Gloria Williams (August 1, 1942 - July 5, 2000) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

singer notable for being the original lead singer of an early incarnation of

Martha and the Vandellas Martha and the Vandellas (known from 1967 to 1972 as Martha Reeves & The Vandellas) were an American vocal girl group formed in Detroit in 1957. The group achieved fame in the 1960s with Motown. An act founded by friends Annette Beard, Rosalind ...

under the name, The Del-Phis. Born Gloria Jean Williamson in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

in 1942, Williams auditioned for a spot in a girl group in 1957, and found herself accompanying

Annette Beard Annette Beard, also known as Annette Helton or Annette Sterling, is an American R&B and soul singer. Beard is best known for her work with Motown and as an original member of the singing group Martha and the Vandellas during the 1960s. Beard is ...

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

and

Martha Reeves Martha Rose Reeves (born July 18, 1941) is an American R&B and pop singer. She is the lead singer of the Motown girl group Martha and the Vandellas which scored over a dozen hit singles, including "Come and Get These Memories", " Nowhere to R ...

in the christened Del-Phis. The group performed in benefits and high school parties before being signed to the

Chess Records Chess Records was an American record company established in 1950 in Chicago, specializing in blues and rhythm and blues. It was the successor to Aristocrat Records, founded in 1947. It expanded into soul music, gospel music, early rock and roll ...

subsidiary Checkmate (later bought by

Motown Records Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmant ...

), where the group recorded a single, "I'll Let You Know", with Williams on lead. Once at Motown, the group sang

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are use ...

for other acts/artists on studio recordings, such as

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo ar ...

during this period. Williams sang lead on an early single, "There He Is (At My Door)", on the Mel-O-Dy subsidiary of Motown after the group changed their name to The Vels. On the single's flip side, "You'll Never Cherish A Love So True", she shares the lead with

, who recorded a spoken part. However, when the single flopped, a frustrated Williams left the group leaving the band as a trio. The group went on to international fame with Reeves as lead singer under the name of Martha and the Vandellas. Williams died of

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

complications in Detroit on July 5, 2000. She was 57 years old.

References

External links

The Original Vandellas

The Vells a.k.a. The Del-Phis & The Vandellas
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williamson, Gloria Martha and the Vandellas members American contraltos 1942 births 2000 deaths Singers from Detroit 20th-century American singers Deaths from diabetes 20th-century American women singers