Early years and establishment The group was founded in 1961 by Bertha Barbee-McNeal (June 12, 1940 – December 15, 2022) and Mildred Gill Arbor, students at
Western Michigan University. A classmate at Western Michigan University, Robert Bullock, was
Berry Gordy's nephew, and he encouraged the group to audition for Motown. The group signed to Motown in late 1962 and started recording in January 1963. They recorded at the
Hitsville USA studio and "There He Goes" and "That's The Reason Why", produced by
William Stevenson, was released as a single via the IPG Records label (Independent Producers Group). The LP was scheduled for release on Motown's V.I.P. label, as V.I.P 401. Motown released two additional singles, "Lonely Lonely Girl Am I" and "A Bird in the Hand" on their V.I.P. imprint. Both singles did not reach the same chart levels as their predecessors. The Velvelettes continued to record new material until September 1967, with the
Nick Ashford and
Valerie Simpson song "Bring Back The Sunshine", which was retitled "Dark Side of the World" when
Diana Ross later released a version of the song. The final Velvelettes single release (after an internal label change to Motown's Soul subsidiary) was "
These Things Will Keep Me Loving You", which made number 43 on the
US R&B Charts. In 1971, "These Things Will Keep Me Loving You" became a hit in the United Kingdom, number 34 on the
UK Singles Chart. Despite the new success, the group did not reunite until 1984, following a rare concert appearance by the cousins and the sisters at the request of Barbee-McNeal. Together the Gill sisters and Barbee cousins then went on to re-record their original hits and some new songs for the album
One Door Closes for
Motorcity Records. ==Discography==