Freddie Gorman

When Marvelette Georgia Dobbins suggested the title "Please Mr. Postman," Holland conscripted Gorman for help with the lyrics, although his contributions to the song went unnoted for decades.

"Please Mr. Postman" was nevertheless a hit, topping the Billboard pop chart in the fall of 1961, and Gordy returned the favor by releasing the Gorman solo single "The Day Will Come" on Motown's Miracle Records subsidiary.

After a series of Motown productions including Mary Wells' "Old Love", Smokey Robinson & the Miracles "Mr. Misery (Let Me Be)", The Contours' "Pa, I Need a Car", the Marvelettes' "Forever", "Someday Someway", "Goddess of Love", "Strange I Know", and then Gorman was edged out in favor of Holland's brother Edward, and without any contractual leverage in his favor, he continued to his post office position, dropping from sight for a couple of years.

Then Gorman cut some solo singles, "In a Bad Way" "Take Me Back" "There Can be Too Much" and "Can't Get It Out of My Mind", for Golden World's sister label Ric-Tic.

[2] When Gordy acquired Golden World's holdings, Gorman was absorbed back into the Motown ranks and in 1966 was added to the lineup of The Originals, a new vocal group also comprising lead tenor C. P. Spencer, second tenor Hank Dixon, former Anna Records A&R executive and founding member baritone Walter Gaines, and albeit briefly, Joe Stubbs, brother of the Four Tops' renowned lead Levi Stubbs, who exited to pursue a solo career in the wake of the Originals' debut release, a rendition of the Lead Belly perennial "Goodnight Irene".

Just before capturing the attention of Gorman's jogging partner Marvin Gaye, who teamed with wife Anna Gordy to write the soulful ballad "Baby I'm for Real".

In the early 1970s, C.P Spencer left the group to pursue a solo career, therefore leaving former Glass House member Ty Hunter to step in.