Bertha Barbee McNeal Dies: Cofounder Of Motown’s Velvelettes Was 82
deadline.comBertha Barbee McNeal, whose Motown group The Velvelettes had hits with“Needle in a Haystack” and “(He Was) Really Saying Something,” died Thursday in hospice in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
She was 82 and had colon cancer. McNeal and The Velvelettes hit “He Was Really Saying Something” was covered by the British group Bananarama, and The Velvelettes were cited by singer Amy Winehouse as a major influence. “She was an angel.
I’ve lost my dearest friend,” said Cal Gill Street, lead singer for The Velvelettes, to the Detroit News. “She was the group historian, and the glue that kept us together.” In a statement, the Motown Historical Museum lauded McNeal as “a community leader and educator. … Bertha’s passion was to inspire young girls, particularly the next generation of female talent.
She was a faithful supporter of the Motown Museum and participated in many museum events including Hitsville Honors in 2019 and the grand opening of Rocket Plaza this past August.
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