The Velvelettes

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The Velvelettes were a 60’s femal vocal group founded in 1961 by sisters Carolyn and Millie Gill with cousins Bertha Barbee-McNeal and Norma Barbee (both from Flint, Michigan) on the Western Michigan University campus, where they were students.

The group signed to Motown Records, but weren’t given top priority, as other female vocal groups were attracting audiences and recording hits. While the group awaited their chance at stardom, they recorded backing vocals for more established Motown girl groups, including The Marvelettes, Martha & The Vandellas, and The Supremes.

The Velvelettes got their break in 1964 with “Needle In A Haystack” which peaked at number 45 on the Billboard Hot 100 in mid-1964. The group recorded its follow-up, “He Was Really Sayin’ Somethin’”, and spent time on various Motown-sponsored tours as an opening act.

With a song on the charts and a place on several concert tours, The Velvelettes began recording an album. Despite burgeoning success, the members of the group began to disagree about the music they were recording. Half wanted to record more mature songs and thought the material was trite, while the other half didn’t want to rock the boat so early in their career.

Motown became apprehensive about the group’s potential, and wary of the expense of the recordings. Not wanting to let good time and money go to waste, the label released two additional singles, “Lonely Lonely Girl Am I” and “A Bird In The Hand,” as the group endured several line-up changes. Both singles flopped, and Motown cancelled the scheduled release of the group’s eponymous debut album.

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Popular tags: motown, soul, 60s, female vocalists, northern soul  See more

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• The Velvelettes Meet the Royalettes
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• The Motown Anthology
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• The Very Best Of The Valvelettes
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1		Needle In A Haystack			485
2		He Was Really Sayin' Somethin'			171
3		These Things Will Keep Me Loving You			61
4		He Was Really Sayin' Somethin' - Single Version			53
5		A Bird In The Hand (Is Worth Two In The Bush)			44
6		He Was Really Saying Somethin'			37
7		(We've Got) Honey Love			35
8		Lonely, Lonely Girl Am I			34
9		Ain't No Place Like Motown			33
9		Needle In A Haystack - Single Version			33
11		He Was Really Sayin' Something			25
11		These Things Will Keep Me Loving You - Single Version			25
13		That's The Reason Why			16
14		Since You've Been Loving Me			15
15		I'm The Exception To The Rule			13

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