SOUND PROJECTIONS
AN ONLINE QUARTERLY MUSIC MAGAZINE
EDITOR: KOFI NATAMBU
FALL, 2018
VOLUME SIX NUMBER TWO
ARETHA FRANKLIN
Featuring the musics and aesthetic visions of:
SMOKEY ROBINSON
(October 6-12)
(October 6-12)
THE TEMPTATIONS
(October 13-19)
JOHN CARTER
(October 20-26)
MARTHA AND THE VANDELLAS
(October 27-November 2)
RANDY WESTON
(November 3-9)
HOLLAND DOZIER AND HOLLAND
(November 10-16)
JELLY ROLL MORTON
(November 17-23)
BOBBY BRADFORD
(November 24-30)
THE SUPREMES
(December 1-7)
THE FOUR TOPS
(December 8-14)
THE SPINNERS
(December 15-21)
THE STYLISTICS
Martha and the Vandellas (1963-Present)
Artist Biography by Jason Ankeny
Along with the Supremes, Martha & the Vandellas
defined the distaff side of the Motown sound in the '60s. Their biggest
hits, including "Heat Wave," "Dancing in the Street," and "Nowhere to
Run," remain among the most potent and enduring dance records of the
era. The vocal group was led by Martha Reeves who, along with fellow Detroit natives Annette Sterling Beard, Gloria Williams, and Rosalind Ashford, founded the Del-Phis in 1960. After Reeves landed a secretarial position at the offices of Motown Records, the Del-Phis were tapped to record a one-off single for the label's Melody imprint, which they cut under the name the Vels.
The single fizzled, and Williams exited, reducing the group to a trio. After backing Marvin Gaye on the superb 1962 record "Stubborn Kind of Fellow," they were renamed Martha & the Vandellas, taking inspiration from Detroit's Van Dyke Street and Reeves' heroine, Della Reese. When singer Mary Wells failed to show up for a recording date, musicians' union rules demanded that a vocalist be found to fulfill contractual obligations. As a result, Reeves was yanked from the secretarial pool and laid down what would become Martha & the Vandellas' first record, 1963's "I'll Have to Let Him Go."
The Top 30 success of the ballad "Come and Get These Memories" brought the group the attention of Motown's hit-making production team Holland-Dozier-Holland, who crafted their next smash, the galvanizing Top Five classic "Heat Wave," which perfected the mix of impassioned call-and-response vocals, pulsing rhythms, and full-bodied horns that became the trio's trademark. Following another Top Ten hit, "Quicksand," Beard retired, and was replaced by former Velvelette Betty Kelly. After singer Kim Weston turned down the Marvin Gaye/Ivy Jo Hunter/Mickey Stevenson composition "Dancing in the Street," the song was shuttled to Martha & the Vandellas; refashioned by Holland-Dozier-Holland to fit the group's formula, the anthem became their biggest hit and definitive statement, reaching number two in the summer of 1964. A year later, they returned with another smash, the savage "Nowhere to Run," followed by "I'm Ready for Love."
In 1967, Kelly exited, and was replaced by Reeves' younger sister Lois; on subsequent releases, the group was billed as Martha Reeves & the Vandellas. 1967's "Jimmy Mack" and "Honey Chile" were the last records overseen by the Holland-Dozier-Holland team before their defection from Motown, and were also the final significant Vandellas hits. In 1968, Martha Reeves fell seriously ill, and in 1969 Ashford departed, with another former Velvelette, Sandra Tilley, assuming her position. The trio continued unsuccessfully for a few more years before breaking up in the wake of a December 1972 farewell performance at Detroit's Cobo Hall. After Motown relocated its corporate offices to Los Angeles (a move Reeves denied she was privy to), the singer, who had begun a solo career, sued to have her contract with the label annulled. In her 1994 autobiography, Dancing in the Street, she charged that the Vandellas' career, though highly successful in its own right, could have been even greater had Motown founder Berry Gordy, Jr. given their music the same obsessive attention he afforded to Diana Ross & the Supremes.
