The Marvelettes were an American all-girl group who achieved popularity in the early to mid-1960s. They consisted of schoolmates Gladys Horton, Katherine Anderson (now Schaffner), Georgeanna Tillman (later Gordon), Juanita Cowart (now Cowart Motley), and Georgia Dobbins, who was replaced by Wanda Young (now Rogers) prior to the group signing their first deal. They were the first major successful act of Motown Records after the Miracles and its first significantly successful girl group after the release of the 1961 number-one single, "Please Mr. Postman", one of the first number-one singles recorded by an all-female vocal group and the first by a Motown recording act.
Founded in 1960 while the group's founding members performed together at their glee club at Inkster High School in Inkster, Michigan, they eventually were signed to Motown's Tamla label in 1961. Some of the group's early hits were written by band members and some of Motown's rising singer-songwriters such as Smokey Robinson and Marvin Gaye, who played drums on a majority of their early recordings. Despite their early successes, the group was eclipsed in popularity by groups like the Supremes, with whom they shared an intense rivalry.
The Marvelettes a.k.a. The Pink Album is a 1967 album by American vocal group The Marvelettes, also their seventh LP.
Overview
Recording began in 1966. Smokey Robinson handled much of the production. There is also production from James Dean and William Weatherspoon who would provide material for the The Marvelettes' next album. Producers felt that the group needed to offer a sound more mature and developed that contrasted their previous recordings. This album contains only two singles: "The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game" (#13 US, # 2 R&B) which was written and produced by Robinson, and its follow-up, a remake of Ruby & the Romantics' "When You're Young and in Love" (#23 US, #9 R&B, #13 UK) which was the group's only single to reach UK charts.The Marvelettes stopped at #129 US and was more successful on the R&B chart, at #13.
Track listing
Superscript denotes lead singer: (a) Wanda Young; (b) Gladys Horton
Side 1
"Barefootin" (Robert Parker) (Robert Parker cover) a
Writers: Georgia Dobbins, Brian Holland, Robert Bateman, Freddie Gorman, William Garrett
Releasing date: August 21, 1961
Format: 7" single
Label: Tamla Motown (T 54046)
Recording: Hitsville USA, Detroit (USA), April 1961
Line-up: Katherine Anderson, Wyanetta "Juanita" Cowart, Gladys Horton, Georgeanna Tillman, Wanda Young
Musicians: The Funk Brothers (Benny Benjamin, drums; Eddie "Bongo" Brown, percussions; Marvin Gaye, drums; James Jamerson, bass; Richard "Popcorn" Wylie, piano)
Producer: Brianbert (Brian Holland & Robert Bateman)
Also included on the LP "Please Mr. Postman" (Tamla, TM 228)
Other versions: The Backbeat Band; The Beatles; The Carnebees; The Carpenters; Octavio Cavalli; Chibras; China Dolls; Richard Clayderman; Cowsills; El Cuarteto de Nos; Peggy Evers; Whoopi Go...
published: 06 Feb 2011
Marvelettes - Please Mr. Postman (1965) HD 0815007
Marvelettes - Please Mr. Postman, ein Hit 1961. Eine Cover-Version von den Beatles 1963. HQ-Video
published: 04 Sep 2011
The Marvelettes - Beechwood 4-5789
Written by Marvin Gaye, William "Mickey" Stevenson and George Gordy, the lyrics are about the narrator wanting a man she just met to call her number in order to "have a date, any ol' time." Like all the Marvelette's singles during the first phase of the group's career, the lead vocal was by Gladys Horton. The song's co-writer Marvin Gaye played drums on the track, which William Stevenson produced.
The song's title is derived from the now defunct use of telephone exchange names in telephone numbers. In this case, the significant portions of the exchange name were the first two letters of "Beechwood" (BE), and the remainder of the number. In conventional modern use, this telephone number would be 234-5789.
"Beechwood 4-5789" has become a signature hit of Motown's early period but was not o...
Writers: Georgia Dobbins, Brian Holland, Robert Bateman, Freddie Gorman, William Garrett
Releasing date: August 21, 1961
Format: 7" single
Label: Tamla Motow...
