By MEL&THEN SOME (217.14.178.39) on Saturday, May 24, 2003 - 02:25 am:

John,
any chance of telling us how
the gig went down in Liverpool last week when you went to see the magnificent Velvelettes live on stage.
How was the event?
What did they sing?
Hope you dont mind me asking John.
Regards
(Evertonian&Soulfull)Mel(andthensome).

By John Lester (217.40.192.173) on Saturday, May 24, 2003 - 07:42 am:

Mel

I am too biased towards the Velvelettes but Ritchie did a review of the concert and I think we all accept that Ritchie is a fair man...
so here goes.

http://www.ritchie-hardin.com/soul/merseymo.html

However, the ladies were brilliant! Cal, Bertha and Norma continue to be amazed at the reception that they receive from the UK audiences. They seem to believe that we should only know Needle In A Haystack, These Things Will Keep Me Loving You and He Was Really Something! So when they did their second song of the evening "Lonely Lonely Girl Am I" - to their surprise, the audience got up from their seats, and started to sing and dance - it was all uphill from then. They later signed autographs and were shocked at how many people were actually waiting for THEM to come out of the theatre. I want them to come back and do just THEIR songs and for longer too - I am working on it as I write this.

By MEL&THEN SOME (217.14.178.82) on Saturday, May 24, 2003 - 11:03 am:

Thanks John,
I am glad and only knew the Velvelettes would not have been dissapointed with the reception they got from there uk crowd.
Ritchie,
are you a fair man!(only joking mate)
it goes without saying
how highly regarded and respected you are
and since I have come to know you,
an all round good skin.
Mel(Really saying something)boom,boom.

By stephanie (66.54.1.38) on Saturday, May 24, 2003 - 12:22 pm:

John Lester has his own thread now!!!! Im glad the
Velvelettes won the game!!! They are true professionals at their game....Im also glad to see Ali Woodson out there.....
Stephanie

By Vandelron (24.44.20.172) on Sunday, May 25, 2003 - 10:59 pm:

what did the "However"at beginning of above review refer to? Did they sing A Bird In The Hand??????Does Cal always sing lead?

By John Lester (213.123.158.138) on Monday, May 26, 2003 - 03:19 am:

Vandelron

The ladies did NOT sing "A Bird In The Hand" at Liverpool - there was sadly not enough time. They were asked to perform a Motown medley which included "My Guy" and Bertha sang the lead. So the answer to your question "does Cal always sing lead" - the answer is NO, not always. Interestingly, when the Velvelettes beat the Supremes at the Battle of the Stars in February 1964, their last song was Sam Cooke's "Ain't That Good News" - as the song came to its end, Cal went into the background and Betty Kelly took over the lead and got the whole crowd raving.

By Vandelron (24.44.20.172) on Monday, May 26, 2003 - 07:37 am:

Thanks John--very interesting--is Betty alto or soprano?(Who do u think would have won if Flo did her take on Aint That News?)I wish the Vandellas would do an occasional lead-make the act more interesting. Does Betty ever perform?Is she on good terms with Cal et all? Someone at a Supremes convention said Betty was not very friendly to him. How often do all 4 Velevelettes perform together? How would u rate their perfromance on the Stamps video?Background sounded a bit flat and harsh-maybe acoustics.

By John Lester (217.40.235.49) on Monday, May 26, 2003 - 08:14 am:

Vandelron

Betty is an alto........and for what it's worth - the Supes version of "Good News" is almost note for note identical to the Battle of The Stars version from the Velvelettes! When I told the Velvelettes that, they didn't look at all surprised!! LOLOL

Cal talks to Betty regularly at least once a month - in fact Cal is proposing to remind "Kelly" (as the Velvelettes call her!) of that performance in her next phone call. Betty does not sing on stage these days as I gather she has a hearing problem due to standing near to loud speakers during her Vandellas performances.

I haven't seen the stamps video - I need to get that but I am not sure how - is it on DVD or NTSC video?

By Vandelron (24.44.20.172) on Monday, May 26, 2003 - 08:30 am:

Its on both now. You cant get it on Mary Wilson website.

By John Lester (217.40.235.49) on Monday, May 26, 2003 - 08:56 am:

Can you tell me the website address where I can get it please

By vandelron (24.44.20.172) on Monday, May 26, 2003 - 11:40 am:

www.marywilson.com

By medusa9e (66.73.6.154) on Saturday, May 31, 2003 - 10:26 pm:

?????QUESTION?????
John Lester,
R U the same John Lester from Detroit?
PLEASE do not get offended, just curious. I do apologize if I'm wrong...but I did attend school with someone named John Lester, his Dad was N politics at that time....Thanx 4 your time!

Medusa9e

By StingBeeLee (68.43.130.52) on Sunday, June 01, 2003 - 01:35 am:

When I see the Velvelettes in the Detroit area, I have always seen four, but when they go off on tour overseas, there are only three?

By John Lester..from London (213.123.149.148) on Sunday, June 01, 2003 - 01:56 am:

Medusa9e - I was born raised and bred in London - so no, I am not the guy that you went to school with. However, I would have loved to have had a school friend like you with a similar avid interest in music.

Slingbeelee - The ladies all have straight gigs (day time jobs) and thus weekday performances take up vacation time, flexi-time etc. Performances in the USA using 4 ladies also tend to be at the weekends. It is hardest for Millie to take time off at short notice as she works in a hospital and is required to have her holidays planned AND AGREED months in advance. Once they have been agreed, come hell or high water, they cannot be changed.