Reeves recorded her debut solo effort, Martha Reeves, for MCA in 1974. Though a few more LPs followed, including 1976's The Rest of My Life and 1978's We Meet Again, she received little notice on her own, and eventually suffered a pair of nervous breakdowns that led to a brief period of institutionalization. Lois Reeves, meanwhile, went on to work with Al Green, while Sandra Tilley retired from music; she died in 1982 following surgery on a brain tumor. In 1989, Martha Reeves, Annette Beard, and Rosalind Ashford successfully sued Motown for back royalties, and occasionally reunited for performances in the '90s. Reeves also continued as a solo artist, and in addition performed with a Vandellas unit consisting of Lois and a third sister, Delphine. She released another solo album, the independent Home to You, in 2004. From 2005 through 2009, she served on Detroit's city council. Afterward, she aligned with a non-profit organization to help musicians receive royalties, and she continued to be an active performer with the Vandellas.
Martha and the Vandellas
1995
Category:
Performers
Members: - Martha Reeves
- Rosalind Ashford-Holmes
- Annette Sterling-Helton
- Lois Reeves
- Betty Kelly
The brazen Motown girl group with an unyielding R&B edge.
Martha and the Vandellas were the Supremes’ tougher, more grounded counterpart. With her cheeky, fervent vocals, Martha Reeves led the group in a string of dance anthems that are irresistible to this day.
THE GUARDIAN (UK)
How we made Dancing in the Street
Martha Reeves: ‘Marvin Gaye saw me ogling him and said: “How about we try Martha on this song?” It became the Motown anthem’
Martha Reeves, singer
I was singing the blues at the Twenty Grand club in Detroit when a Motown A&R man called Mickey Stevenson came in and gave me his business card. It had the names of all their stars on it: the Miracles, Marvin Gaye, Mary Wells. I felt like I’d been discovered. But there was a problem: getting to Hitsville meant crossing Woodland Avenue, where all the gangs were. Someone could cut you or shoot you.
I got the bus anyway, expecting to find a four-storey building or something, but the record company was just Berry Gordy’s house with a hand-painted sign out front. I almost got the bus straight back home. Then I realised that there were 50 people all waiting to see Berry and the business card meant I could go to the front of the queue.
The next thing I knew, I was singing backup on Marvin’s Stubborn Kind of Fellow with my old girl band the Del-Phis, who became the Vandellas. A little later, Marvin saw me ogling him – he was such a good-looking man – and said: “How about we try this song on Martha?” The song was Dancing in the Street and it became the Motown anthem.
At first, I didn’t like it. But then I thought about my neighbourhood and how we’d stay up all night, dancing in the street. The vocal is the second take – when I first sang it, they didn’t have the tape running. The song caused me all kinds of trouble. It was the civil rights era and there’d been riots in Detroit, so the British press thought it was about rioting. How can “Every guy grab a girl” be about anything but dancing in the street?
The Rolling Stones referenced the lyrics in Street Fighting Man, but changed it to: “Summer’s here and the time is right for fighting in the street.” Mick Jagger should be ashamed of himself!
Ivy Jo Hunter, songwriter:
In those days, you could rob a bank easier than you could get into
the record business. I wanted to be a singer, but they needed writers. I
started putting Dancing in the Street together on a little piano
upstairs that anyone could use. I couldn’t really play, but had a
bassline and found some chords to go with it.Afterwards, James Jamerson,
the legendary Motown bassist, said he’d never had so much fun playing
one note.
I’d wanted to write a melancholy song, but when Marvin heard it, he said: “That’s not a sad song. That sounds more like dancing in the street.” That became the title and half an hour later the song was finished. All the “Calling out around the world, are you ready for a brand new beat?” lyrics just flowed out. Mickey and Marvin put in the mentions of “Philiadelphia, PA, Baltimore and DC” – cities they’d visited on tours. I added: “And don’t forget the Motor City.”
