Freddie Gorman(1939-2006)

Freddie Gorman was an American musician and record producer, most famous as a singer, songwriter for the Motown label in the late 1960s and mid 1970s. He was a native of Detroit, Michigan. A member of the Motown quartet The Originals, Freddie Gorman was also a vital unsung component of the Motown label's formative development. He co-wrote the label's first #1 pop hit "Please Mr. Postman", by the Marvelettes. In 1964 the biggest selling group of all time, the Beatles released their version, and in 1975 the Carpenters took it back to #1 again. This was the second time in pop history (after "The Twist" by Chubby Checker that a song reached #1 in the US twice. In 2006, "Please Mr. Postman" was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the same year that Freddie died. Ironically, in 2018, Freddie Gorman's name went back to the top of the pop charts as songwriter for Portugal. The Man's major hit "Feel It Still." The song reached No. 1 on the Billboard Alternative Songs, Hot 100 Airplay, and Pop Songs charts and becoming a Top 5 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. On January 28, 2018, "Feel It Still" won Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards and would go on to win the Alternative Rock Song of the Year at the 2018 iHeartRadio Music Awards. The band and Freddie's son Dillon F. Gorman, also received awards for ASCAP Vanguard Award at the ASCAP Pop Music Awards in April 2018; ASCAP's Most Played Songs of 2019 and also ASCAP's Most Played Songs of 2020.