Rosalind Ashford, original Martha and the Vandellas singer, dies at 83

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Set us as preferred Rosalind Ashford, the soprano behind hits from Martha and the Vandellas including “Dancing in the Street” and “Heat Wave,” has died.She was 83.The singer died of natural causes on Tuesday in the Michigan suburb of Redford Township, per the Detroit Free Press.

Ashford was an original member of the Motown girl group Martha and the Vandellas, best known for their timeless soul pop songs.She sang on more than 20 of the group’s top 40 singles on Billboard’s R&B chart, including “Heat Wave,” which hit No.

1, and “Dancing in the Street,” which peaked at No.2 on the U.S.

Billboard Hot 100 chart.“I am deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Rosalind Ashford,” Martha Reeves said in a statement.“Rosalind played an important part in the early days of Martha and the Vandellas.

Her voice will forever be with us through our great recordings together, and she will be missed, but never forgotten.Our Motown Family has just gotten a little smaller.

My heart is heavy.” In 1995, Martha and the Vandellas were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, becoming the second all-female group to land the acclaim.Born on Sept.

2, 1943, to John and Mary Ashford, the budding soprano developed her chops singing in the church choir and then in the glee club at Wilbur Wright High School in Detroit.In 1957, the musically inclined teen landed an audition at the Detroit YMCA, and it was there that she, Annette Beard and Gloria Williams linked up with local music manager Edward “Pops” Larkins, and formed the girl group the Del-Phis.

According to the Motown Museum, the Del-Phis invited Reeves — then a secretary to William “Mickey” Stevenson, Motown’s Artists and Repertoire director — to join their girl group.Together, they took on gigs as backup singers, including on Marvin Gaye’s...