We got the drumbeat by hitting a tambourine with a stick and routing the echo through the bathroom. Soon the rest of the industry were losing their minds trying to get that sound, with all their expensive equipment, but they never could.
I didn’t really like the finished record, but then I had no concept of what made a hit. When Mick Jagger and David Bowie covered it in 1985, I made more money in two years than I had made in the previous 20. I would have kissed their butts in the middle of Broadway.
I’d wanted to write a melancholy song, but when Marvin heard it, he said: “That’s not a sad song. That sounds more like dancing in the street.” That became the title and half an hour later the song was finished. All the “Calling out around the world, are you ready for a brand new beat?” lyrics just flowed out. Mickey and Marvin put in the mentions of “Philiadelphia, PA, Baltimore and DC” – cities they’d visited on tours. I added: “And don’t forget the Motor City.”
We got the drumbeat by hitting a tambourine with a stick and routing the echo through the bathroom. Soon the rest of the industry were losing their minds trying to get that sound, with all their expensive equipment, but they never could.
I didn’t really like the finished record, but then I had no concept of what made a hit. When Mick Jagger and David Bowie covered it in 1985, I made more money in two years than I had made in the previous 20. I would have kissed their butts in the middle of Broadway.
- Ivy Jo Hunter’s single, See You Around/Yea Yea Yea, is out on Soul Junction Records.
Artist: Martha Reeves and the Vandellas
Title: Interview
Category: Interviews
Author: Nick Dent-Robinson
25/08/2015
MARTHA REEVES
“You know, after six decades, the band and I are still playing that Motown sound and loving it,” Martha Reeves, now a 73 year-old great grandmother, began.
“I am having a wonderful time and just feel so blessed and lucky,” she continued. “I really love performing in the UK. You know, there are many of my songs that are better recognised in the UK than in the States...B-sides as A-sides. I'll be singing all my hits plus many other songs, too. I don't have a favourite song, though. To me, my songs are like children - and you mustn't have a favourite. I enjoy singing them all. The crowds will have a great time and I will too,"
Although Martha was born in Alabama, her family had moved to Detroit before her first birthday. Her father was a minister at Detroit's Metropolitan Church and he and her mother Ruby both sang and played guitar. Martha was the third of eleven children and the whole Reeves family were raised surrounded by music - gospel, soul and some blues. Martha was coached in choral singing from a young age and performed in her high school choir. “All that was a wonderful background – and I learned to read and write music, too” Martha recalled.
“My mom had a great voice and even now sometimes when I am singing I can still hear her saying, 'Sing it like your Momma taught you to' which has always kind of helped me. I ended up making my mom very proud, I am glad to say.”
Martha joined her first band The Fascinations while still at high school followed by The Del-Phis. Then, while singing in a Detroit club one night, she was spotted by Motown A & R director Mickey Stevenson who invited her to an audition. Initially she worked as his secretary but then, when a rival group failed to appear for a booked recording session, Martha quickly called in her own friends and they provided backing vocals for Marvin Gaye's hit single 'Stubborn Kind of Fellow'.
This was the break Martha had needed and, before long, she and her friends were offered a contract. They called themselves Martha and the Vandellas, a name that combined the street where Martha lived as a child, Van Dyke Street, with the first name of singer Della Reese who Martha admired. A succession of major hits followed – including 'Heat Wave', 'Jimmy Mack', 'Live Wire' and 'Dancing in the Street'. Eventually the Motown label and its major artists moved to Los Angeles but Martha soon returned to Detroit.
