execs released the vain Twistin' Postman to capitalise on both the success of the group's first single and the twist dance craze. Released in December 1961, as the fad was dying down, the song only reached number 34 in the pop chart and number 13 in R&B. Despite this, the Marvelettes were becoming a popular touring group, going on various Motown ensemble tours and even a few solo outings. The next few years were a blur of publicity, concerts and recording. As the first massively popular Motown act, they carried a lot of responsibility during this time.

Their first album Please Mr. Postman featured songs from many accomplished writers, for example Brian Holland, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson and Lamont Dozier. The hit album featured the hit singles 'Playboy' a catchy pop song, 'Beechwood 4-5789' (which became the most popular telephone number in America before 867-5309) and the strictly rhythmic ballad 'Someday, Someway'.

Not wanting to rest on their laurels, the group forged ahead, recording The Marvelous Marvelettes, their third album. Despite their early successes, 1963 and their third album brought some measure of disappointment. Of the four singles released from the album, the album's second single, 'Locking Up My Heart', fared the best, featuring Gladys as the main lead and Wanda on the latter portion on the tune singing falsetto.

By 1964, the Marvelettes faced major competition, not only from Motown upstarts like Diana Ross & the Supremes and Martha Reeves & the Vandellas, but from bands within the British Invasion and surf-pop movements. They made their biggest mistake that year by turning down a song entitled 'Where Did Our Love Go', written by the Holland-Dozier-Holland songwriting team. The Marvelettes chose to record Norman Whitfield and Eddie Holland's 'Too Many Fish in the Sea' instead.  Meanwhile, Holland-Dozier-Holland took 'Where Did Our Love Go'  to the Supremes, who made the song a number one pop and R&B hit.

By this time, founding member Juanita Cowart was suffering from depression and left the group. By 1965 Georgeanna Tillman, weakened by her own health problems, was advised by her doctor to stop touring and she left the group for good. She remained at Motown for a while as a secretary. The Marvelettes continued on as a trio. For the two years after The Marvelous Marvelettes, the group depended on a series of mediocre singles, a hastlily put together album of their live performances, Recorded Live on Stage and a greatest hits compilation to stay afloat.

The group's first hit in some time came at the end of 1964 with 'Too Many Fish in the Sea', which became a Motown classic, reaching number 15 in R&B and number 25 in Pop. On the heels of newfound success, three more songs were released from their compilation LP, both penned by songwriters Mickey Stevenson and Ivy Jo Hunter and featuring Wanda in the lead: 'I'll Keep Holding On' and 'Danger! Heartbreak Dead Ahead' returned them to the rhythm and blues audience, both peaking at number eleven in R&B.

The final single from The Marvelettes' Greatest Hits compilation was a Smokey Robinson composition and marked the beginning of a long partnership with the songwriter and lead of the Miracles - 'Don't Mess with Bill', a spirited anthem about cheating, brought the group major success and peaked at number three at R&B and number seven in pop. They continued their partnership with Robinson on their album The Marvelettes released in 1967, and spawned the massively popular 'The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game', which just missed the top of the R&B charts, peaking at number two and hit number 13 in pop.

In 1967, after a comeback of sorts, lead singer Gladys Horton left the group to be with her family and was replaced by Anne Bogan. Their next album was named Sophisticated Soul after the new style they had come to be associated with under Wanda's lead and their reformed appearance after Motown gained expertise in grooming and presenting their artists. Singles released from the album included 'You're the One', 'My Baby Must Be a Magician', featuring an exceptional introduction by Melvin Franklin of the Temptations, 'Destination: Anywhere' (written by Ashford & Simpson) and 'Here I Am Baby'. Unfortunately, Motown had long since shifted support to more popular groups, including Diana Ross & the Supremes, the Temptations, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, and the Four Tops, as well as new groups like the Jackson 5 and solo hitmakers like Marvin Gaye. By 1969's In Full Bloom album, Motown had provided mediocre publicity and a smaller budget for the group's project. The album's only proper single, a remake of Baby Washington's 'That's How Heartaches Are Made' peaked at number 97 in pop but did not reach R&B radio.

The group disbanded and Smokey Robinson decided to cut a solo album on Wanda featuring the Andantes, (Motown's in-house backing group), consisting mainly of older Motown songs that had been overlooked. However, Motown thought it would have more commercial appeal if it was released under the title The Return of the Marvelettes. Unfortunately, it couldn't have come at a worse time: Wanda was awaiting the birth of her third child with Miracle Bobby Rogers and Diana Ross was getting her initial push as a solo artist after leaving the Supremes. Although it failed to chart or receive any airplay, Motown issued three more singles from the album. None of them charted, and the last, 'A Breathtaking Guy' was released in 1971.

Meanwhile, Anne Bogan went on to lead an RCA trio known as Love, Peace & Happiness, which itself was part of the larger group New Birth. Though her two partners, Leslie and Melvin Wilson went on to greater fame as two of New Birth's main singers, she left right after they hit big with their hit 'I Can Understand It'.

Georgeanna Tillman died in 1980 due to complications of her illness. Gladys Horton tried without success to rally the surviving members and reform the group in 1986. Horton continued anyway, with backing studio vocalists Echo Johnson and Jean McClain. Though an album was released, commercial success eluded the new group and many lineup changes caused the group to break up a second time.

Despite early success, the Marvelettes never achieved the great heights of their contemporaries at Motown. Some, like Horton, blame the record company's forcing other girl groups take a back seat to their promotion of Diana Ross & the Supremes. Others feel the group was always looked at as country girls (they were from Inkster and not from Detroit) who did not fit into Motown's concept of an act that could appeal to both blacks and whites, despite the change in their image over the years. However, the group is notable for being one of the first hitmakers on the Motown label and paving the way for the successful groups that followed. In their time they were one of the greats.

For a really in-depth history of the ins and outs of the group, please read Marc Taylor's excellent book The Original Marvelettes. Another good source is the Goldmine article on the group from its June 8, 1984 issue. An excellent video of the group in its heyday exists showing a Motortown Revue they recorded live at the Apollo Theater in New York around 1963 along with Mary Wells, backed by the Temptations, Martha Reeves & the Vandellas, Diana Ross & the Supremes, the Contours and Little Stevie Wonder. Needless to say, the Marvelettes and the Contours stole the show!

The Marvelettes were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004.