Sandra L. Tilley (May 6, 1945 The Encyclopedia of Rock Obituaries - Page 426
/ref> or 1946 – September 9, 1983)was an American R&B and

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest att ...

singer Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

, best known for being a member of

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

girl group

the Velvelettes The Velvelettes were an American singing girl group, signed to Motown in the 1960s. Their biggest chart success occurred in 1964, when Norman Whitfield produced "Needle in a Haystack", which peaked at number 45 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, an ...

; and later joining

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, Rosali ...

Early life and career

Sandra Tilley was born in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S ...

on May 5, 1946. Her parents both died when she was an infant. After her parents' death, Tilley was raised by her relatives in Ohio. While In attending school in Cleveland, she would take music classes, and play violin in her school orchestra. Tilley would enter into a career in show business not too long after she graduated from high school. She would become a familiar face in the Cleveland music scenes of the 1960s, taking work as a fill in back up singer for

The Orlons The Orlons are an American R&B group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that formed in 1960. The group won gold discs for three of their singles. Career The quartet consisted of lead singer Rosetta Hightower (June 23, 1944 – August 2, 2014), Sh ...

. Tilley’s talent was noticed by Carolyn Gill of

The Velvelettes The Velvelettes were an American singing girl group, signed to Motown in the 1960s. Their biggest chart success occurred in 1964, when Norman Whitfield produced "Needle in a Haystack", which peaked at number 45 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, an ...

who was looking for a fill in for her group. She recruited into

in late 1965 by Gill, as a permanent replacement for member Gail Sonders, would retire the group to focus on her family. Tilley would remain in the groups lineup until their final disband in September, 1967. In 1968, Tilley would later become the final member to join

Martha Reeves 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, Rosalin ...

replacing former member Rosalind Ashford. She would make her debut with the group during their engagement at the Copacabana in December of 1968. The following year, Tilley would be featured on the album cover for

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 ...

7th studio album “ Sugar ‘n’ Spice”. However, many of Ashford vocals were featured on many of the albums track listings and it is unlikely she sang on the album. The first song she was documented to have recorded with the Vandellas was "Something", which appeared originally on the 1970 album ''

Natural Resources Natural resources are resources that are drawn from nature and used with few modifications. This includes the sources of valued characteristics such as commercial and industrial use, aesthetic value, scientific interest and cultural value. ...

''. She sang on the chart hit "

Bless You God bless you (''variants include'' God bless or bless you) is a common English expression generally used to wish a person blessings in various situations, especially to "will the good of another person", as a response to a sneeze, and also, ...

", "Your Loves Makes It All Worthwhile" and the album ''

Black Magic Black magic, also known as dark magic, has traditionally referred to the use of supernatural powers or magic for evil and selfish purposes, specifically the seven magical arts prohibited by canon law, as expounded by Johannes Hartlieb in 14 ...

'' before the group splintered altogether following a farewell tour in 1972. Tilley's highlights as a Vandellas member included performing at the Copacabana in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

with

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...

and

F. Lee Bailey Francis Lee Bailey Jr. (June 10, 1933 – June 3, 2021) was an American criminal defense attorney. Bailey's name first came to nationwide attention for his involvement in the second murder trial of Sam Sheppard, a surgeon accused of murdering ...

in the audience. Tilley also toured the United Kingdom with the group when "Forget Me Not" became a top ten hit in the UK in 1970. Other highlights include appearances she made with the group on various television programs including The Mike Douglas show and popular dance show,

Soul Train ''Soul Train'' is an American musical variety television show. It aired in syndication from October 2, 1971, to March 25, 2006. Across its 35-year history the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists. The series ...

Death and legacy

Tilley retired from the

music industry The music industry consists of the individuals and organizations that earn money by writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling recorded music and sheet music, presenting concerts, as well as the organizations that aid, train, ...

and got married in July 1972. After marrying, Tilley and her husband both relocated to Texas and settled in the

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 ...

area.Thedeadrockstarsclub.com
- accessed May 2010 Tilley developed a

brain tumor A brain tumor occurs when abnormal cells form within the brain. There are two main types of tumors: malignant tumors and benign (non-cancerous) tumors. These can be further classified as primary tumors, which start within the brain, and seco ...

around 1979, and surgery was performed at a hospital in

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

in late-1983. Tilley died after having a

brain aneurysm An intracranial aneurysm, also known as a brain aneurysm, is a cerebrovascular disorder in which weakness in the wall of a cerebral artery or vein causes a localized dilation or ballooning of the blood vessel. Aneurysms in the posterior circ ...

on September 9, 1983 at the age of 37 or 38 (sources differ). She was buried in Highland Park Cemetery in Highland Ohio. In 2002, it was reported that no grave marker had been created for Tilley’s final resting place, and she remains in an unmarked grave. In recent years, her former Vandella band mate,

Lois Reeves Sandra Delores Reeves (born April 12, 1948), better known as Lois Reeves, is an American singer, most notable for being the younger sister of Motown legend Martha Reeves, for having replaced popular Martha and the Vandellas member Betty Kel ...

, has made a few efforts to have a marker created for Tilley, however since there are no connection to Tilley’s kin, the efforts have been unsuccessful. Tilley’s grave lies unmarked today. Tilley had no children, and was survived by her husband and grandmother.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tilley, Sandra 1945 births 1946 births 1981 deaths Musicians from Cleveland Singers from Ohio American sopranos American soul singers Martha and the Vandellas members Deaths from intracranial aneurysm 20th-century African-American women singers