The Marvelettes

While still in her teens, Michigan's Georgeanna Dobbins wrote "Please Mr. Postman," and the song so impressed Motown Records head Berry Gordy that he signed Dobbins and four of her girlfriends as the Marvelettes. Illness forced Dobbins' departure soon after, but the upbeat, supercatchy "Postman" -- which gave Motown its first #1 pop hit -- remains the group's signature tune. "Beechwood 4-5789" is nearly its equal in perkiness (and remains perhaps the best of rock & roll's many "phone number" songs); "Too Many Fish in the Sea" is also prime early Marvelettes; lead singer Gladys Horton exudes good-humored sass.

By 1967, the group went in for a more mature sound -- the commanding "The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game" is a classic example -- but its pop appeal never wavered. "My Baby Must Be a Magician" and "Here I Am Baby," the latter released in 1968, marked the waning of their heyday; dizzying personnel changes (as reflected on the Hot compilation) ultimately made the Marvelettes seem like an echo of their former glory. (PAUL EVANS)

From 2004's The New Rolling Stone Album Guide