The Velvelettes

History

Mildred brought in her younger sister Carolyn, who went by Cal or Caldin and was still in ninth grade, along with Cal’s friend Betty Kelly, a high school junior. Bertha added her cousin Norma Barbee, who was a freshman at Flint Junior College. The group chose Cal to handle lead vocals. A fellow student at Western Michigan, Robert Bullock, happened to be Berry Gordy’s nephew, and he pushed them to try out for Motown.

Their work took place at Hitsville USA, and the first single, “There He Goes” backed with “That’s The Reason Why,” came out on the IPG Records label with William Stevenson producing. A young Stevie Wonder played harmonica on those tracks. While waiting for their big break, the group cut songs for a range of producers, and some of those recordings ended up being redone by other Motown acts like Martha and the Vandellas and The Supremes. The follow-up, “He Was Really Sayin’ Somethin’,” also came from Whitfield, and the group hit the road as a supporting act on Motown tours.

The Velvelettes kept performing, though members came and went as family responsibilities shifted. Cal then brought in two new singers for live shows: Sandra Tilley, who would later join the Vandellas and was introduced by Abdul Fakir of The Four Tops, and Annette McMillan. With a hit single and steady tour dates, the group began work on an album using tracks they had already recorded. But as other Motown acts like The Supremes grew more successful, the label’s focus moved elsewhere, and the album was never finished.