Annette Beard
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Annette Beard, also known as Annette Helton or Annette Sterling, (born July 4, 1943) is an American R&B and soul singer. Beard is best known for her work with Motown and as an original member of the singing group Martha and the Vandellas during the 1960s. Beard is currently known as a member of the singing group The Original Vandellas.
Early years
Born on July 4th, 1943, in Detroit, Michigan to Ann and Roger El Wood Beard, Annette started singing in church choirs at an early age. When she was fourteen, she was discovered by a man named Edward "Pops" Larkins, who was holding auditions for a female group at the local YMCA to complement a male group he had started.[1]
Fourteen-year-old Annette impressed him with a single note and she joined friends Rosalind Ashford and Gloria Williams to form the original version of The Del-Phis in 1957. The group performed at local get-togethers, high school parties, YMCA benefits and lawn parties. Annette, who was a shy girl growing up, did not mind singing background behind Gloria Williams, then the original lead singer of the group. Fellow Detroit singer Martha Reeves would replace a departing fourth member in 1960.
In 1961, Annette graduated from
After changing their name to The Vels, the group recorded for local Motown subsidiaries Mel-O-Dy and Tamla usually singing background for local Detroit acts such as The Elgins' Saundra Mallett. In 1962, frustrated by the group's slow development and sensing a break-up, Williams left the group. Afterwards, Annette, Martha and Rosalind sang together on Marvin Gaye's hits "Stubborn Kind of Fellow", "Hitch Hike" and "Pride and Joy".
After replacing
Career
Martha and the Vandellas
Signing to Motown Records' new Gordy subsidiary,
Distinguishing themselves from the two-lead format/traditional
But Beard's rise to fame was overshadowed by a romance. Within a few months, Beard announced she was engaged and pregnant with her first child. Coming to grasp with wanting to stay in the group but also wanting to have a life of a married woman and mother, Beard opted to leave the group in June, 1964. Her last recording session with the group was the "Jimmy Mack / 3rd Finger Left Hand" session on June 18, 1964. Beard was replaced by former Velvelettes member Betty Kelly when she "retired" to care for her family and work for St John's Hospital in her native Detroit.
Later years
Having remained in touch with her former bandmates, Beard soon found herself back in the public eye following a reunion with Reeves and Ashford during a benefit concert for actor Will Geer in Los Angeles. In the mid-1980s, she and Rosalind filed suit against Motown for back royalties; several years before Reeves would do the same. Sensing a return to performing, she reunited again with Reeves and Ashford, releasing the "Heat Wave"-styled pop of "Step into My Shoes" in 1989. This reunion lead to several tours across the US and UK. In 1995, Beard joined Reeves, Ashford,
References
- ^ "The Original Vandellas". September 28, 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-09-28.[dead link]
- ^ "The Original Vandellas". September 28, 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-09-28.[dead link]