Many of us grew up with parents or grand-parents who loved the finger snapping tunes of the late 50s through 60s. Most of us cannot deny ever hearing the catchy Motown tune sung by the soul-sangin’ quintet, The Marvelettes. Their founder and lead singer, Gladys Horton was known for her sweet sultry voice on their Billboard- topping debut single, “Please Mr. Postman” at the tender age of 17. The Marvelettes later eventually became a trio and continued to make a buzz in popular music with singles like “Playboy”, “Beechwood 4-5789″ and “Too Many Fish in the Sea”. Horton was later replaced by Wanda Young as lead singer in 1965 and eventually left the Marvelettes in 1967.
♫ Please Mr. Postman – The Marvelettes
Sadly, the 65 year-old lead singer died on Wednesday evening at a nursing home facility in Sherman Oaks, California. The mother of two suffered a stroke last year and officially retired from the music business in 2009 after 48 years as a Marvelette veteran.
May Ms. Horton rest in perfect peace.
Check out this 1960s video of Gladys Horton and The Marvelettes performing their 1961 hit single, “Please Mr. Postman.”
