I'll Keep Holding On
Encyclopedia
"I'll Keep Holding On" is a song composed by Mickey Stevenson and Ivy Jo Hunter
and recorded by Motown
singing group The Marvelettes
, who released the single on the Tamla imprint in 1965. Peaking at #34 on the Billboard Hot 100, the single returned the group to the top forty after a year recording songs that performed below the top forty. This was among the first A-side singles that longtime Marvelettes member Wanda Young
sung lead on. Before 1965, the majority of the leads in Marvelettes songs had belonged to original member Gladys Horton
. The single features a woman determined to win the love of a unknowingly conquest telling him that she'll convince him to love her "until my will to resist is gone". Her Marvelettes band mates Gladys Horton and Katherine Anderson egg her on with her ad-libbing "oh yeah/sho' nuff" in the bridge leading up to the chorus. The single was covered by British
mod-pop act, The Action
in 1966, released as "I'll Keep On Holding On". It then returned across the Atlantic in 1998 to be released on Mink Rat or Rabbit by the Detroit Cobras.
Ivy Jo Hunter
Ivy Jo Hunter, born George Ivy Hunter and sometimes credited as Ivy Hunter, is a former R&B songwriter, record producer and singer, most associated with his work for the Motown label in the 1960s....
and recorded by Motown
Motown Records
Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...
singing group The Marvelettes
The Marvelettes
The Marvelettes were an American singing girl group on the Tamla label. Motown's first successful female vocal group, the Marvelettes are most notable for recording the company's first #1 Pop hit, "Please Mr...
, who released the single on the Tamla imprint in 1965. Peaking at #34 on the Billboard Hot 100, the single returned the group to the top forty after a year recording songs that performed below the top forty. This was among the first A-side singles that longtime Marvelettes member Wanda Young
Wanda Young
Wanda Young is an American singer, famous for being the member and later lead singer of the popular Motown all-female singing group The Marvelettes.-Biography:Wanda was born in 1943 and raised in the western Detroit suburb of Inkster, Michigan...
sung lead on. Before 1965, the majority of the leads in Marvelettes songs had belonged to original member Gladys Horton
Gladys Horton
Gladys Catherine Horton was an American R&B and pop singer, famous for being the founder and lead singer of the popular Motown all-female vocal group The Marvelettes.-Biography:...
. The single features a woman determined to win the love of a unknowingly conquest telling him that she'll convince him to love her "until my will to resist is gone". Her Marvelettes band mates Gladys Horton and Katherine Anderson egg her on with her ad-libbing "oh yeah/sho' nuff" in the bridge leading up to the chorus. The single was covered by British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
mod-pop act, The Action
The Action
The Action were an English band of the 1960s. They were part of the mod subculture, and played soul music-influenced pop music.-Career:The band were formed as The Boys in August 1963, in Kentish Town, North West London. After Peter Watson joined them as an additional guitarist in 1965, they changed...
in 1966, released as "I'll Keep On Holding On". It then returned across the Atlantic in 1998 to be released on Mink Rat or Rabbit by the Detroit Cobras.
Credits
- Lead vocals by Wanda YoungWanda YoungWanda Young is an American singer, famous for being the member and later lead singer of the popular Motown all-female singing group The Marvelettes.-Biography:Wanda was born in 1943 and raised in the western Detroit suburb of Inkster, Michigan...
- Background vocals by Gladys HortonGladys HortonGladys Catherine Horton was an American R&B and pop singer, famous for being the founder and lead singer of the popular Motown all-female vocal group The Marvelettes.-Biography:...
, Katherine Anderson and The AndantesThe AndantesThe Andantes were a prolific female sessions 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... - Instrumentation by The Funk BrothersThe Funk BrothersThe Funk Brothers was the nickname of Detroit, Michigan, session musicians who performed the backing to most Motown Records recordings from 1959 until the company moved to Los Angeles in 1972...