On March 16, 1970, the music world, especially soul music fans and Motown lovers, lost a musical songbird at the age of 24 when Tammi Terrell (nee Thomasina Winifred "Tammy" Montgomery) died two and a half years after being diagnosed with a brain tumor. Today, 40 years after she passed, let's celebrate the voice and beauty that became Ms. Terrell from her Scepter years to her work with James Brown to her later work with Motown and as Marvin Gaye's greatest duet partner.

RIP Tammi



She was about 14 when she recorded this song you hear.

Her first charted hit (#99) with James Brown as writer/producer.

Tammi Terrel or Tammi Montgomery was a very lovely lady. A lot of folks don't know about her early material with JB.

Another "James Brown" production:

LittleBLUECorvette said:

Yeah I'm hearing them now and it was clear she embodied the same sass she employed on the Motown records. One of James' early funky divas for damn sure.

From the Motown vaults:

The solo version of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" before Motown engineers replaced the male background vocals for Marvin. This was recorded in late 1966.

The original version of Stevie's "All I Do" 14 years before Stevie covered it (probably in tribute to Tammi).

HAD to put Marvin in the mix:



ACAPELLA TOO!

Great thread

Thanks, Pill.

Tammi (middle) with Sam Cooke.

Bump.

Thanks for posting. I did not kNow Tammi did "All I do"

She was a very beautiful woman and had a pretty voice. Not sure if Marvin and Tammi were in love with each other, but if they weren't they both should have branched into acting because they sure looked like they were making goo-goo eyes at each other to me.

What a tragic love story. Better than the stuff William Shakespeare wrote.

prodigalfan said:

No they never dated.

Timmy84 said:

I don't believe that!
They were in love. Marvin was in her face too close and too much. In the live performance video, she affectionately touch his chin just inches from his lips. I thought she was going to kiss him. Uh-un, they were in love and had to hide it from their spouses.

You will never convince me otherwise.

prodigalfan said:

Tammi was dating David Ruffin and Marvin was married to Anna. You do the math. Plus Marvin only loved Tammi as a sister, he said he couldn't date her because Tammi was an independent woman. He loved independent women, mind you, but he didn't think she was marriage/love interest material. They still had a close bond though.
[Edited 3/16/10 22:29pm]

Twas said that Ruffin, who was her live-in fella, and other cunts like James Brown physically abused her. It's entirely plausible that repeated blows to the head of a young woman, and one rumoured beating with a hammer, could cause a brain tumour. Tragic indeed.

elmer said:

I read somewhere that Martha Reeves, who claimed to have had known Tammi since '63, said that to say David was the one to hit her with the hammer was false but she did say that she did get hit with a hammer by someone in the early years way before she joined Motown. It's likely whoever abused her during that period caused that tumor and it was not Ruffin though he still, sadly, physically assault her.

She died! Why didn't someone tell me?

I absolutely love Tammi! She had so much talent and charisma. Such a shame that she died so young.

Timmy84 said:

I have always loved David's talent in singing, but he sure did seem to be a real a**hole.

2freaky4church1 said:

missfee said:

And a sad drug addict.

I could see her...


Sinking her teeth into the "Tammi" role

Harlepolis said:

If a Marvin film EVER gets off the ground, which I don't expect in the next five years, SHE'S gotta play Tammi!