Wanda Young, a member of the Marvelettes, has passed away at the age 78.
Meta Ventress, the daughter of Young’s mother, said Saturday to The New York Times that Young had died due to complications from chronic obstruction pulmonary disease. She was born in Garden City and passed away on December 15.
Young was signed to the group before they had their Motown record deal. He also served as the group’s lead singer until his departure in 1969. Young also had a successful solo career.
The latest: The Marvelettes singer Wanda Young (center) has died at the age of 78. In 1965, she was photographed with Gladys Horton and Katherine Anderson in London.
Young also featured on many other songs such as Beechwood 4-5789. Locking up My Heart. Too Many Fish In The Sea. I’ll Keep Holding On. Don’t mess with Bill.
They are Motown’s most iconic girl group.
The group — which at various times also consisted of members Gladys Horton (who died in 2011), Katherine Anderson, Ann Bogan, Juanita Cowart and Georgeanna Tillman (who died in 1980) — received a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nomination in 2013.
Motown, the group’s record label said Friday that it was saddened to hear of Wanda Young’s passing. It was amazing to see the impact that she had on Classic Motown, and in the lives of many. She will leave a lasting legacy.
Pioneers: Motown’s first girl band is The Marvelettes. This group paved the path for many other icons such as Martha Reeves or the Supremes. Anderson Young, Ann Bogan and Martha Reeves were photographed in NYC 1968.
Recognized: In 2013, the group was nominated for a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame award
‘Wanda had this little voice that was sexy to me, a little country kind of voice,’ Smokey Robinson said in liner notes on the 1993 compilation album Deliver: The Singles (1961–1971), according to the paper. I knew that she would love a song if it was written by me.
Ventress told the Times that her mother ‘didn’t wake up every day thinking of The Marvelettes, but she never lost that glamour.
‘I kept telling her, “All these people are in love with you,”‘ she recalled. And she’d say, “Wow,”‘ she recalled.
Young and Horton were co-authors of the 1990 album The Marvelettes. Now the newspaper reports that they have signed to Motorcity Records.
Young was survived by three of her children, many grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. She also leaves behind four sisters and four brother.
Young featured in several songs including Beechwood 45789, My Baby Must Be A Magician and Locking up My Heart.