Rosalind Ashford-Holmes, one of the original voices behind Motown's Martha and the Vandellas, died in Redford, Michigan, on Tuesday, Sept. 15, of natural causes. She was 83. Her voice helped define some of the label's most enduring hits, including “Dancing in the Street,” “Heat Wave,” “Jimmy Mack” and “Nowhere to Run.”
According to the Detroit Free Press, Ashford-Holmes remained with Martha and the Vandellas through 1969, singing on nearly two dozen of the group's Top 40 R&B singles. A Rock & Roll Hall of Fame catalog entry, however, states she left the group in 1968, a discrepancy the available record does not resolve.
From the Del-Phis to Motown Royalty
Ashford began performing in the late 1950s, and her path to Motown started years before the label came calling. As the Los Angeles Times reports, she, Annette Beard and Gloria Williams linked up in 1957 and formed the girl group the Del-Phis. Martha Reeves later joined that lineup as well.
In 1962, the trio signed with Motown and became Martha and the Vandellas, according to SoulTracks. The same outlet notes that “Come and Get These Memories” became the group's first major hit in 1963, launching what would become one of Motown's signature acts.
Chart-Topping Run and Lasting Recognition
The group's momentum only grew from there. The 1967 song “Jimmy Mack” went to No. 1 on the Billboard R&B singles chart, the Los Angeles Times notes, cementing the Vandellas as one of the label's most consistent hitmakers. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's own archive credits the group with charting 24 R&B hits overall, while the Los Angeles Times describes Ashford as having sung on more than 20 of the group's Top 40 R&B singles.
That run of success led to induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. The recognition didn't stop there — per WCSX, Ashford also appeared with Reeves and Beard on a commemorative U.S. postage stamp issued in 2000.
Life After the Spotlight
Once she stepped away from the group, Ashford-Holmes built a career far from the stage. The same WCSX report states she worked as a computer systems specialist for Michigan Bell, a regional telephone company, during the 1980s. Even so, music was never fully in the rearview — from the 1980s onward, the Free Press notes, she would occasionally reunite with her longtime singing companion Annette Beard to perform as the Original Vandellas.
Martha Reeves remembered her former bandmate warmly, saying Ashford played an important part in the early days of Martha and the Vandellas. Reeves added that Ashford's voice will forever be with them through their great recordings together, a sentiment echoed in coverage from Parade.
Ashford-Holmes is survived by her son, Damon Holmes, four grandchildren and a daughter-in-law, according to the Detroit Free Press. Her passing was also reported by The Michigan Chronicle, which noted her role as an original member of the Motown group that helped soundtrack a generation.
