Wanda Young from Motown Records's the Marvelettes reportedly passed away at the age of 78.
Her death was confirmed Thursday, December 16, by her former labelmate Claudette Robinson of The Miracles. In her Instagram post, she said, "A very sad day for our @motown family and music fans all over the world. Wanda was a star on Earth and now she is a star in Heaven. Put on some #Marvelettes and turn it up."
As of writing, there were no reports made regarding her cause of death.
The History of The Marvelettes
As reported by the uDiscoverMusic, The Marvelettes were initially formed in Inkster High School Detroit, naming themselves Casinyets, which is a contraction of "can't sing yet."
By 1961, they entered a talent contest where they were given a chance to audition with Motown. As a result, Motown themselves were impressed, but they were told to create an original material.
The group initially consisted of Gladys Horton, Katherine Anderson, Georgeanna Tillman, Juanita Cowart (now Cowart Motley), and Georgia Dobbins. Wanda Young was later added as Dobbins' replacement before signing their first deal.
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The Rest of The Marvelettes Career
Based on a report by The Sun, the women were considered the first successful act of Motown Records after the 1995's The Miracles. They were also labeled "one of the most influential groups" of the Motown era, all thanks to their No.1 hit single, "Please Mr. Postman."
Dobbins asked her songwriter friend, William Garrett, who offered the song in the same year. Dobbins reworked the song by coming up with new lyrics and still kept the title. The group, then, decided to perform it to producers Brian Holland and Robert Bateman and ended up loving it, per source.
With the help of 22-year-old Marvin Gaye, as the drummer, they rehearsed the song for two weeks and recorded it. Berry Gordy, the founder of Motown Records, gave them the name The Marvelettes while also earning a top spot in the Billboard Hot 100.
Numerous A-list musicians like The Beatles recorded "Please Mr. Postman," which made it to their second studio album, "With the Beatles." More years later, the Carpenters created their rendition of the song, ending up as a hit as well, becoming one of a dozen million-seller and Gold-certified singles in the US. Unfortunately, the Motown group silently disbanded in 1969.
May her soul rest in peace.
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