“I just didn't like Southern California,” Martha recalled. “I missed the snowy winters, believe it or not and Detroit was home to me, even if the city was having big problems and experiencing major post-industrial decline and desolation. My family were still there, after all. So I decided to try to do something to help the situation. I joined the city council and for years have campaigned for improvements to the city's infrastructure to help combat crime and decline. Slowly things did improve. It took many years and huge hard work and politicking to start to get the city refurbished. Much remains to be done but more people are now involved, roads are being repaired again and there is new building work. All of that effort and working with people of all kinds away from the music industry was a great experience for me. But I am now at a stage where I'm back to focusing on my music again - and very happy about that too."
“I still live in Detroit though, and I have a huge loyalty to the city. I am also still involved not just in Detroit issues but in looking at regeneration of urban areas in other parts of the world too. But, once again, music is my main activity. I am one of the last of the Motown survivors - but I try not to be sad about change. We all have to try to live the best life we can. I miss good friends like Ben E King who died recently – he was a great performer but also a good man who did so much work with young kids from poor backgrounds, getting them into colleges and turning round their lives. He also taught me golf which I enjoy."
“I still love travelling, too. I have always enjoyed visiting England. It is probably the place I am most at home outside of America and always have been. But, you know, one of my remaining ambitions is to see the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. Somehow I have always missed out on that. My other dream is to perform for the Queen who I have admired since I was a child. So, you see, even at 73 I have many dreams still to fulfil!”
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THE MUSIC OF MARTHA AND THE VANDELLAS: AN EXTENSIVE VIDEO OVERVIEW, A CROSS SECTION OF RECORDINGS, MUSICAL ANALYSIS AND COMMENTARY, PLUS VARIOUS INTERVIEWS WITH MARTHA AND THE VANDELLAS:
Martha & The Vandellas 'The Definitive Collection' [HD] -
Martha And The Vandellas - Nowhere to Run (with lyric)
Martha Reeves and the Vandellas - MY BABY LOVES ME
1963 HITS ARCHIVE: Heat Wave - Martha & the Vandellas
Martha & The Vandellas - Heatwave - 1965 (RSG)
MARTHA and THE VANDELLAS quicksand
Martha & The Vandellas ~ LOVE (MAKES ME DO FOOLISH
Martha & The Vandellas "Dancing in the Streets"
Dancing In The Street - Martha and the Vandellas - 1964 - Music Video
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martha_and_the_Vandellas
Martha and the Vandellas
MARTHA REEVES AND THE VANDELLAS
Martha and the Vandellas (known from 1967 to 1972 as Martha Reeves and the Vandellas) were an American all-female vocal group formed in 1957. The group achieved fame in the 1960s with Motown. Selected members of the group were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. Formed in 1957 by friends Annette Beard, Rosalind Ashford and Gloria Williams, the group eventually included Martha Reeves,
who moved up in ranks as lead vocalist of the group after Williams'
departure in 1962. The group signed with and eventually recorded all of
their singles for Motown's Gordy imprint.
The group's string of hits included "Come and Get These Memories", "Heat Wave", "Quicksand", "Nowhere to Run", "Jimmy Mack", "Bless You" and "Dancing in the Street", the latter song becoming their signature single.