Writers: Georgia Dobbins, Brian Holland, Robert Bateman, Freddie Gorman, William Garrett
Releasing date: August 21, 1961
Format: 7" single
Label: Tamla Motown (T 54046)
Recording: Hitsville USA, Detroit (USA), April 1961
Line-up: Katherine Anderson, Wyanetta "Juanita" Cowart, Gladys Horton, Georgeanna Tillman, Wanda Young
Musicians: The Funk Brothers (Benny Benjamin, drums; Eddie "Bongo" Brown, percussions; Marvin Gaye, drums; James Jamerson, bass; Richard "Popcorn" Wylie, piano)
Producer: Brianbert (Brian Holland & Robert Bateman)
Also included on the LP "Please Mr. Postman" (Tamla, TM 228)
Other versions: The Backbeat Band; The Beatles; The Carnebees; The Carpenters; Octavio Cavalli; Chibras; China Dolls; Richard Clayderman; Cowsills; El Cuarteto de Nos; Peggy Evers; Whoopi Goldberg; Hugaria; Les Kelton; The Koppykatz; Punkles; Quebec; Revolver; Helen Shapiro.
Writers: Georgia Dobbins, Brian Holland, Robert Bateman, Freddie Gorman, William Garrett
Releasing date: August 21, 1961
Format: 7" single
Label: Tamla Motown (T 54046)
Recording: Hitsville USA, Detroit (USA), April 1961
Line-up: Katherine Anderson, Wyanetta "Juanita" Cowart, Gladys Horton, Georgeanna Tillman, Wanda Young
Musicians: The Funk Brothers (Benny Benjamin, drums; Eddie "Bongo" Brown, percussions; Marvin Gaye, drums; James Jamerson, bass; Richard "Popcorn" Wylie, piano)
Producer: Brianbert (Brian Holland & Robert Bateman)
Also included on the LP "Please Mr. Postman" (Tamla, TM 228)
Other versions: The Backbeat Band; The Beatles; The Carnebees; The Carpenters; Octavio Cavalli; Chibras; China Dolls; Richard Clayderman; Cowsills; El Cuarteto de Nos; Peggy Evers; Whoopi Goldberg; Hugaria; Les Kelton; The Koppykatz; Punkles; Quebec; Revolver; Helen Shapiro.
Written by Marvin Gaye, William "Mickey" Stevenson and George Gordy, the lyrics are about the narrator wanting a man she just met to call her number in order to...
Written by Marvin Gaye, William "Mickey" Stevenson and George Gordy, the lyrics are about the narrator wanting a man she just met to call her number in order to "have a date, any ol' time." Like all the Marvelette's singles during the first phase of the group's career, the lead vocal was by Gladys Horton. The song's co-writer Marvin Gaye played drums on the track, which William Stevenson produced.
The song's title is derived from the now defunct use of telephone exchange names in telephone numbers. In this case, the significant portions of the exchange name were the first two letters of "Beechwood" (BE), and the remainder of the number. In conventional modern use, this telephone number would be 234-5789.
"Beechwood 4-5789" has become a signature hit of Motown's early period but was not one of the label's biggest hits, reaching #17 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the autumn of 1962. The track did reach the R&B Top Ten where in fact the single enjoyed double A-side status with "Beechwood 4-5789" reaching #7 and the flip "Someday, Someway"; the latter track was a ballad from the writing-&-production team of Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier and Fred Gorman and featured Berry Gordy Jr's wife Raynoma Liles as organist.
Written by Marvin Gaye, William "Mickey" Stevenson and George Gordy, the lyrics are about the narrator wanting a man she just met to call her number in order to "have a date, any ol' time." Like all the Marvelette's singles during the first phase of the group's career, the lead vocal was by Gladys Horton. The song's co-writer Marvin Gaye played drums on the track, which William Stevenson produced.
The song's title is derived from the now defunct use of telephone exchange names in telephone numbers. In this case, the significant portions of the exchange name were the first two letters of "Beechwood" (BE), and the remainder of the number. In conventional modern use, this telephone number would be 234-5789.
"Beechwood 4-5789" has become a signature hit of Motown's early period but was not one of the label's biggest hits, reaching #17 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the autumn of 1962. The track did reach the R&B Top Ten where in fact the single enjoyed double A-side status with "Beechwood 4-5789" reaching #7 and the flip "Someday, Someway"; the latter track was a ballad from the writing-&-production team of Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier and Fred Gorman and featured Berry Gordy Jr's wife Raynoma Liles as organist.
