Sunday 30 May 2021

Gladys Horton born 30 May 1945


Gladys Catherine Horton (May 30, 1945 – January 26, 2011) (various sources cite her year of birth as 1944) was an American R&B and pop singer, famous for being the founder and lead singer of the popular Motown all-female vocal group The Marvelettes.

Horton was born in Gainesville, Florida, orphaned before her first birthday and brought up in foster care in Inkster, a dormitory suburb for black workers at Detroit's Ford factories. It was while singing in the Inkster high school choir that she and four friends – Katherine Anderson, Georgia Dobbins, Wyanetta (Juanita) Cowart and Georgeanna Tillman – decided to form a group, inspired by the Chantels and the Shirelles and calling themselves the Marvels. At Horton's behest they entered a school talent contest; although they did not win, one of their teachers was so impressed that she secured them an audition at Motown and drove them in her car to the company's headquarters on West Grand Boulevard, later to be known as Hitsville USA.

L-R Katherine Anderson, Juanita Cowart, Gladys Horton, 
Wanda Young & Georgeanna Tillman.

When they were invited to come back with an original song, Dobbins remembered that a young pianist in Inkster, William Garrett, had been working on something that might do. They returned to Motown with Please Mr Postman, which was polished up by three company writers – Brian Holland, Robert Bateman and Freddie Gorman, the last-named adding expert knowledge to the lyric from his day-job delivering mail. The singers were quickly invited to record it with Motown's cadre of ace studio musicians, including the great drummer Benny Benjamin, who concocted the infectious beat that supported the 15 year old Horton's heartfelt cry of "D-liver D-letter D-sooner D-better!"


                              

One of Gordy's sisters, Esther Edwards, had successfully applied to become the legal guardian of the parentless Horton. The Marvelettes were put through a rudimentary version of the grooming for which Motown later became famous. Coiffed, begowned, choreographed and rehearsed, they were sent out to perform at such venues as the Apollo in Harlem and the Howard Theatre in Washington DC with the other members of the company's travelling revue.

The single eventually hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 – becoming Motown's first No. 1 Pop hit – and turning the group into instant Motown stars. Horton would later sing lead on Marvelettes' classics such as "Playboy", "Beechwood 4-5789" and "Too Many Fish in the Sea". Horton's position as lead vocalist ended in 1965 with Wanda Young, who had replaced Dobbins, taking over from then on as lead vocalist.

Horton left the group in 1967 when she became pregnant with the first of three children of a marriage that was later dissolved. She was replaced by Ann Bogan, but after Gordy gradually moved the Motown operation to Los Angeles at the start of the 1970s, leaving many of the company's stalwarts stranded in Detroit, the Marvelettes called it a day. When Horton attempted to reunite the group in the 1980s, she discovered that their name had been sold by Motown to a New York businessman, Larry Marshak, who specialised in putting together ersatz groups to exploit existing reputations and was swift to protect his rights.

Unable to interest the other members in a resumption of activities, she sometimes performed as "Gladys Horton of the Marvelettes", accompanied by two younger singers. Not until Mary Wilson of the Supremes and other artists fought a successful legal action in 2006 was the right to the full use of the names of such groups restored to their original members.

Horton moved to southern California in the 1970s. Like most of Motown's second tier of artists, the Marvelettes had helped make the label rich without enjoying the rewards that might have been expected when Gordy persuaded them, barely out of school and at the dawn of their careers, to sign a personal management contract as well as a recording deal with his company. "A lot of acts were new," Horton said. "They were young and they were inexperienced. It was easy to take advantage of them."

She retired from performing in 2009. Following a lengthy period of declining health, she suffered a stroke land was admitted to a nursing home in Sherman Oaks, California, where she died on January 26, 2011, at the age of 65 years.

The Marvelettes were nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013 and again in 2015.

(Edited from The Guardian & Wikipedia)

4 comments:

boppinbob said...

FOR”THE MARVELETTES - DETROIT’S DARLINGS 1961-1962
- THREE LPS ON ONE CD (Jasmine 2013)” GO HERE:

https://www.upload.ee/files/13189179/The_Marvelettes.rar.html

PLEASE MR. POSTMAN 1961
1. ANGEL
2. I WANT A GUY
3. PLEASE MR POSTMAN
4. SO LONG BABY
5. I KNOW HOW IT FEELS
6. WAY OVER THERE
7. HAPPY DAYS
8. YOU DON'T WANT ME NO MORE
9. ALL THE LOVE I GOT
10. WHISPER
11. OH I APOLOGISE
THE MARVELETTES - SMASH HITS OF 1962
12. MASHED POTATO TIME
13. LOVE LETTERS
14. THE ONE WHO REALLY LOVES YOU
15. TWISTIN' THE NIGHT AWAY
16. HEY BABY
17. TWISTIN' POSTMAN
18. GOOD LUCK CHARM
19. SLOW TWISTIN'
20. LOVER PLEASE
21. DREAM BABY (How Long Must I Dream)
THE MARVELETTES - PLAYBOY 1962
22. PLAYBOY
23. MIX IT UP
24. BEECHWOOD 4-5789
25. I'M HOOKED
26. I THINK I CAN CHANGE YOU
27. FOREVER
28. SOMEDAY SOMEWAY
29. GODDESS OF LOVE
30. YOU SHOULD KNOW
31. (I've Got To) CRY OVER YOU

The Marvelettes were Tamla Motown's first great female group predating The Supremes and The Vandellas by several years.Here we have their first three LPs, Please Mr Postman; Smash Hits and Playboy which funnily enough include a hit about begging a postman for a letter, 'Playboy' and 'Beechwood 4-5789'. This is Motown magic from the label's early days! (Jasmine notes)

Tom said...

Hello Bob it is great what you offer nearly every day.I learn a lot of unknown singer and I am enjoyed to hear the music of them.Marvelettes and other singer from Motown are great.I like this music.Thanks for this offer.
I am interested and searching for some tracks of the english singer Danny Storm.I hear his well known song Honest I do of an CD Sampler and would be happy to hear more of him and read a discography of him.Can you perhaps help with an offer on your side for Danny Storm.I think he makes several singles.Sorry for my bad English.Many greetings Thomas

boppinbob said...

Hello Tom. Thanks for the Danny Storm suggestion. As a Larry Palmes act it might take a while to research him. I've put Larry in the research list. I cannot promise anything but you never know. I have been inundated with artist requests and can only post one on the day of their birthday. All I can say is just keep following. Regards Bob

s32x said...

My favorite 60s vocalists are Gladys Horton and Billy Stewart.