The Andantes were an American female session group for the Motown record label during the 1960s. Composed of Jackie Hicks, Marlene Barrow, and Louvain Demps, the group sang background vocals on numerous Motown recordings, including songs by Martha Reeves & the Vandellas, the Temptations, Stevie Wonder, the Four Tops, Jimmy Ruffin, Edwin Starr, the Supremes, the Marvelettes, Marvin Gaye and the Isley Brothers, among others. It is estimated they appeared on 20,000 recordings.

The Andantes provided back-up singing on Motown singles starting in 1962. The group was most prominently used on all of the Four Tops' Holland–Dozier–Holland-produced hits, including "Baby I Need Your Loving", "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)", "Reach Out I'll Be There", and more. Motown began to use the Andantes as either substitute or additional background vocalists on certain recordings by its girl groups beginning with the Marvelettes recordings in 1965, Martha & the Vandellas in 1966, and major part of the Supremes recordings between 1968–1969 although Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong continued to record.

In 1963, the Andantes, with the Marvelettes, released the single "Too Hurt to Cry, Too Much in Love to Say Goodbye" b/w "Come on Home" as credited to the Darnells. In 1964 they released a single of their own called "(Like A) Nightmare" b/w "If You Were Mine", though none of the actual Andantes sang lead on either track (future Marvelette Ann Bogan performed the lead vocals).

The Andantes are also featured on some records that were not produced by Motown Records, the most prominent example being Jackie Wilson's "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher" (Pat Lewis substitutes for Louvain Demps on this track). In the late 1980s and early 1990s, The Andantes were signed to Motorcity Records, recording songs on their own, as well as once again serving as backing vocalists to fellow former Motown artists. During this time, Lewis had joined the group as a full-time member.

In addition to various awards, the Andantes were inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in August 2014.

Marlene Barrow died on February 23, 2015, at the age of 73. Pat Lewis died on September 2, 2024, at the age of 76.

Motown

Throughout the 1960s and early 1970s, the Andantes appeared as backing vocalists on many of Motown's recorded singles, as the Funk Brothers also had when providing instrumentation. Seven of these singles that they provided background vocals for would go on to chart at the number one position on the Billboard Hot 100 popular music chart.

Chart-topping hits

  • "My Guy" – Mary Wells
  • "Stop! In the Name of Love" – The Supremes
  • "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" – Four Tops
  • "Reach Out I'll Be There" – Four Tops
  • "Love Child" – Diana Ross & the Supremes
  • "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" – Marvin Gaye
  • "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" – Diana Ross The Andantes provided vocals along with Nickolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson, Jo Armstead, Jimmy Beavers, Brenda Evans, and Billie Calvin

Brenda Holloway

The Andantes appeared on many singles for Brenda Holloway. These include:

  • "When I'm Gone"
  • "Operator"
  • "You Can Cry on My Shoulder"
  • "Together 'Til the End of Time"
  • "Just Look What You've Done"

The Four Tops

The Andantes appeared as backing vocalists on 16 singles for the Four Tops. These releases include:

  • "Baby I Need Your Loving"

Stevie Wonder

The Andantes have also appeared as backing vocalists on numerous Stevie Wonder recordings, including:

  • "Sunset" (B-side of "Contract on Love")
  • "Kiss Me Baby"
  • "Music Talk" (B-side of "Hi-Heel Sneakers")
  • "Uptight (Everything's Alright)"
  • "Nothing's Too Good For My Baby"
  • "A Place in the Sun"
  • "Hey Love"
  • "I Was Made to Love Her"
  • "I'm Wondering"
  • "Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day"
  • "For Once in My Life"