Writers: Georgia Dobbins, Brian Holland, Robert Bateman, Freddie Gorman, William Garrett
Releasing date: August 21, 1961
Format: 7" single
Label: Tamla Motown (T 54046)
Recording: Hitsville USA, Detroit (USA), April 1961
Line-up: Katherine Anderson, Wyanetta "Juanita" Cowart, Gladys Horton, Georgeanna Tillman, Wanda Young
Musicians: The Funk Brothers (Benny Benjamin, drums; Eddie "Bongo" Brown, percussions; Marvin Gaye, drums; James Jamerson, bass; Richard "Popcorn" Wylie, piano)
Producer: Brianbert (Brian Holland & Robert Bateman)
Also included on the LP "Please Mr. Postman" (Tamla, TM 228)
Other versions: The Backbeat Band; The Beatles; The Carnebees; The Carpenters; Octavio Cavalli; Chibras; China Dolls; Richard Clayderman; Cowsills; El Cuarteto de Nos; Peggy Evers; Whoopi Goldberg; Hugaria; Les Kelton; The Koppykatz; Punkles; Quebec; Revolver; Helen Shapiro.
Written by Marvin Gaye, William "Mickey" Stevenson and George Gordy, the lyrics are about the narrator wanting a man she just met to call her number in order to "have a date, any ol' time." Like all the Marvelette's singles during the first phase of the group's career, the lead vocal was by Gladys Horton. The song's co-writer Marvin Gaye played drums on the track, which William Stevenson produced.
The song's title is derived from the now defunct use of telephone exchange names in telephone numbers. In this case, the significant portions of the exchange name were the first two letters of "Beechwood" (BE), and the remainder of the number. In conventional modern use, this telephone number would be 234-5789.
"Beechwood 4-5789" has become a signature hit of Motown's early period but was not one of the label's biggest hits, reaching #17 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the autumn of 1962. The track did reach the R&B Top Ten where in fact the single enjoyed double A-side status with "Beechwood 4-5789" reaching #7 and the flip "Someday, Someway"; the latter track was a ballad from the writing-&-production team of Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier and Fred Gorman and featured Berry Gordy Jr's wife Raynoma Liles as organist.
The Marvelettes were an American all-girl group who achieved popularity in the early to mid-1960s. They consisted of schoolmates Gladys Horton, Katherine Anderson (now Schaffner), Georgeanna Tillman (later Gordon), Juanita Cowart (now Cowart Motley), and Georgia Dobbins, who was replaced by Wanda Young (now Rogers) prior to the group signing their first deal. They were the first major successful act of Motown Records after the Miracles and its first significantly successful girl group after the release of the 1961 number-one single, "Please Mr. Postman", one of the first number-one singles recorded by an all-female vocal group and the first by a Motown recording act.
Founded in 1960 while the group's founding members performed together at their glee club at Inkster High School in Inkster, Michigan, they eventually were signed to Motown's Tamla label in 1961. Some of the group's early hits were written by band members and some of Motown's rising singer-songwriters such as Smokey Robinson and Marvin Gaye, who played drums on a majority of their early recordings. Despite their early successes, the group was eclipsed in popularity by groups like the Supremes, with whom they shared an intense rivalry.
Beechwood 4-5789 Artist: The Marvelettes (peak Billboard position # 17 in 1962) Words and Music by William Stevenson, George Gordy, and Marvin Gaye (La, La. La, La, La, La, La) Hey-ah-ay-ay (La, La. La, La, La, La, La) Oh, baby (La, La. La, La, La, La, La) Hey-ah-ay-ay You can have this dance with me You can hold my hand and Whisper in my ear sweet words that I love to hear (Whisper sweet words in my ear) Oh, baby Don't be shy (don't be shy) Just take-a your ti-ime (just take your time) I'd like to get to know you (like to get to know you) I'd like to make you mine (like to make you mine) I've been wai-aiting, standing here so patiently Fo-oh-oh-or you to come over and have this dance with me And my number is Beechwood 4-5789 You can call me up and have a date any old time