The Marvelettes
the first successful act of Motown Records
Gladys Horton, Katherine Anderson, Georgeanna Tillman, Juanita Cowart (now Cowart Motley), and Georgia Dobbins, who was replaced by Wanda Young
They are best known for “Don’t Mess with Bill” and “Please Mr. Postman.
The Marvelettes were an American girl group that achieved popularity in the early to mid-1960s. They consisted of schoolmates Gladys Horton, Katherine Anderson, Georgeanna Tillman, Juanita Cowart (now Cowart Motley), and Georgia Dobbins, who was replaced by Wanda Young prior to the group signing their first deal. They were the first successful act of Motown Records after the Miracles and its first significantly successful female group after the release of 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 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.
Nevertheless, they managed a major comeback in 1966 with “Don’t Mess with Bill”, along with several other hits. They struggled with problems of poor promotion from Motown, health issues and substance abuse with Cowart the first to leave in 1963, followed by Georgeanna Tillman in 1965, and Gladys Horton in 1967. The group ceased performing together in 1969 and, following the release of The Return of the Marvelettes in 1970, featuring only Wanda Rogers, disbanded for good, with both Rogers and Katherine Anderson leaving the music business.
The group has received several honors including induction into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, as well as receiving the Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation. In 2005, two of the group’s most successful recordings, “Please Mr. Postman” and “Don’t Mess with Bill” earned million-selling Gold singles from the RIAA. On August 17, 2013, in Cleveland, Ohio, at Cleveland State University, the Marvelettes were inducted into the first class of the Official Rhythm & Blues Music Hall of Fame.
In 2005, the group was awarded two gold plaques for their biggest hits, “Please Mr. Postman” and “Don’t Mess with Bill” after the RIAA had certified the singles as million-sellers. The following year, Horton appeared on the PBS concert special, My Music: Salute to Early Motown, along with other Motown stars from the label’s early years. Some of the group’s recordings were later sampled for songs by rap musicians, most notably Jay-Z’s song, “Poppin’ Tags”, sampled the group’s 1970 cover of Smokey Robinson’s composition, “After All”, from his 2002 album, The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse.
In 1995, they were honored with the “Pioneer Award” at the Rhythm & Blues Foundation. In 2004, the group was inducted to the Vocal Group Hall of Fame. In 2006, Marc Taylor issued the biography, The Original Marvelettes: Motown’s Mystery Girl Group. The group’s story had been documented several years before in Goldmine magazine from a 1984 article.
In 2007, the Marvelettes were voted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame.
In 2009, as part of Motown’s 50th Anniversary celebrations, a new limited-edition triple-CD set on the group entitled The Marvelettes: Forever – The Complete Motown Albums Vol. 1 was released. This featured the group’s first six albums, some of which had never been released on CD. The Marvelettes: Forever More – The Complete Motown Albums Vol. 2, which included their later albums and bonus material, was released in 2011. Their much-covered 1961 million-selling # 1 hit tune “Please Mr. Postman” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2011.
The Marvelettes were nominated for 2013 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They became eligible for induction in 1987. Although they did not garner enough votes for induction, they made the ballot a second time for induction in the year 2015.
On August 17, 2013, the Marvelettes were inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in Cleveland and again in June 2017 in Detroit, Michigan
Group Members
Gladys Catherine Horton (May 30, 1945, Gainesville, Florida – January 26, 2011) – lead vocals (1960–1967)
Wanda LaFaye Young Rogers (August 9, 1943, Inkster, Michigan – December 15, 2021) – lead vocals (1961–1971)
Katherine Elaine Anderson Schaffner (born January 16, 1944, Ann Arbor, Michigan) – vocals (1960–1969) Georgeanna
Marie Tillman Gordon (February 6, 1944, Inkster, Michigan – January 6, 1980) – vocals (1960–1965)
Ann Victoria Bogan (March 17, 1941, Cleveland, Ohio) – lead vocals (1967–1969)
Juanita Cowart Motley (born Wyanetta Cowart, January 8, 1944, Rockport, Mississippi) – vocals (1960–1963)
Georgia Dobbins Davis (May 5, 1942, Carthage, Arkansas – September 18, 2020) – lead vocals (1960–1961)