Would make complete sense. And also why Smokey always picked Wanda instead of her for the songs he worked on with them.
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Gladys and Wanda sounded just a bit similar, so each could cover for the other when necessary, which was an asset to the group at the time.
Wanda’s voice had that bitter-sweet edge where Gladys always sang full-out and sometimes a little gravelly. Thus, Wanda’s voice was better suited to Smokey’s writing style, plus she was married to Bobby Rogers, one of Smokey’s Miracles, so it just stood to reason. When I asked Gladys how she had felt when the lead was shifted to Wanda, surprisingly and without a trace of bitterness, she said she hadn't really cared; it was that much less for her to do in performance! She was very much the realist [[with good reason).
Yeah they did sound alike. When I first heard their version of I Want a Guy [[I prefer their version too btw), I thought Gladys was sounding real sultry until I read it was Wanda, then I heard it again and I was like "you sho are right, it is Wanda!" Lol
Other than their singing and their shows, the best part about the Marvelettes is that they were all just very good women. Down to Earth and was doing what they enjoyed.
I listened to this earlier today. It was a great listen. Although Gladys was still walking around with the belief that Smokey sold the rights to the name. He didn't have the right to do it, Motown never gave anyone permission to do that, and this is why Marshak lost his case to keep the name because it was never legally his. I wish Gladys had known that at the time.
I love that her book was going to be not just about the Marvelettes but her own origins and how she hoped to inspire other orphans. I also want to know what the letters in her book to the other Motowners was going to say. At this point, many of the Motown stories are probably only financially feasible if the writers or estates released them as self published.
If anyone is hearing bitterness in this interview, take notice that it ain't all for herself or the Marvelettes. This is what I love about Gladys; her complaints are for the fact that Motown wasn't acknowledging the ones who made it happen meaning all the acts that came onboard in the early days. When it came to the Motown Museum and the photographs that were displayed when she went, she was angry, not just that the Marvelettes weren't included, but also all her other label mates like Martha & The Vandellas and she even mentioned that Berry Gordy, of all people didn't have a proper display. I don't hear bitterness. I hear someone who is rightfully questioning why her group and others didn't get the recognition they deserved for all they did for Motown.
If you gave a record company it's FIRST major across-the-board #1, the one that kept the lights on and gave you a bit more clout with distributors, I'd say you have EVERY DAMN RIGHT to be bitter- but I don't hear that in Gladys. I only hear frustration that people didn't get their dues.
What made matters worse in regards to the Marvelettes is that they were not just a one hit wonder. They produced multiple hits for Motown. They were even one of the headlining acts on the early Motortown Revues that allowed Motown/Hitsville to tour and become popular across the country!
If you ever heard the taped interviews Florence Ballard did with Peter Benjaminson, you will see a very similar tone, attitude about her Motown experience as Gladys. The same thing I heard from Eddie Kendricks in an extensive interview he did several years before he passed.