Iconic record label Motown’s beloved first female solo artist Mable John has died at 91.
According to The Detroit News, Mable’s nephew, Kevin John, announced that she passed away at her L.A. home on Aug. 25. The singer’s cause of death has not yet been revealed to the public, but it was reported that memorial plans are pending.
“We loved her, and she was a kind person,” Kevin said about his aunt.
Mable, the oldest of Detroit’s musical John family, reportedly toured with the legendary jazz singers Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holliday during the ’50s. Then, in 1958, she signed to Berry Gordy’s Motown–then known as Tamla Records–where she was reportedly the first woman under the label to receive her record deal without being in a group.
Under Motown, Mable recorded several famous songs, including “Who Wouldn’t Love a Man Like That?” (1960), “No Love” (1961), “Actions Speak Louder Than Words” (1961), and “Looking For A Man” (1961).
In 1965, the musician left Motown and signed a deal with famed Memphis-based record label Stax Records, where she released the hit record “Your Good Thing (Is About to End)” (1966).
Two years later, in 1968, trailblazing multihyphenate Ray Charles appointed Mable as the leader of the girl group The Raelettes. When she finally decided to walk away from music, she dedicated the rest of her life to the church and advocating for the homeless. She even founded the Joy Community Outreach, an organization dedicated to donating food and clothes to the needy in L.A.
In 2007, Mabel starred as a blues singer named Bertha Mae in the film Honeydripper and was also featured in the Oscar-winning documentary 20 Feet From Stardom. She reportedly had four sons: Jesse, Joel, Otis and Lemuel and numerous grandchildren.
The Motown legend was reportedly the older sister of Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and R&B star Little Willie John.
