Cousins Norma and Bertha Barbee had already sung in the Barbees prior to forming the Velvelettes.

That was a group that their uncle Simon Barbee had started up and over the months they cultivated a relationship with Mickey Stevenson, who ended up as a Motown writer/producer.

How did Bertha and your sister Mildred (Gill) co-found the Velvelettes?

Bertha was a transfer student from Flint College to Western Michigan State University, she was a music major, and my sister Mildred was a student there at same time. One time Bertha was playing the piano in the student centre and several young ladies, including Mildred were gathered around the piano listening to her play. She was playing Bach and Beethoven, then started playing some rock’n’roll tunes including some Barbees’ songs and everyone joined in singing. When Mildred heard the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity were having a talent show, she asked Bertha to form a band with her. Bertha said she had a cousin that sung in the Barbees and Mildred suggested me. I auditioned and brought in my friend Betty Kelly too.

How did you settle on the name the Velvelettes?

Initially I wanted us to be called La Jolie Filles, but we were in a car, riding around, Bertha or Mildred was driving, and we were rehearsing in the car, harmonising and listening to music on the radio and our voices sounded so pretty and smooth, we thought we were smooth like velvet and we just stretched it so it sounded like the girl group names of the day – the Ronettes, the Marvelettes, so why not the Velvelettes?