Gladys Catherine Horton

 Gladys Catherine Horton (May 30, 1945 – January 26, 2011)

She was best known for being the founder and lead singer of the popular Motown vocal group The Marvelettes. After member Georgia Dobbins co-created the song "Please Mr. Postman", Dobbins suddenly left the group after her father forbade her to be in nightclubs. Dobbins, who was also the group's original lead singer, gave Horton the spotlight to be the lead vocalist, a spot Horton was not comfortable with in the beginning. The group changed their name to the Marvelettes shortly after Motown signed the act and released "Please Mr. Postman" in the summer of 1961 when Horton was reportedly just fifteen years old. The single eventually hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 – becoming Motown's first No. 1 Pop hit – and turning the group into instant Motown stars. The Beatles recorded a version of “Please Mr. Postman” that was on their second U.S. album, and the Carpenters brought the song back to No.1 with their 1975 remake. Horton would later sing lead on Marvelettes' classics such as "Playboy", "Beechwood 4-5789" and "Too Many Fish in the Sea". Horton's position as lead vocalist ended in 1965 with Wanda Young, who had replaced Dobbins, taking over from then on as lead vocalist. The Marvelettes struggled with personal conflicts among the members, and as the Supremes and Vandellas ascended, Motown gave them less attention. When Horton gave birth to her son Sammie, who has cerebral palsy, she left the business to care for him. Horton, who moved to the Los Angeles area, performed periodically in the 1980s and ‘90s, a challenge complicated by legal restrictions on the use of the Marvelettes’ name. Gladys Horton died on January 26, 2011, in a nursing home in Sherman Oaks, California, following several strokes and years of declining health. She was 65 years old.