Bertha Barbee McNeal Wiki Bertha Barbee McNeal Biography
Velvetettes member Bertha Barbee McNeal died Thursday at a Kalamazoo, Michigan, hospice at the age of 82 after a battle with colon cancer. McNeal and her group, which the late Amy Winehouse said influenced her, had produced tracks like Needle in a Haystack and (He Was) Really Saying Something, the latter of which was covered by Bananarama.
Velvetettes lead singer Cal Gill Street described McNeal to The Detroit News as “the group’s historian and the glue that held us together.” He added: “She was an angel.” I have lost my dearest friend. Bertie was a lovely lady. I never heard any profanity, I never heard her speak ill of anyone, even if she was upset. She would go beyond that, like an angel here on earth. In the group, she was the glue that kept us from drowning.’
Bertha Barbee McNeal Age
Bertha Barbee McNeal was 82 years old.
Bertha Barbee McNeal Cause of Death
The Motown Historical Museum issued a statement that “Bertha’s passion was to inspire girls, particularly the next generation of female talent.” Rocket Plaza last August. “Her kind and sweet presence of hers was always a delight and she was loved by museum staff and alumni alike.” The museum called the late musical artist “a community leader and educator.”
McNeal had performed in July with The Velvetettes at Arcadia Creek in Kalamazoo, according to Deadline. McNeal, who grew up in Flint, Michigan, joined her cousin Norma in a family singing group called The Barbees. The ensemble in 1957 recorded a single produced by Mickey Stevenson titled Que Pasa (backed by The Wind).
She had another group of friends of hers while she was a student at Western Michigan University that she won a singing contest that caught the attention of another college student, legendary producer Berry Gordy’s nephew, Robert Bullock. She told the group that they should audition for Gordy, who was not present when they arrived in Detroit to audition on a Saturday.
Fortunately for the group, Stevenson, at the time Motown’s head of A&R, recognized McNeal and his cousin from their previous collaboration, and the doors were opened professionally for the talented singers to advance. “I was in awe of the other Motown groups,” McNeal previously told The Detroit News. “These people like Stevie Wonder would come by the studio and we were happy to be there. I don’t know if it’s because we were from abroad, but we put them on a pedestal. We were definitely in awe of Marvin Gaye.
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