On this All R&B/Soul History Day: The No1 song in the US on this day, December 11th 1961, was Please , Mr Postman by The Marvelettes from the album Please, Mr Postman. It remained at No1 for only one week, it would be replaced the next week by The Tokens, The Lion Sleeps Tonight. William Garrett, a songwriter friend of group member Georgia Dobbins, offered this to The Marvelettes when she asked if he had anything for them to sing. Dobbins completely rewrote it (she saved only the title) and taught it to lead singer Gladys Horton. Before The Marvelettes recorded it, Dobbins left the group to care for her mother. Motown producers Robert Bateman and Brian Holland worked on the song with The Marvelettes and crafted it into a hit. Holland, along with his brother Eddie and Lamont Dozier, went on to write many other Motown classics. Marvin Gaye played drums on this song. He was 22 at the time and trying to break into the business. Part of this song was written by a postman who helped Dobbins complete the lyrics. His name was Freddie Gorman and his mail route included Brewster public housing where members of The Supremes lived. Gorman also sang with Motown group The Originals. The songwriting credits on this track are a bit murky. The copyright lists Georgia Dobbins, Brian Holland, Freddie Gorman and Robert Bateman, but the music publishing agencies (the ones who send the checks), list just Holland, Bateman and Gorman. William Garrett is listed as one of the writers in some publications. The Marvelettes were five teenage girls from Inkster, Michigan. This was their first single and their only No1. This song describes a woman awaiting a letter from her lover - something unlikely to happen in the internet age. This was the first No1 hit for Motown Records. Motown soon flourished into a legendary label with hundreds of hits. This was a No1 US hit for the Carpenters, it was their biggest hit ever worldwide, reaching No1 in the US, Australia, Germany, Japan and several other countries, as well as reaching No2 in the UK and Canada. The Beatles recorded this in 1963. Sung by John Lennon, they played it at many of their early concerts. The song was one of three Motown cuts, along with Youve Really Got A Hold On Me and Money (Thats What I Want) that The Beatles released on The Beatles Second Album. Motown head Berry Gordy agreed to a lower rate for use of the songs, as he was thrilled to have The Beatles recording tracks froCheers Please, Mr postman performed by the Marvelettes.....Enjoy! Marvelettes
Posted on: Thu, 11 Dec 2014 17:29:13 +0000
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