By RD (63.188.33.12) on Sunday, June 01, 2003 - 07:39 am:

Recording artists never talk it about it much but the facts are that most of them had straight nine to five jobs when they were recording and having so called "hits." They had to, to survive. The only real exceptions are the younger artists and those who motto was: entertainer or bust; and some who recorded for Motown and accorded a small salary.

J.J. Barnes, for example, never made much of an impression in the States because he didn't gig a lot due to having a straight job. He never got a band and revue together like some others and seriously hit the road. Most producers and writers also had nine to five jobs.

By Keith Rylatt (217.137.88.41) on Sunday, June 01, 2003 - 08:00 am:

John Just had to smile when Medusa9e thought you went to school in Detroit. Don't they call YOUR sort of school, Reform School in the US? K. PS Only kidding, I know you did well at Eaton.

By John Lester (81.132.35.18) on Sunday, June 01, 2003 - 03:09 pm:

Eaton......I can't even spell it and it seems neither can you!! LOL

And whilst we are about it, it's about time you came up to the smoke and checked out your ole mate!

By StingBeeLee (155.139.50.14) on Monday, June 02, 2003 - 03:39 pm:

Thanks John. I guess we are fortunate in the Detroit area to see and hear four Velvelettes, although they don't quite dig deep into their records like they do in England. They are very professional on stage and I've never, ever seen them do a bad concert. Heck, one time the band was confused and stopped playing, they kept on singing accapella,
and I wished that band would have stopped period. The last time I saw them, Betty Kelly was in the audience, and they tried to get her up on stage with them, but she politely declined. To see five Velvelettes would have tore the house down.

By Ritchie (62.254.0.9) on Monday, June 02, 2003 - 03:59 pm:

IMO, three is pretty damn stunning :o)

By John Lester (217.40.203.225) on Tuesday, June 03, 2003 - 05:00 am:

SlingbeeLee

I am working on getting 5 of them........give me time..just, give me time

By Ritchie (62.254.0.9) on Tuesday, June 03, 2003 - 05:12 am:

I guess
that's the reason why
we rely on
The Boy From Crosstown

By Good Gad! (217.14.178.39) on Tuesday, June 03, 2003 - 05:19 am:

I Remember Mr Lester
at Eaton whilst I passed the school
on my way to Rugby Sir.

Were you not the runner
for
Watson-cum-hardy jnr?

yours in contempt Sir
Cuthbertson
on behalf of
Flashman!!!!!!!!

Where is Tom Brown when you want him.

By p.p. Major Bloodnok (62.254.0.9) on Tuesday, June 03, 2003 - 05:26 am:

My dear Cuthbertson

I regret to inform you that the esteemed Mr Brown sadly passed away some time ago. His demise is recalled in the refrain, "Tom Brown's Body".

Yours etc
Col. Sanders,
48th Hasty Retreaters Rgt. (Rtd)

By Michael/cleoharvey (160.79.83.208) on Wednesday, June 04, 2003 - 04:37 pm:

John Lester:

Was the late Sandra Tilley who was with Martha Reeves and the Vandellas ever part of the Velvelettes or am I am confusing them with another group she was part of?

By John Lester (213.123.150.184) on Wednesday, June 04, 2003 - 05:20 pm:

Michael

Cal talks very fondly about Sandra and comments that Sandy was a great dancer who fitted in very quicky to the Velvelettes act. It was just sheer co-incidence that a Velvelette yet again became a Vandella.

Sandy was definitely a Velvelette - there are some absolutely wonderful glamour shots of Sandy, Cal and Annette to prove it. Pictures that would make the girl groups fans amongst us go weak at the kneees..very similar to the shots of the Supremes on the "A Go Go" LP. I ought to ask Cal to dig them out so that I can post some of them here.

Thank for asking about the ladies, Michael

By Michael/cleoharvey (160.79.83.208) on Thursday, June 05, 2003 - 04:15 pm:

John Lester:

You are welcome my friend! I thought that Sandra Tilley added a bit more glamour to the Vandellas when she joined them (sort of like the extra class Cindy Birdsong added when she came to the Supremes). Sandra was a beautiful lady.

I would love to see any pictures that you might have of the Velvelettes.

By Ritchie (62.254.0.9) on Thursday, June 05, 2003 - 04:21 pm:

Hopefully, there should be some vintage pics soon on the Velvelettes' new website - eh, John? :o)

By Keith Hughes (81.77.141.206) on Thursday, June 05, 2003 - 06:53 pm:

Just thought I'd add that the Ladies all came and mingled with the fans after the show ... Bertha was definitely the friendliest, and the most wowed by the reception, and wrote the longest messages with her autograph!

John, I hope they know now that we all know their repertoire, and that they won't be shy about giving us "Since you've been loving me", "Twilight time" and maybe even "You lost the sweetest boy" (in French, of course) ... but they mustn't drop "My guy" whatever they do.

Maybe that p.p. Major Bloodnok will join us next time, if he's who I think he is, and the nurses let him out.

By John Lester (62.49.61.57) on Friday, June 06, 2003 - 07:17 am:

Michael
As Ritchie says...it won't be long now!!

Keith
It seems that all the ladies made firm friends with their fans. Let me tell you here and now, I am having to fight them off!!