She possessed one of the most earthy, soulful vocal deliveries associated with the Motown label, but Cal Gill, lead singer with the Velvelettes was told she had to pinch her nose while singing (We’ve Got) Honey Love to sound more like Diana Ross - even though the five-piece (Cal Gill, Norma Barbee, Bertha Barbee, Mildred Gill, Betty Kelly) had beaten the Supremes not once but twice in a Motown Battle Of The Stars talent contest in 1964. Cal wasn’t just a talented singer but songwriter too, the quintet initially penning their own material – songs such as their debut single, There He Goes and Should I Tell Them – and in Bertha, they had a skilled pianist in their midst. Yet despite their immense talent, like so many artists in the wake of the Supremes’ huge success, they were quickly sidelined. With the label from ’63 to ’69 they recorded just six singles – There He Goes, Needle In A Haystack, He Was Really Sayin’ Somethin’, Lonely Lonely Girl Am I, A Bird In The Hand (Is Worth Two In The Bush) and These Things Will Keep Me Loving You. Last month saw the release of a fabulous double cd, *The Motown Anthology that gathers both previously unissued studio and live recordings, proving just what a versatile prospect they were. Here Cal Gill reminisces to Lois Wilson about both the highs – their debut session at Motown, Dick Clark’s Caravan Of Stars tour - and the lows – uncredited songwriting and racism.