One Step Away: My Story of The Andantes, Motown, and the Women Behind the Sound of Young America

Summary

The little-known heroes behind Motown’s greatest hits are finally heard in this moving memoir filled with the rich historical atmosphere and emotional resonance of Hidden Figures, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, and Questlove’s Music Is History. Their voices can be heard on Motown classics such as “My Guy,” “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” and “Stop! In the Name of Love”—immortal songs that defined an era. Relegated to the shadows behind the stars, the three professional backup singers who contributed to these smash hits and countless others were rarely known to the public. In One Step Away, Motown legend Louvain Demps, joined by Emmy Award–winning journalist Paul Milliken, flips the record to at last tell the story of The Andantes—the powerhouse trio of Black women who secretly shaped the soundtrack of a generation—shining a warm spotlight on their talent and contributions. Marlene Barrow. Jackie Hicks. Louvain Demps. They were Motown’s “clean-up girls” — the voices called in when the stars couldn’t hit the notes. They recorded background vocals for tens of thousands of songs—more Billboard hits than Elvis, Mariah, or Beyoncé. Yet for their contributions they were paid $10 a session, denied credit, and excluded from history. Now, in a story as electrifying as the music itself, Louvain recreates Motown’s golden years and her experiences in helping to build the brand, taking us from the rowdy Detroit street corners where she first sang to Studio A. One Step Away is both an intimate personal portrait of a legendary time and a journey of resilience, reinvention, and survival. Part overlooked history, part heartfelt reminiscence, part cultural reckoning, One Step Away is the missing story of the Black women who made Motown sing. Informative and entertaining, it restores The Andantes to their rightful place in American music and popular culture, alongside the legends whose voices they helped immortalize. One Step Away includes a 16-pages photo insert.