During their nine-year run on the charts from 1963 to 1972, Martha and
the Vandellas charted over twenty-six hits and recorded in the styles of
doo-wop, R&B, pop, blues, rock and roll and soul. Ten Vandellas songs reached the top ten of the Billboard R&B singles chart, including two R&B number ones, and six Top Ten Pop Hits on the Billboard Hot 100
History
Early years (1957–1962)
Teenagers Rosalind Ashford and Annette Beard
first became acquainted after a local music manager hired them to be
members of a girl group he named The Del-Phis. Ashford & Beard,
along with then-lead vocalist Gloria Williams, performed at local clubs, private events, church benefits, YMCA events and school functions.[1][2][3] They were also being coached by Maxine Powell at Detroit's Ferris Center.[1] One of the group's first professional engagements was singing background for singer Mike Hanks.[4]
The group originally had up to six members, shortened to four. After another member left the group, she was replaced by Alabama-born vocalist Martha Reeves,
who had been a member of a rival group, the Fascinations and had also
been a member of another group, the Sabre-Ettes. In 1960, the group
signed their first recording contract with Checker Records,
releasing the Reeves-led "I'll Let You Know". The record flopped. The
group then recorded for Checkmate Records, a subsidiary of Chess Records, recording their first take of "There He Is (At My Door)". That record, featuring Williams on lead vocals, also flopped.[citation needed]
Briefly separated, Reeves returned to a solo career performing
under the name Martha LaVaille, in hopes of getting a contract with
emerging Detroit label Motown. After Motown staffer Mickey Stevenson noticed Reeves singing at a prominent Detroit club, he offered her his business card for an audition.[5]
Reeves showed up at Motown on a wrong date (Motown auditions were held
at Thursdays, while Reeves showed up to Motown's Hitsville USA studios
on a Tuesday). Stevenson, initially upset, told Reeves to look out for
clients and other matters. Soon Reeves became Stevenson's secretary and
later was responsible for helping acts audition for the label.[6]
By 1961, the group, now known as The Vels, were recording background
vocals for Motown acts. Prior to her success as lead singer of The Elgins,
Sandra Edwards (then going by her surname Maulett) recorded the song
"Camel Walk", in 1962, which featured the Vels in background vocals.
That year, the quartet began applying background vocals for emerging
Motown star Marvin Gaye, singing on Gaye's first hit single, "Stubborn Kind of Fellow"[7] After Mary Wells
failed to make a scheduled recording session feigning a short illness,
the Vels recorded what was initially a demo recording of "I'll Have to
Let Him Go". Motown was so impressed by the group's vocals – and
Martha's lead vocals in the song – that the label CEO Berry Gordy
offered to give the group a contract. Figuring that being in show
business was too rigorous, Williams opted out of the group. With
Williams out, the remaining trio of Ashford, Beard and Reeves renamed
themselves The Vandellas, after Detroit's Van Dyke Street and Reeves'
favorite singer, Della Reese.
Motown major hit years (1962–1968)
Following
their signing to Motown's Gordy imprint in 1962, the Vandellas struck
gold with their second release, the first composition and production
from the famed writing team, Holland–Dozier–Holland, titled "Come and Get These Memories". It became the Vandellas' first Top 40 recording, reaching number twenty-nine on the Billboard Hot 100 and peaking at number six on the R&B chart. Their second hit, "Heat Wave", became a phenomenal record for the group,[8]
reaching number four on the Hot 100 and hitting number one on the
R&B singles chart for five weeks. It became their first
million-seller and eventually got the group their only Grammy Award nomination for Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance.
(On the single and album, the song was titled "Heat Wave". It was
sometime later that the song was retitled to avoid confusion with the
Irving Berlin song.)[citation needed]
The group's success continued with their second Top Ten single and third Top 40 single, "Quicksand", which was another composition with Holland-Dozier-Holland[8]
and reached number eight pop in the late fall of 1963. Around that
time, Annette, who was pregnant with her first child and set to get
married, chose to leave her singing career behind by 1964.[9] Betty Kelley, formerly of the Velvelettes, was brought in shortly afterward to continue the Vandellas' rise.
The next two singles, "Live Wire" and "In My Lonely Room" (#6 R&B Cashbox) were less successful singles, failing to reach the Pop Top 40. However, their next single, "Dancing in the Street", rose up to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and also found global success, peaking at #21 on the UK Singles Chart in 1964. In 1969, "Dancing in the Street" was re-issued and it was plugged heavily on radio stations.
