Rosalind Ashford

Rosalind "Roz" Ashford-Holmes (born September 2, 1943) is an American soprano R&B and soul singer, famed for her work as member of the popular Motown singing group Martha and the Vandellas.

Biography

Early years

Born Rosalind Ashford on September 2, 1943, to John and Mary Ashford [ [http://www.thevandellas.com/bio.html The Original Vandellas ] ] in Detroit, Michigan, Ashford sung in church choirs and learned how to dance in local centers. Developing a passion for music, she joined the glee club and mixed choruses while attending Southeastern High School. According to her, in 1957, her mother and sister helped land her an audition at a local YMCA club where a man named Edward "Pops" Larkins recruited her, Annette Beard, Gloria Williams, and Martha Reeves to form a sister group to a male vocal group.

Naming themselves the Del-Phis, the group performed in local benefit parties all over Detroit and also performed at YMCA parties and high school functions before the group got serious about music around 1960. The following year, they released "I'll Let You Know" on the Chess Records label subsidiary Checkmate. The record didn't go anywhere and two follow-up records where they changed their name to the Vels including "Camel Walk" and "There He Is (At My Door)" also failed to bring any national interest to the group. Williams left the group in 1962 and the remaining trio became Marvin Gaye's background singers on hit singles such as "Stubborn Kind of Fellow" and "Hitch Hike".

After Martha recruited Roz and Annette to back her on a demo record intended for Mary Wells titled "I Have to Let Him Go", Motown president Berry Gordy offered to give Reeves, who was then holding a secretarial job for the label, a recording contract with her and her background singing partners. Choosing the name "Martha and the Vandellas", the group signed to Motown in September 1962 and issued the intended demo recording as their first single.

Martha and the Vandellas

Following a successful performance while performing at the Motortown Revue, the Vandellas scored a hit with their second single, "Come and Get These Memories". The song, one of the first major compositions by the team of Holland-Dozier-Holland, charted at the top ten of the American R&B singles chart. Their second hit, "(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave", helped the group to distinguish themselves from the other girl groups in the label including the pop-oriented Marvelettes and the doo-wop-influenced Supremes with a rougher, brassier gospel-influenced sound.

The group members' voices often distinguished themselves from one another in harmony: Reeves had a brassy alto sound while Annette had a deep contralto sound and Rosalind had a high soprano voice. Like the Supremes' Florence Ballard, the Marvelettes' Wanda Rogers and The Four Tops' Abdul "Duke" Fakir, Ashford registered as the high background vocal in Vandellas records. After "Quicksand" gave the group a third top forty pop hit, Beard left to start a family with her new spouse. Gordy recruited a former member of The Velvelettes, Betty Kelly, to replace her.

With Kelly, the group continued their success with signature songs "Dancing in the Street", "Nowhere to Run", "I'm Ready for Love", and "Jimmy Mack". Ashford remained in the group when Kelly was replaced by Martha's sister Lois Reeves, herself formerly of the Orlons, in 1968 and the singles "Honey Chile" and "Love Bug Leave My Heart Alone" came out of it. But following Martha's nervous breakdown over a bad reaction to a hallucinatory drug, Ashford was weary from years of touring and recording that she sought to retire from show business after the group temporarily disbanded. After Martha's return to recording and performing, Ashford was replaced by yet another member of The Velvelettes, Sandra Tilley. Ashford went on to work as a nurse after her retirement.

Later years

In 1978, Rosalind was convinced to join Martha and Annette in a reunion performance while performing for a benefit concert for actor Will Geer. Eleven years later, the three original Vandellas recorded the single, "Step Into My Shoes" for the London-based Motorcity Records label. Since then, she and Annette have continued to perform often billing themselves as "The Original Vandellas" sometimes reuniting with Martha for benefit concerts. In 1995, she was inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as member of Martha and the Vandellas. She continues to perform today.

References