!Artist

|-

|rowspan="2"|1964

|"My Guy"

| style="text-align:center;"|1

||Mary Wells

|-

|"How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)"

| style="text-align:center;"|6

|Marvin Gaye

|-

|rowspan="7"|1965

|"I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)"

| style="text-align:center;"|1

|rowspan="2"|Four Tops

|-

|"It's the Same Old Song"

| style="text-align:center;"|5

|-

|"I'll Be Doggone"

| style="text-align:center;"|8

|rowspan="2"|Marvin Gaye

|-

|"Ain't That Peculiar"

| style="text-align:center;"|8

|-

|"Stop! In the Name of Love"

| style="text-align:center;"|1

|The Supremes

|-

|"Uptight (Everything's Alright)"

| style="text-align:center;"|3

|Stevie Wonder

|-

|"Don't Mess with Bill"

| style="text-align:center;"|7

|The Marvelettes

|-

|rowspan="5"|1966

|"What Becomes of the Brokenhearted"

| style="text-align:center;"|7

|Jimmy Ruffin

|-

|"I'm Ready for Love"

| style="text-align:center;"|9

|Martha & the Vandellas

|-

|"Reach Out I'll Be There"

| style="text-align:center;"|1

|rowspan="2"|Four Tops

|-

|"Standing in the Shadows of Love"

| style="text-align:center;"|6

|-

|"A Place in the Sun"

| style="text-align:center;"|9

|Stevie Wonder

|-

|rowspan="5"|1967

|"Jimmy Mack"

| style="text-align:center;"|10

|Martha and the Vandellas

|-

|"Bernadette"

| style="text-align:center;"|4

|Four Tops

|-

|"In and Out of Love"

| style="text-align:center;"|9

|Diana Ross & the Supremes

|-

|"I Was Made To Love Her"

| style="text-align:center;"|2

|Stevie Wonder

|-

|"(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher"

| style="text-align:center;"|6

|Jackie Wilson

|-

|rowspan="6"|1968

|"Here Comes the Judge"

| style="text-align:center;"|8

|Shorty Long

|-

|" Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day"

| style="text-align:center;"|9

|rowspan="2"|Stevie Wonder

|-

|"For Once In My Life"

| style="text-align:center;"|2

|-

|"Love Child"

| style="text-align:center;"|1

|Diana Ross & the Supremes

|-

|"I'm Gonna Make You Love Me"

| style="text-align:center;"|2

|Diana Ross & the Supremes and the Temptations

|-

|"I Heard It Through the Grapevine"

| style="text-align:center;"|1

|Marvin Gaye

|-

|rowspan="6"|1969

|"I'm Livin' in Shame"

| style="text-align:center;"|10

|Diana Ross & the Supremes

|-

|"Twenty-Five Miles"

| style="text-align:center;"|6

|Edwin Starr

|-

|"What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)"

| style="text-align:center;"|4

|Jr. Walker & the All Stars

|-

|"Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday"

| style="text-align:center;"|7

|Stevie Wonder

|-

|" Too Busy Thinking About My Baby"

| style="text-align:center;"|4

|rowspan="2"|Marvin Gaye

|-

|"That's the Way Love Is"

| style="text-align:center;"|7

|-

|rowspan="2"|1970

|"Ain't No Mountain High Enough"

| style="text-align:center;"|1

|Diana Ross

|-

|"War"

| style="text-align:center;"|1

|Edwin Starr

|-

|rowspan="2"|1971

|"What's Going On"

| style="text-align:center;"|2

|rowspan="2"|Marvin Gaye

|-

|"Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)"

| style="text-align:center;"|4

|}

Billboard Top Forty hit songs (US pop chart)

{|class="wikitable"

|-

!Year

!Song title

!US

!Artist

|-

|1963

|"Your Old Standby"

| style="text-align:center;"|40

||Mary Wells

|-

|rowspan="2"|1964

|"Baby I Need Your Loving"

| style="text-align:center;"|11

||Four Tops

|-

|"Baby Don't You Do It"

| style="text-align:center;"|27

|Marvin Gaye

|-

|rowspan="8"|1965

|"Ask the Lonely"

| style="text-align:center;"|24

|rowspan="2"|Four Tops

|-

|"Something About You"

| style="text-align:center;"|19

|-

|"When I'm Gone"

