Died On This Date (January 26, 2011) Gladys Horton / The Marvelettes

Gladys Horton
1944 – January 26, 2011

Gladys Horton was the founding lead singer of influential Motown girl group, the Marvelettes.  Formed in Detroit in 1960, the Marvelettes would go on to have 21 R&B charting hits and 23 to make Billboard’s Hot 100 singles chart.  Their most popular songs were “Beechwood 4-5789,” “Too Many Fish In The Sea,” and of course, “Please, Mr. Postman,” which was Motown’s first #1 pop hit.   They were the blueprint for future hit makers like Martha Reeves & The Vandellas and the Supremes.  Horton left the group in 1967 but reunited with the group during the late ’80s.  Gladys Horton was 66 when she passed away in a Los Angeles nursing home on January 26, 2011.  She had been recuperating from a previous stroke.  Co-founding member, Georgeanna Tillman passed away in 1980.

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The Marvelettes: The Definitive Collection - The Marvelettes

Died On This Date (December 26, 2010) Teena Marie / Had Several R&B Hits

Teena Marie
March 5, 1956 – December 26, 2010

Teena Marie was a singer, songwriter, and producer who had a string of R&B hits throughout the ’80s and ’90s.  By all accounts, she was one of the most successful white female R&B performers in history.  Born and raised in Los Angeles, Marie landed a job at Motown Records in the late ’70s.  It was there that she met Rick James who took her under his wing and helped her sculpt an image and sound that would take her to the top of the R&B and pop charts.  Her hits included “I’m a Sucker For Your Love,” I Need Your Lovin’,” and of course, 1984’s “Lovergirl,” which hit #4 on the US singles charts.   Marie was still making great music through 2009 and was headlining in Las Vegas up until the time of her passing.  Teena Marie was 54 when she died on December 26, 2010.  Cause of death was not immediately released.

Thanks to Jill Wheeler for the assist.

What You Should Own

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Ultimate Collection: Teena Marie - Teena Marie

Died On This Date (December 26, 2010) Bernie Wilson / Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes

Bernie Wilson
DOB Unknown – December 26, 2010

Bernie Wilson was a member of the great R&B singing group, Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes for many years, including those that gave us such soul staples as “If You Don’t Know Me By Now,” “Bad Luck,” and “The Love I Lost.”  It was the Blue Notes that helped define a popular style of R&B known as The Sound Of Philadelphia or Philly Soul, which soon begat disco and later, smooth jazz and quiet storm.  Other notables of the genre are/were The O’Jays, The Spinners, and McFadden & Whitehead.  After signing their first record deal in 1972, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes enjoyed several years of hits, television appearances, and sold-out concerts thanks in part to the instantly recognizable hefty lead vocals of Teddy Pendergrass.  But when Pendergrass left for a solo career in 1976, the group’s reign at the top of the heap came to an end.  They DID enjoy a handful of hits throughout the rest of the ’70s and continued performing in one form or another through the ’90s – the later years were without Melvin, who passed away in 1997.  It was Wilson who was a constant throughout the group’s various incarnations.  Bernie Wilson was 64 when he died of undisclosed illness on December 26, 2010.

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The Essential Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes - Bernard Wilson, Harold Melvin, Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, Jerry  Cummings, Jerry Cummings, Laurence  Brown, Laurence Brown, Lloyd  Parks, Lloyd Parks, Theodore  Pendergrass & Theodore Pendergrass, Jr.

Died On This Date (December 25, 2010) Dorothy Jones / The Cookies

Dorothy Jones
May 16, 1934 – December 25, 2010

Dorothy Jones was a founding member of R&B girl group, the Cookies.  Formed in 1953, the Cookies had hits with “In Paradise,” “Don’t Say Nothin’ Bad (About My Baby),” “Girls Grow Up Faster Than Boys,” and of course, “Chains.”   The Beatles also had a hit with “Chains” a few years later.  The Cookies can also be heard singing back up on Neil Sedaka’s “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do” and Little Eva’s “The Loco-Motion.”  The group split up in 1967.  Dorothy Jones was 76 when she died of Alzheimer’s Disease on December 25, 2010.

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The Cookies

Died On This Date (October 26, 2010) James Phelps / Gospel Great

James Phelps
DOB Unknown – October 26, 2010

James Phelps was a pioneering Gospel and R&B singer who, over the course of his long career worked with  Sam Cooke, Lou Rawls, and Otis Redding.  Phelps entered into show business while still in his teens, when he moved from Shreveport to Chicago and began singing in local Gospel groups.  After dabbling in rock ‘n roll and R&B a bit, Phelps returned to Gospel for the rest of his professional life.  In 1965, he scored an R&B hit with “Love is a Five Letter Word.”  James Phelps was 87 when he passed away on October 26, 2010.  He died from complications of diabetes.

Thanks to Craig Rosen at Number1Albums for the assist.