It did not take long for the song to peak at #4 in the UK, thus making
the song one of the all-time favourite Motown single releases ever. The
song became a million-seller, and one of the most played singles in
history.[10]
Between 1964 and 1967, singles like "Wild One" (US #34), "Nowhere to Run" (US #8; UK #26), "Love (Makes Me Do Foolish Things)" (US #70; R&B #22), "You've Been in Love Too Long" (US #36), "My Baby Loves Me" (US #22; R&B #3), "I'm Ready for Love" (US #9; R&B #2; UK #29) and "Jimmy Mack"
(US #10; R&B #1; UK #21) kept the Vandellas on the map as one of
the label's top acts. The Vandellas' popularity helped the group get
spots on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Mike Douglas Show, American Bandstand and Shindig!. Throughout this period, the Vandellas had also become one of the label's most popular performing acts.
Personnel changes
Motown struggled to find good material for many of their acts after the exit of Motown contributor and Reeves' mentor William "Mickey" Stevenson in 1967 and Holland–Dozier–Holland
in early 1968, but after their former collaborators left the label, the
Vandellas initially continued to find success with the Richard
Morris-produced singles "Love Bug Leave My Heart Alone" (US #25; R&B #14) and "Honey Chile" (US #11; UK #30; R&B #5) added to their already extended list of charted singles. In the summer of 1968, the group joined The Supremes, The Temptations, The Four Tops and Marvin Gaye in performing at the Copacabana though much like albums from the Four Tops and Gaye, a live album of their performance there was shelved indefinitely.
That same year, label changes had started to take effect, and
Gordy focused much of his attention on building the Supremes' as well as
Diana Ross' burgeoning upcoming solo career that would follow in 1970.
The Vandellas' sound (and the sound of many Motown acts with the
exception of Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, The Marvelettes, and Stevie Wonder) suffered as a result.[5][11]
However it was the infighting among the members of the Vandellas
that led to their problems. Kelley was the first to be let go after
reportedly missing shows, as well as getting into altercations with
Reeves.[5][12]
There were many instances where these "fights" happened on stage.
Kelley was fired in 1967 and was replaced by Martha Reeves' sister Lois.[7][12] Simultaneously, the group's name was officially changed to Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, to conform with the company's recent changes of The Supremes' and The Miracles' names to reflect their featured lead singers. During this time, Vandellas records including "(We've Got) Honey Love", "Sweet Darlin'" and "Taking My Love and Leaving Me" were issued as singles with diminishing success. "Nowhere to Run"
was one of the first "music videos to be ever made. In one scene all
three girls are sitting on the back deck of a Mustang in a Ford factory
while the vehicle is being constructed.
"Bless You" (1969–1972)
Reeves, out of the group temporarily due to illness, recovered and returned; Ashford was replaced by another former member of the Velvelettes, Sandra Tilley,
and the group continued to release albums and singles into the early
1970s. Although they could not reignite the fire they had made in
America they continued to have successful records the UK and abroad.
Among their late 1960s hits was "I Can't Dance to That Music You're Playing", which featured singer Syreeta Wright
singing the chorus, and peaked at number forty-two. Reeves reportedly
hated singing the song sensing it "close to home". In 1969 a reissue of
"Nowhere To Run" reached the top 40 in the UK. In 1970, the group
issued Motown's first protest single, the controversial anti-war song, "I Should Be Proud",
which peaked at a modest forty-five on the R&B singles chart. The
song was uncharacteristic of the Vandellas and did nothing to promote
the group. On some stations, the flip-side "Love, Guess Who" was played
instead,however the group reached the top 20 that year in the UK with a
reissue of "Jimmy Mack".
In 1971, the group scored a top 11 hit in the UK with "Forget Me Not". later that year they scored an international hit with "Bless You" (produced by the Jackson 5's producers The Corporation).
The song peaked at number fifty-three on the American pop singles chart
(the biggest peak of Vandellas' seventies singles in the US), and
number twenty-nine on the R&B singles chart. "Bless You" reached
number thirty-three in the UK giving the group two big hits that year in
England. . "Bless You" reached number 16 in Canada and went all the way
to number 2 in Puerto Rico . It was to be the last Billboard Hot 100
hit single for the group. That record also signaled the end of the
Motown era. After two successive Top 40 R&B singles, the ballad "In
and Out of My Life" (#22 US R&B) and the Marvin Gaye cover, "Tear It
On Down" (#37 US R&B), the group disbanded following a farewell
concert, held at Detroit's Cobo Hall on December 21, 1972.