| style="text-align:center;"|25

|Brenda Holloway

|-

|"It's Growing"

| style="text-align:center;"|18

|The Temptations

|-

|"I'll Keep Holding On"

| style="text-align:center;"|34

|The Marvelettes

|-

|"Pretty Little Baby"

| style="text-align:center;"|25

|Marvin Gaye

|-

|"I'll Always Love You"

| style="text-align:center;"|35

|The Spinners

|-

|"You've Been in Love Too Long"

| style="text-align:center;"|36

|Martha & the Vandellas

|-

|rowspan="8"|1966

|"I've Passed This Way Before"

| style="text-align:center;"|17

|Jimmy Ruffin

|-

|"This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak For You)"

| style="text-align:center;"|12

|The Isley Brothers

|-

|"Whispers (Gettin' Louder)"

| style="text-align:center;"|11

|Jackie Wilson

|-

|"My Baby Loves Me"

| style="text-align:center;"|22

|Martha & the Vandellas

|-

|"Nothing’s Too Good For My Baby"

| style="text-align:center;"|20

|Stevie Wonder

|-

|"One More Heartache"

| style="text-align:center;"|29

|Marvin Gaye

|-

|"Shake Me, Wake Me (When It's Over)"

| style="text-align:center;"|18

|Four Tops

|-

|"Get Ready"

| style="text-align:center;"|29

|The Temptations

|-

|rowspan="9"|1967

|"Gonna Give Her All the Love I've Got"

| style="text-align:center;"|29

|Jimmy Ruffin

|-

|"Your Unchanging Love"

| style="text-align:center;"|33

|Marvin Gaye

|-

|"7 Rooms of Gloom"

| style="text-align:center;"|14

|rowspan="3"|Four Tops

|-

|"You Keep Running Away"

| style="text-align:center;"|19

|-

|"If I Were a Carpenter"

| style="text-align:center;"|20

|-

|"The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game"

| style="text-align:center;"|13

|rowspan="2"|The Marvelettes

|-

|"When You're Young and in Love"

| style="text-align:center;"|23

|-

|"I'm Wondering"

| style="text-align:center;"|12

|rowspan="2"|Stevie Wonder

|-

|"Travelin’ Man"

| style="text-align:center;"|32

|-

|rowspan="4"|1968

|"Forever Came Today"

| style="text-align:center;"|28

|Diana Ross & the Supremes

|-

|"Walk Away Renée"

| style="text-align:center;"|14

|Four Tops

|-

|"My Baby Must Be a Magician"

| style="text-align:center;"|17

|The Marvelettes

|-

|"I Get the Sweetest Feeling"

| style="text-align:center;"|34

|Jackie Wilson

|-

|rowspan="2"|1969

|"The Composer"

| style="text-align:center;"|27

|Diana Ross & the Supremes

|-

|"I Don't Know Why"

| style="text-align:center;"|39

|Stevie Wonder

|-

|rowspan="5"|1970

|"River Deep-Mountain High"

| style="text-align:center;"|14

|The Supremes and Four Tops

|-

|"Stop the War Now"

| style="text-align:center;"|26

|Edwin Starr

|-

|"The End of Our Road"

| style="text-align:center;"|40

|Marvin Gaye

|-

|"Do You See My Love For You Growing"

| style="text-align:center;"|32

|rowspan="2"|Jr. Walker & the All Stars

|-

|"Gotta Hold On To This Feeling"

| style="text-align:center;"|21

|-

|rowspan="2"|1971

|"Reach Out I’ll Be There"

| style="text-align:center;"|29

|Diana Ross

|-

|"Floy Joy"

| style="text-align:center;"|16

|The Supremes

|-

|1972

|"Automatically Sunshine"

| style="text-align:center;"|37

|The Supremes

|}

References

  • "Lighting Never Strikes Twice" re-recording on YouTube
  • Biography on Billboard.com
  • Biography on Answers.com
  • The Andantes: The Girl Group Left Behind