Rosalind Ashford, one of the three original members of Martha and the Vandellas who sang on such Motown classics as “Dancing in the Street,” “Heat Wave” and “Jimmy Mack,” has died. She was 83.
A native of Detroit, Ashford died Tuesday of natural causes in the suburb of Redford Township, the Detroit Free Press reported.
“I am deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Rosalind Ashford,” Reeves told the newspaper. “Rosalind played an important part in the early days of Martha and the Vandellas. Her voice will forever be with us through our great recordings together, and she will be missed but never forgotten. Our Motown family has just gotten a little smaller. My heart is heavy.”
The soprano sang on nearly two dozen Top 40 singles on Billboard’s R&B chart and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 with the Vandellas as the second all-female group to be so honored.
Born on Sept. 2, 1943, Ashford was attending Wilbur Wright High School when she, Annette Beard and Gloria Williams became members of the girl group The Del-Phis, later to be joined by Reeves. The quartet also recorded as The Vels.
In 1962, after they sang backup for Marvin Gaye and Mary Wells, they were offered a record deal by Motown head Berry Gordy and went ahead as a trio called Martha and the Vandellas after Williams departed.
Their first hit, “Come and Get These Memories,” was released in 1963 and made it to No. 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 6 on the R&B chart. That was followed that year by the Grammy-nominated “(Love Is Like a) “Heat Wave,” which peaked at No. 4 and No. 1 on those charts, and “Quicksand,” another Top 10 smash.
After Beard was replaced by Betty Kelly, Martha and the Vandellas continued their success with “Dancing in the Street,” which went all the way to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the summer of 1964.
(“Heat Wave” would be covered by Linda Ronstadt and Phil Collins, while “Dancing in the Street” was recorded by the likes of The Mamas & the Papas, Van Halen and the Grateful Dead.)
Martha and the Vandellas also broke into the Top 10 on the Hot 100 with 1965’s “Nowhere to Run,” 1966’s “I’m Ready for Love” and 1967’s “Jimmy Mack” before Ashford exited in 1969. She would perform with various former Vandellas singers over the years while working for the Michigan Bell Telephone Co.
Survivors include her son, Damon, and four grandchildren.