With their undeniable Motown sound, The Velvelettes, one of the record label’s earliest girl group was a stylish, sophisticated and smart collective of women who owned their voice and artistry during their time.
Founded by Bertha Barbee (McNeal) of Flint and Mildred Gill (Arbor) of Kalamazoo turned their love of singing into a full-fledged group that caught Motown’s eye, which led to them being signed in the 1960s.
McNeal, 82, died from colon cancer, according to published reports.
“The College Girls”, or “The Choir”, as they were described by their Motown friends recorded their first song, “There He Goes”, originally written by Norma Barbee Fairhurst.
The song “Needle in a Haystack,” which peaked at #45 on Billboard’s Hot 100 in 1964, gave them their big break. They collaborated with “Needle in a Haystack” producer Norman Whitfield on “He Was Really Sayin’ Somethin,” another successful song. Along with reaching the Top 100 of the pop chart, that single peaked at #21 on the R&B chart. There He Goes and That’s the Reason Why both featured young Stevie Wonder on harmonica. They went on tour with the Motown label and supported the Temptations.
Berry Gordy acknowledged the value of “Needle in a Haystack” by The Velvelette years after their debut because it enabled him to maintain Motown early on, before any contributions had even been made by the Supremes or other Motown artists.
They were the only Motown group—aside from Stevie Wonder—to have ever released music in French and were incredibly popular in England.
Numerous artists were affected by The Velvelettes’ sound. The late, great Amy Winehouse stated that the Velvelettes and the Shangri-Las were the two bands that impacted her writing in an interview by Maura Johnston for Rolling Stone that was published on October 27, 2016.
When Bananarama, an English female group from the 1980s, recorded “He Was Really Sayin’ Somethin,” it once again became a smash.
You can find The Velvelettes featured on the Motown Museum site, www.MotownMuseum.org.
The Detroit News reported that the Velvelettes were the only Motown group with all of original members only just recently performing in 2019.
“She was an angel. I’ve lost my dearest friend,” said Cal Gill Street, lead singer for the Velvelettes. “She was the group historian, and the glue that kept us together.”
“Bertha’s passion was to inspire young girls, particularly the next generation of female talent,” Motown Historical Museum noted in a statement. “She was a faithful supporter of the Motown Museum and participated in many museum events including Hitsville Honors in 2019 and the grand opening of Rocket Plaza this past August. Her kind and sweet presence was always a delight and she was loved by the museum staff and alumni alike.”
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