Post by Diamond Girl on Nov 18, 2006 0:38:50 GMT -5
Marc Taylor’s Marvelettes Is Marvelous
Written by Herb Boyd
Sunday, 21 November 2004
By Herb Boyd
Managing Editor, TBWT
Individually, you probably have never heard of Katherine Anderson, Wyanetta Cowart, Georgeanna Tillman, Wanda Young, or Gladys Horton. But as the Marvelettes they made their mark in the Motown pantheon and up the musical charts through the 1960s with such memorable hits as “Don’t Mess with Bill,” “My Baby Must Be a Magician,” and the unforgettable “Please, Mr. Postman.”
And just in case the Marvelettes are an unknown item too, Marc Taylor has dredged them from mystery and misty times in his thoughtful biography “The Original Marvelettes—Motown’s Mystery Girl Group” (Aloiv Publishing Co., 2004). Taylor not only places the group within context of the grand musical history of the sixties, he provides the kind of background that makes the book a rewarding study in local history, particularly that rich reservoir of talent beyond Detroit’s borders.
Before the Marvelettes leaped to stardom their hometown of Inkster, Michigan was mainly known for the reserve of workers who trooped dutifully to Henry Ford’s nearby automobile plant, many of them lured their by the magnate’s promise of five dollars a day in pay. As students at Inkster High School, the girls came under the tutelage of Dr. Romeo Phillips, who honed their innate musical gifts and taught them the finer points of harmonizing.
In 1961, the girls, largely energized by Gladys Horton and the songwriting genius of Georgia Dobbins, performed “Please, Mr. Postman” during a talent show they were on their way to becoming a featured attraction in the star-laden Motown stable. When Georgia left the group, Wanda Young joined them and was the lead singer on the recording, which slowly worked its way to the top of the charts, putting both Inkster and Motown on the map.
“The million-selling success of ‘Please Mr. Postman’ put the industry on notice that Motown would continue churning out hit records, and they were able to use this leverage against the notoriously slow paying distributors,” Taylor noted. It was only recently that the Marvelettes received their Gold Record for “Please Mr. Postman” the first Motown song to reach No. 1 on the national Pop Singles Chart. Ms. Tillman, who died in 1980, was not at a ceremony in Inkster when the Gold Record was presented to the living members of the group Katherine Anderson Schaffner, Gladys Horton, Wyanetta or Juanita Cowart Motley. Wanda Young Rogers was reportedly too ill to attend.
If the Gold Record was slow arriving, Taylor has enshrined the group with his marvelous recounting of the group’s instant rise to fame and their subsequent tumble into obscurity, despite a number of popular hits. Given the obstacles confronting Taylor, it’s simply amazing he was able to cobble together a coherent story of the group. “The story of the Marvelettes is not a pretty one,” he said toward the close of the book. “Again, of the original five members, one is deceased, one was overcome by the pressure of being in the industry at such a young age and dropped out, and one was victimized by the dark side of the entertainment industry,” Taylor wrote.
Nonetheless, the story of the Marvelettes, while in many respects a cautionary tale, is laced with fresh information about Motown as told by insiders who granted Taylor interviews and remarks never published before. With the same sensitivity he brought to his other projects, Taylor has judiciously handled this material, careful to get his facts accurate and his feelings in check.
The only thing better than this study of the Marvelettes is to get their music and listen to them at the peak of their game when everybody knew exactly what “Beechwood 4-5789” was all about.
Last Updated ( Sunday, 21 November 2004 )
The Black World Today
Written by Herb Boyd
Sunday, 21 November 2004
By Herb Boyd
Managing Editor, TBWT
Individually, you probably have never heard of Katherine Anderson, Wyanetta Cowart, Georgeanna Tillman, Wanda Young, or Gladys Horton. But as the Marvelettes they made their mark in the Motown pantheon and up the musical charts through the 1960s with such memorable hits as “Don’t Mess with Bill,” “My Baby Must Be a Magician,” and the unforgettable “Please, Mr. Postman.”
And just in case the Marvelettes are an unknown item too, Marc Taylor has dredged them from mystery and misty times in his thoughtful biography “The Original Marvelettes—Motown’s Mystery Girl Group” (Aloiv Publishing Co., 2004). Taylor not only places the group within context of the grand musical history of the sixties, he provides the kind of background that makes the book a rewarding study in local history, particularly that rich reservoir of talent beyond Detroit’s borders.
Before the Marvelettes leaped to stardom their hometown of Inkster, Michigan was mainly known for the reserve of workers who trooped dutifully to Henry Ford’s nearby automobile plant, many of them lured their by the magnate’s promise of five dollars a day in pay. As students at Inkster High School, the girls came under the tutelage of Dr. Romeo Phillips, who honed their innate musical gifts and taught them the finer points of harmonizing.
In 1961, the girls, largely energized by Gladys Horton and the songwriting genius of Georgia Dobbins, performed “Please, Mr. Postman” during a talent show they were on their way to becoming a featured attraction in the star-laden Motown stable. When Georgia left the group, Wanda Young joined them and was the lead singer on the recording, which slowly worked its way to the top of the charts, putting both Inkster and Motown on the map.
“The million-selling success of ‘Please Mr. Postman’ put the industry on notice that Motown would continue churning out hit records, and they were able to use this leverage against the notoriously slow paying distributors,” Taylor noted. It was only recently that the Marvelettes received their Gold Record for “Please Mr. Postman” the first Motown song to reach No. 1 on the national Pop Singles Chart. Ms. Tillman, who died in 1980, was not at a ceremony in Inkster when the Gold Record was presented to the living members of the group Katherine Anderson Schaffner, Gladys Horton, Wyanetta or Juanita Cowart Motley. Wanda Young Rogers was reportedly too ill to attend.
If the Gold Record was slow arriving, Taylor has enshrined the group with his marvelous recounting of the group’s instant rise to fame and their subsequent tumble into obscurity, despite a number of popular hits. Given the obstacles confronting Taylor, it’s simply amazing he was able to cobble together a coherent story of the group. “The story of the Marvelettes is not a pretty one,” he said toward the close of the book. “Again, of the original five members, one is deceased, one was overcome by the pressure of being in the industry at such a young age and dropped out, and one was victimized by the dark side of the entertainment industry,” Taylor wrote.
Nonetheless, the story of the Marvelettes, while in many respects a cautionary tale, is laced with fresh information about Motown as told by insiders who granted Taylor interviews and remarks never published before. With the same sensitivity he brought to his other projects, Taylor has judiciously handled this material, careful to get his facts accurate and his feelings in check.
The only thing better than this study of the Marvelettes is to get their music and listen to them at the peak of their game when everybody knew exactly what “Beechwood 4-5789” was all about.
Last Updated ( Sunday, 21 November 2004 )
The Black World Today
