Who was Bertha Barbee McNeal? The Velvelettes co-founder dies aged 82

The co-founder of singing girl group The Velvelettes, Bertha Barbee McNeal, recently passed away from colon cancer on December 15 at the age of 82. She was hospitalized at the time of death.

The news comes following the group's performance at Arcadia Creek five months ago. Another member of the group, Carolyn Gill, paid tribute to Bertha by saying:

"I never heard any profanity, I never heard her speak ill of anybody, even if she was upset. She would get beyond that, like an angel here on Earth. In the group, she was the glue that kept us from choking."

Bertha Barbee McNeal's health history remains unknown, so there aren't any more details available about her cancer. Detailed information on her funeral shall be revealed soon.

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Bertha Barbee McNeal founded The Velvelettes in 1961

The only information available about Bertha Barbee McNeal's early life is that she was raised in Flint, Michigan, and belonged to a musical family.

Bertha Barbie McNeal was a co-founder of The Velvelettes (Image via Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images)

She formed The Velvelettes in 1961 and the original members included Bertha, Annette McMillan, Sandra Tilley, and Betty Kelly. They joined Motown Records the following year and recorded several singles.

They eventually gained recognition for their single, Needle in the Haystack. The song reached the top of the Billboard charts and the band continued their successful journey until Betty exited it after only three years.

The members went through several changes in the next few years and the original trio decided to take a small break in between.

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Although they started working on an album, the work was halted in between due to the popularity of other bands. The group continued to release more singles despite not being commercially successful compared to their previous releases.

In their successful career, the group released only one album, One Door Closes, in 1990. The album was a mixture of their new and old songs. A self-titled album was scheduled for release in 1966, which remained unreleased.

They released three compilation albums from 1999 to 2004 – The Very Best of the Velvelettes, The Velvelettes: The Best Of, and The Velvelettes: The Motown Anthology.

The Velvelettes released ten singles from 1963 to 1992, including There He Goes, Needle in a Haystack, A Bird in the Hand, Running Out of Lick, It Keeps Reminding Me, and more.

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They were popular for their single, He Was Really Sayin' Somethin', released in 1964. It reached the 64th position on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and 21st on the U.S. Billboard R&B Singles. The song had three more versions released by Bananarama, Buffalo G, and Shakespears Sister.

The Velvelettes were also known for another single, These Things Will Keep Me Loving You, released in 1966 and reached the top of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, U.S. Billboard R&B Singles, and UK Singles Chart.

The current lineup of the group includes Carolyn Gill, Mildred Gill, and Norma Barbee.

Bertha Barbee McNeal's survivors include her two children, Marty and Melva.