Martha and the Vandellas (1960-1974)

December 23, 2018 
/ Contributed By: Maritza Fernandez

Heat Wave (Gordy/Motown

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Martha Reeves, one of Ruby and Elijah Reevesโ€™s eleven children, was born in Eufaula, Alabama on July 18, 1941. Before her first birthday, they moved to Detroit, Michigan. She grew up performing at her fatherโ€™s Methodist church, and was vocally trained by Abraham Silver while attending Northeastern High School until 1959. She became a solo performer as Martha LaVelle in 1959 and then formed a group, โ€œDel-Phisโ€ in 1960 with Gloria Williams, Rosalind Ashford, and Annette Beard.

In 1961, their first song for Checkmate Records, called โ€œIโ€™ll Let You Know,โ€ was a commercial failure.ย  Martha Reeves auditioned for Motown but was offered a secretarial job instead. The group, however, joined the Motown label under the name โ€œThe Vels.โ€ Their first big break came in July 1962 when they signed to Gordy, a Motown subdivision, and backed Marvin Gaye on his single โ€œStubborn Kind of Fellow.โ€ They were renamed Vandellas, a combination of Van Dyke Street where Marthaโ€™s grandmother lived and her favorite singer, Della Reese.ย  The group’s first hit, โ€œCome and Get These Memories,โ€ was released April 1963.ย  The song hit number six on R&B charts. This was followed by โ€œHeat Wave,โ€ released in 1963. This song hit number one on R&B charts.ย  It also generated controversy in the mid-1960s when conservative pundits claimed the lyrics of the song were code words for race riots then sweeping the nation.ย  Nonetheless, in 1964 the song won a Grammy Award for the group.

In February 1965, before the Vandellas toured England with the Temptations and the Supremes, they released โ€œNowhere to Runโ€ which hit top ten on Pop and R&B charts. In 1967, their song โ€œJimmy Mackโ€ also hit number one on R&B. By the time of the release of โ€œHoney Chile,โ€ the groupโ€™s last top 10 R&B hit in 1968, they were officially listed as โ€œMartha Reeves and the Vandellas.โ€ In 1969, Martha Reeves became addicted to prescription drugs and suffered a breakdown. She continued to perform and became drug-free in 1977.

โ€œTear It Down,โ€ released July 15, 1972, was Martha and the Vandellas last single and it barely hit the top 40 on the R&B charts. Two years later, in 1974, Martha Reeves went solo and had her biggest hit, โ€œPower of Love,โ€ which reached the top 30 on R&B charts.ย  The group reunited briefly in 1978 for a benefit for actor Will Geer in Santa Cruz, California. In 1989, Martha, Rosalind Ashford, and Annette Beard, the original group formed in 1960, sued Motown for back royalties not received since 1972.

In the 1990s, Martha Reeves toured with โ€œThe Legendary Ladies of Rock and Roll.โ€ In 2005, she ceased professional singing when she won a seat on the Detroit City Council. The group’s accolades include: induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2003, two songs on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fameโ€™s 2004 “500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll,” and being ranked #96 on Rolling Stoneโ€™s “100 Greatest Artists of All Time.”

About the Author

Author Profile

Maritza Fernandez graduated from the University of Washington in Seattle with a Bachelorsโ€™ degree in History. She particularly enjoyed colonial North American history. She graduated from the University of Miami School of Law in Miami, Florida with her Juris Doctor. When she is not in school, Maritza loves films, food, and family.

CITE THIS ENTRY IN APA FORMAT:

Fernandez, M. (2018, December 23). Martha and the Vandellas (1960-1974). BlackPast.org. https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/martha-and-vandellas-1960-1974/

Source of the Author's Information:

โ€œMartha and the Vandellas,โ€ย Ebony Magazine, February 1, 1968, https://books.google.com/books?id=H84DAAAAMBAJ&dq=martha+reeves&source=gbs_navlinks_s; Jay Warner,ย American Singing Groups: A History from 1940s to Today (Milwaukee: Hal Leonard Corporation, 2006).

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