R.C.: "Actually California Soul is a B side!" Wow, R.C., you snuck that one past with almost on-one seeing it. Guess we can file that one in the B-side Hits/A-side Obscure file, ay?
Anyway, 45 years on, we can still say: Vale Tammi Terrell - Rest In Peace!
Not wishing to dwell on the sadness of it, but I think their last release was the "Onion Song", issued in the States on March 20 1970 - the very day of Terrell's funeral (which of course was an accidental coincidence). This was also their last release in the UK, towards the end of 1969 and it's because it was a hit in Britain that the American Tamla label released it there too.
I was guessing at much of this, so my info may have been somewhat confused. Thanks to Record Collector and TopPopper for filling in the blanks. I would likely guess that California Soul from 1969 would have been Tammi's and Marvin's last(or near-to-last) single together. R.C., you'll find it on Side 2/Tr.10 of 20 Explosive Hits(EMI-Columbia: TVS-3)
By early 1970 Terrell was confined to a wheelchair, suffered from blindness and hair loss, and weighed a scant 93 lb. Following her eighth and final operation on January 25, 1970, Terrell went into a coma. She died on March 16 due to complications from brain cancer, six weeks shy of her 25th birthday.
Terrell's funeral was held at the Jane Methodist Church in Philadelphia.At the funeral, Gaye delivered a final eulogy while "You're All I Need to Get By" was playing. According to Terrell's fiancé, Dr. Garrett, who knew Gaye, her mother angrily barred everyone at Motown from her funeral, except for Gaye, who she felt was probably Terrell's closest friend.
She is known to have collapsed on stage with Marvin in Virginia, but it was on October 14, 1967. I don't think she could have been on stage in January 1970, as she'd had a string of operations by then and reportedly been unable to sing in 1969 (leading to the supposition that Val Simpson was standing in for her in the studio). She sadly died as early as March 1970.
A rare solo effort for the late Tammi Terrell (real name Tammi Montgomery).
She collapsed while on stage in October 1967 whilst performing with Marvin Gaye. Having been diagnosed as having a brain tumour she underwent treatment but died in March 1970 as a result of the illness.