Katherine Elaine Anderson Schaffner (January 16, 1944 – September 20, 2023) was an American singer best known as a member of the

Marvelettes The Marvelettes were an American girl group formed in Inkster, Michigan in 1960, consisting of schoolmates Gladys Horton, Katherine Anderson, Georgeanna Tillman, Juanita Cowart (now Cowart Motley), and Georgia Dobbins, who was replaced by Wan ...

Biography

Anderson was born in Inkster, Michigan, United States, and was raised in a housing project built by

Henry Ford Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American Technological and industrial history of the United States, industrialist and business magnate. As the founder of the Ford Motor Company, he is credited as a pioneer in making automob ...

. She was one of four children born to Robert, a cement finisher, and Florence Anderson, a nurse's aide. While Anderson was not able to afford records growing up, she performed in gospel groups and the high school

glee club A glee club is a musical group or choir group, historically of male voices but also of female or mixed voices, which traditionally specializes in the singing of short songs by trios or quartets. In the late 19th century it was very popular in ...

. Early in life she planned to become a legal secretary. Anderson co-founded the

, originally called the Casinyets, in 1960 with four fellow students at Inkster High School to enter a competition that could lead to an audition with

Motown Records Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

. Although they did not win the competition, a teacher convinced Motown to give the group an audition. The audition was successful and in August 1961 they released " Please Mr Postman" on the label which was at the top of the charts six months later. Throughout the 1960s, the Marvelettes recorded a number of other chart topping single including "

Playboy ''Playboy'' (stylized in all caps) is an American men's Lifestyle journalism, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, available both online and in print. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, funded in part by a $ ...

", " Beachwood 45789", " Don’t Mess with Bill", and " The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game". Following Motown's move from Detroit to Los Angeles, Anderson ceased her involvement with the record label. Anderson moved to Las Vegas with her husband Joe Schaffner, who had previously managed

the Temptations The Temptations is an American vocal group formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1961 as The Elgins, known for their string of successful singles and albums with Motown from the 1960s to the mid-1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield ...

, who was studying lighting at the

University of Nevada The University of Nevada, Reno (Nevada, the University of Nevada, or UNR) is a public land-grant research university in Reno, Nevada, United States. It is the state's flagship public university and primary land grant institution. It was founded ...

. Anderson co-wrote

Gladys Knight & the Pips Gladys Knight & the Pips were an American Rhythm and blues, R&B, soul music, soul, and funk family music group from Atlanta, Georgia, that remained active on the music charts and performing circuit for over three decades starting from the early ...

' hit " I Don't Want to Do Wrong". Anderson later returned to Inkster and worked with troubled teens in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

. She received her high school diploma at age 52, something touring had prevented her from doing in her youth. In 2005, Anderson wrote a musical based on her life story called ''Now That I Can Dance 1962''. She died in September 2023 at the age of 79 of heart failure, leaving Juanita Cowart Motley as the only surviving original member of The Marvelettes.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Katherine 1944 births 2023 deaths 20th-century African-American women singers 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American singers American soul singers American women pop singers Doo-wop musicians Motown artists