The next year, Reeves announced plans of starting a solo career.[13] At the same time, Motown Records moved its operations to Los Angeles. When Reeves did not want to move, she negotiated out of her contract with Motown,[14] signing with MCA in 1974, and releasing the critically acclaimed self-titled debut album, Martha Reeves.[5]
Despite rave reviews of her work, neither of Reeves'
post-Vandellas/Motown recordings produced the same success as they had
the decade before. After living what she called "a rock & roll
lifestyle" of prescription pills, cocaine and alcohol, Reeves sobered up
in 1977, overcoming her addictions and becoming a born-again Christian.[5][12]
Epilogue
After the Vandellas' split, Reeves' sister Lois sang with the group Quiet Elegance and sang background for Al Green,[12][15][16][17] while Tilley retired from show business in the late 1970s, suddenly dying of a brain aneurysm
in 1981 at the age of thirty-eight. Original member Gloria Williams,
who retired from show business when she left the group, died in 2000. In
1978, Reeves and original Vandellas Ashford and Beard reunited at a Los
Angeles benefit concert for actor Will Geer. In 1983, Reeves successfully sued for royalties from her Motown hits and the label agreed to have the songs credited as Martha Reeves and the Vandellas from then on.[5][12] That year, Reeves performed solo at Motown 25,[18] which alongside some of their songs being placed on the Big Chill
soundtrack, helped Reeves and the Vandellas gain a new audience. In
1989, original members Ashford and Beard also sued Motown for royalties.
During this time, the original trio were inspired to reunite both as a
recording act and in performances.[5][12] They were offered a recording contract with Ian Levine at Motorcity Records who issued the group's first single since the Vandellas disbanded seventeen years earlier called "Step Into My Shoes."
Although they are no longer singing together full-time, Martha
Reeves and the Vandellas have occasionally reunited for various
concerts. Currently, Ashford, whose full name now is Rosalind Ashford-Holmes, and Beard, whose full name now is Annette Beard-Helton,
continue to perform with other singers, most notably Roschelle
Laughhunn, as "The Original Vandellas." Reeves, with her sisters Lois
and Delphine Reeves, tour as "Martha Reeves and the Vandellas."
From 2005 to 2009, Reeves held the eighth seat of Detroit's city
council. She has since lost her seat and told the press that she would
continue performing.[19]
A remake of the song "Nowhere To Run," sung by Arnold McCuller,
is heard in the film "The Warriors" during the scene in which the
Gramercy Riffs call a hit on the Warriors.
In a Season One episode of the television show The Golden Girls, Blanche describes her car as the "noisiest thing to come out of Detroit since Martha & The Vandellas.".[20]
Candice Bergen, who hosted the Saturday Night Live episode on which Martha Reeves appeared in its inaugural season, made sure that Martha Reeves and the Vandellas were a presence throughout her "Murphy Brown" series. The group's picture was displayed prominently in Murphy's office. When Aretha Franklin guest starred and Murphy tried to sing with her, Franklin stopped her, saying, ". . .I'm not Martha, and you ain't no Vandella."
Awards and accolades
They won a Grammy in 1999, (they were nominated for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group for "(Love Is Like A) Heat Wave", in 1964), Martha and the Vandellas' "Dancing in the Street" was inducted to the Grammy Hall of Fame
in 1999. In 1993, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas were awarded the
Pioneer Award by the Rhythm & Blues Foundation. Except for
pre-Vandellas member Gloria Williamson and Vandellas member Sandra
Tilley, all members of the group were inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1995, becoming the second all-female group to be inducted. They were inducted by rock group The B-52's, whose frothy dance music was inspired by the Vandellas.[21][22] They were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2003.[19] Two of their singles, "(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave" and "Dancing in the Street" were included in the list of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked the group #96 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.[23] In 2005, Martha & The Vandellas were voted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame.[24]
Always concert favorites, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas were nominated for UK Festival Awards in 2010 and 2011 as "Best Headliner."
