Motown's First Engineer And "Please Mr. Postman" Songwriter Robert Bateman Dies

“Wait a minute Mr. Postman… Wait Mr. Postman…”

If you grew up in Detroit in a certain era and don’t know that song, it’d be a surprise. And sadly, the Freep reports, one of the songwriters behind “Mr. Postman,” Motown’s first pop hit, has passed of a massive heart attack at age 80 in Sherman Oaks, California where he had been hospitalized while traveling.

He also was Motown’s first engineer and is a member of the R&B Hall of Fame. Bateman also was in front of the microphone and recorded for Motown as part of the Satintones, and continued his career after leaving the label in 1963.

He was born in Illinois, but was Detroit his home. Arrangements will be handled by the Swanson Funeral Home in the city. More at the Freep.