I seem to recall Martha once making the statement that there were "over 100 Vandellas". I know it was discussed on this forum, but I can't find any threads. Does anyone know where that quote came from? Was it in her book?
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I seem to recall Martha once making the statement that there were "over 100 Vandellas". I know it was discussed on this forum, but I can't find any threads. Does anyone know where that quote came from? Was it in her book?
I don't where the quote can be found, but I do know that after roughly 1973, whenever Martha was on the road she would pick up two background singers to tour with or in the city that she was performing in. There have even been guys that stood in for the Vandellas over the years.Quote:
Originally Posted by marybrewster
Surely she was being facetious? The only ones I ever heard of or seen pictures of
are Annette, Roz, Sandra Tilley, Betty Kelly, Lois and Delphine. Maybe she was referring to when she was performing solo and used random back up singers and I'm sure there were plenty of them. Then, she could have gone on the road with different Vandella's? I wonder if anyone can come up with pics of different groupings? An interesting thread.
I don't remember her giving an exact number. But in Right On! magazine in the 70s, she said something about there being more Vandellas than the world would ever know. Now that is not an exact quote but it is what I got from her interview. Besides the famed Vandellas from the Motown years, there were other ladies like Vonciele Faggett and Alfie Silas, who appeared with her on SHA NA NA and in publicity photos. There was also a time when she had two guys [[one of whom was a Soul Train dancer), and they were called the Vandals.
She's probably talking all sorts of background singers on the songs as well.
Nah, that was not what she was talking about. She was referring to singers that performed with her onstage as her backing singers aka "Vandellas". Carolyn Crawford has toured with Martha as one of her Vandellas at one time.Quote:
Originally Posted by jobeterob
Pat Lewis was a one time "Vandella" with Carolyn Crawford.
Wow....I never knew that. Do you know if she ever recorded with them?Quote:
Originally Posted by marv2
They didn't record, they just toured with Martha.Quote:
Originally Posted by lakeside
it was just a figure of speech Martha used because a reporter was asking her how many Vandellas have there been.
Sorry, the only Vandellas are Roz, Annette, Betty, Lois & Sandra.
It’s trueQuote:
Originally Posted by bradsupremes
Imagine the uproar on here if Diana said such a thing
But she never would
What does she have to do with this discussion?Quote:
Originally Posted by jobeterob
I tend to confine my own definition to those women who performed as Vandellas during the group's tenure at Hitsville: Roz, Nettie, Betty, Lois and Sandy. I believe Martha, however, includes any and all of her backing vocalists.