By Bob Berry

August 28th, 1961. Motown Records released “Please Mr. Postman” by The Marvelettes on the Tamla label.

It was the group’s first release, and history was about to be made.

The girls from Inkster High School, Gladys Horton, Katherine Anderson, Georgeanna Tillman and Wanda Young; were about to have a million-selling hit, and become the first Motown group to hit Number One on both the pop and r&b charts.

And perhaps most surprisingly, given Berry Gordy’s “Ford-inspired “assembly line approach” to hit-making; they did it with a song Gladys Horton found, and co-wrote!

While The Marvelettes never again hit Number One, they had a string of hits, notably “Beechwood 4-5789”, “Playboy”, “Too Many Fish In The Sea”, “The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game” and the million-selling “Don’t Mess With Bill”. And “Please Mr. Postman”, recorded by The Beatles for their second album, went to Number One again in 1975, with The Carpenter’s very pop version. And, it sold a million copies the second time around!

We hope you enjoyed our Keener Friday song, with Motown’s first great girl group, The Marvelettes.