The Marvelettes deserved to be asked. Let them decide who will and who can't participate. Half the people on the stage at the end of Motown 25 had substance abuse issues. I don't see why there couldn't have been an effort to get Wanda together long enough to do the show. And if it was too big a task, Gladys, Kat and the one who wrote "Postman" could have done it, with the Andantes singing behind the curtain if necessary.
And speaking of the Andantes, this was also disrespectful, them not even getting a mention. Those ladies worked their butts off, singing on everybody's records, including uncredited roles on some of the female groups' big hits.
I realize not everyone was going to get a spot to perform or rate a mention. I would never have expected Kim Weston, Brenda Holloway, Jimmy Ruffin [[although he did have one of the label's biggest hits, so maybe he should have been there), or many other names that we Motown diehards know and love but the general public may not have been as enamored with. But absolutely no excuse for icing out the Marvelettes, the Vandellas, David and Eddie, the Contours, the Funks.
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