NOVEL: MOTOWN FROM THE BACKGROUND

One of Motown's best kept secrets ain't one anymore with the release of The Andante's biography entitled "Motown From the Background."

For those of you who don't know about The Andantes, be prepared for an amazing story that really makes you feel bad for this talented group of ladies who deserve more recognition and praise for their work. They were Motown's in-house backing group and lend their vocals to over 20,000 recordings.

The Andantes impressive vocal blend can be heard on some of the labels biggest hits from every act except Gladys Knight & the Pips. Any female backing vocals heard on hits from The Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, Mary Wells, or Kim Weston are definitely the Andantes. They even sang the background vocals for the labels girl groups. When The Marvelettes eventually became a trio, The Andantes were brought in secretively to smooth out the Marvelettes shakey background vocals. This was blatantly done for Martha & the Vandellas around 1966 when producers felt the group needed more voices to support Martha's strong voice on some records. Soon after, The Andantes appeared on every song with Martha, and the Vandellas were reduced to live performances only.

The Andantes were also utilized for The Supremes after Florence Ballard left the group. Diana Ross & The Supremes' 1968 Lp "Love Child" should have been entitled Diana Ross & The Andantes because they basically sang the background vocals on every track except for about one or two of the songs where "Baby Love" is revisited and Mary Wilson's unmistakable voice can be heard. Other than those few tracks, the real Supremes never performed on another Supremes recording until Diana left the group.

Listen to "Love Child," featuring background vocals from the Andantes, not the real Supremes: Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong



Now, listen to the Supremes live on television with a Mary performing "I Can't Take My Eyes Off You" before performing "Love Child."



Not to take anything away from the Andantes because they had a very great vocal blend, but It's always better to hear the real singers in a group, in the case of the girl groups. In the case of backing The Four Tops or soloist, their work is acceptable because they were just brought in to sing along with the Tops, not in place of them.

I never fully understood why Motown never pushed The Andantes to become their own group. They recorded for the label back in 1963, but lack of success reduced them to the studio. None of the members regret not having a career in the spotlight but just want recognition for their contributions. In conjunction with The Funk Brothers, the Andantes have appeared on more number ones and million sellers than any of Motown's Icons.

So next time you hear one of your favorite Motown records, listen closely and see if you can tell if the Andantes are on it. And now I leave you with Marvin Gaye's "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," where the Andantes' presence is strong key to the songs success.