Martha and the Vandellas was inducted into the inaugural class of
the Official Rhythm & Blues Music Hall of Fame at Cleveland State
University August 2013
Impact
Regarded for their early and mid-1960s work, some of the Vandellas'
popular recordings have become part of American culture with their 1964
standard, "Dancing in the Street," being the obvious example. One of the
most covered and popular songs in rock and roll history, "Dancing in
the Street" was covered several times including a 1982 live recording by
rock band Van Halen and a 1985 duet by rockers David Bowie and Mick Jagger. "Dancing in the Street" is considered[who?]to
be the "Motown Anthem" by many. Martha and the Vandellas 1963 hit,
"(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave," was the first song that signified the Motown sound
or the "Sound of Young America" with its backbeat and bouncing rhythms.
1965's "Nowhere to Run" has been featured during sports events. 1967's "Jimmy Mack" inspired what Reeves later said was a "virtual legend" of the name of the song "Jimmy Mack."
Lineups
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Discography
Martha Reeves and the Vandellas at Motown 45, 2004
For a detailed listing of albums and singles, see Martha and the Vandellas discography
Top Forty Singles
The following singles reached the Top Forty on the US or UK Pop Singles Charts:
| Year | Song Title | Peak Chart Positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | UK | ||
| 1963 | "Come and Get These Memories" | 29 | 6 | – |
| "Heatwave" | 4 | 1 | – | |
| "Quicksand" | 8 | 7 | – | |
| 1964 | "Dancing in the Street" | 2 | 8 | 28 4 (1969 reissue) |
| "Wild One" | 34 | 11 | – | |
| 1965 | "Nowhere to Run" | 8 | 5 | 26 42 (1969 reissue) |
| "You've Been in Love Too Long" | 36 | 25 | – | |
| 1966 | "My Baby Loves Me" | 22 | 3 | – |
| "I'm Ready for Love" | 9 | 2 | 22 | |
| 1967 | "Jimmy Mack" | 10 | 1 | 21 21 (1970 reissue) |
| "Love Bug Leave My Heart Alone" | 25 | 14 | ||
| "Honey Chile" | 11 | 5 | 30 | |
| 1968 | "Forget Me Not" | 93 | – | 11 (1971 reissue) |
| 1971 | "Bless You" | 53 | 29 | 33 |
Awards and recognition
- Martha Reeves and the Vandellas' "(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave" and "Dancing in the Street" were inducted to the Grammy Hall of Fame and were both included in the list of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.
- They were inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 becoming just the second all-female group to be inducted and the fifth group in the Motown roster to be inducted.
- They were inducted to the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2003.
- They were nominated for a Grammy Award for Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance in 1964 for their hit song "Heat Wave"
- "Dancing in the Street" was included in the United States Library of Congress' National Recording Registry for its historical, artistic and cultural significance in 2006.
References
- Advertising, OJ. "Michigan Rock and Roll Legends - MARTHA & THE VANDELLAS". www.michiganrockandrolllegends.com.
External links
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- Rock & Roll Hall of Fame page on Martha and the Vandellas
- 'Martha and the Vandellas' Vocal Group Hall of Fame Page
- History of Rock page on Martha and the Vandellas
- The Original Vandellas (Rosalind Ashford-Holmes & Annette Beard-Helton) page
- Martha and the Vandellas History, Charts and Songs
- Martha & The Vandellas at Doo Wop Heaven
- Martha & The Vandellas bio on the Soulwalking U.K. website.
