Rosalind Ashford-Holmes, an original member of Motown powerhouse Martha and the Vandellas whose unmistakable harmonies helped fuel some of the biggest songs of the 1960s, has died at 83.
Ashford-Holmes died Tuesday, Sept. 15, of natural causes in Redford, Michigan, just outside Detroit, according to reports from the Detroit area. Her death was subsequently acknowledged by Motown and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
The Detroit-born singer was part of the group during its explosive rise at Motown, appearing on classics including “(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave,” “Nowhere to Run,” “Jimmy Mack” and the enduring 1964 anthem “Dancing in the Street.”
Her former bandmate Martha Reeves publicly mourned Ashford after learning of her death.
“I am deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Rosalind Ashford,” Reeves wrote in a tribute shared on Facebook, according to The Detroit News.
Reeves said Ashford had played an important role in the group’s early years and added that her voice would remain alive through their recordings.
“Our Motown Family has just gotten a little smaller,” Reeves wrote. “My heart is heavy.”
Classic Motown also honored the singer, calling Ashford a key figure in the label’s golden era and saying her contribution to American music would not be forgotten.
Ashford’s connection to Reeves stretched back to the period before Martha and the Vandellas became household names.
According to an oral history preserved by The HistoryMakers, Ashford originally performed with Annette Beard and others in a Detroit vocal group known as the Del-Phis. After lineup changes, Ashford, Beard and Reeves began working as background singers, including on Marvin Gaye recordings such as “Stubborn Kind of Fellow” and “Hitch Hike.”
Motown founder Berry Gordy signed the singers in 1962, and the trio soon emerged as Martha and the Vandellas.
Their breakthrough arrived with “Come and Get These Memories,” followed by “Heat Wave,” which reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned the group a Grammy nomination for Best Rhythm & Blues Recording.
But it was “Dancing in the Street” that became their defining recording.
The song, written by Marvin Gaye, William “Mickey” Stevenson and Ivy Jo Hunter, climbed to No. 2 on the U.S. pop chart in 1964 and went on to become one of Motown’s most recognizable recordings.
Its influence lasted far beyond the original chart run.
The Library of Congress selected “Dancing in the Street” for the National Recording Registry in 2005, preserving it as a recording considered culturally, historically or aesthetically significant. The Library notes that Ashford, Reeves and Beard had previously bounced between recording their own material and providing backup vocals before the song firmly established the Vandellas as stars in their own right.
Ashford’s high soprano became an important part of the group’s vocal blend.
She continued with the Vandellas through most of their peak years before departing near the end of the 1960s. Contemporary accounts generally place her exit in 1969, although some archival biographies list 1968. After leaving the group, she largely stepped away from the music business and worked for Michigan Bell Telephone Company.
Music never disappeared entirely from her life.
Ashford occasionally reunited with Reeves and original Vandella Annette Beard in later decades. Ashford and Beard also performed with singer Roschelle Laughhunn under the name The Original Vandellas.
In 1995, Ashford was formally inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Martha and the Vandellas. The Hall currently lists Rosalind “Roz” Ashford-Holmes among the members honored in the group’s induction.
The Rock Hall described the Vandellas following Ashford’s death as a fiery Motown group that went from singing backup on Marvin Gaye sessions to becoming one of the label’s defining acts.
Ashford and Reeves reportedly endured periods of tension during and after their years together, but reports surrounding Ashford’s death indicate the former bandmates had reconciled in recent years.
Ashford-Holmes is survived by her son, Damon Holmes, four grandchildren and a daughter-in-law.
Her death leaves behind a catalog that has outlived the era in which it was created — and a voice still heard every time one of Motown’s most famous opening calls rings out and invites listeners to start “Dancing in the Street.”
Leave a Reply