| Martha Reeves |
Singer Martha Reeves
|
| Background information |
| Birth name |
Martha Rose Reeves |
| Also known as |
Martha LaVaille |
| Born |
July 18 1941 (1941--) (age 66)
Eufaula, Alabama, U.S.  |
| Origin |
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.  |
| Genre(s) |
R&B/soul |
| Occupation(s) |
Singer, author and councilwoman |
| Instrument(s) |
Vocals, tambourine |
| Years active |
1957 - present |
| Label(s) |
Motown, MCA, Arista, Fantasy, True Life Entertainment |
Associated
acts |
The Sabre-Ettes, the Fascinations, Martha and the Vandellas |
Martha Rose Reeves (born July 18, 1941) is an
African-American Grammy Award winning
R&B and soul singer and was the lead singer of the
legendary Motown girl group Martha and the
Vandellas. During her tenure as Motown's reigning female chart-topper, second only to Diana
Ross in the 1960s, Reeves and the Vandellas scored over a dozen hit singles including
"Dancing in the Street", "Nowhere to Run"
and "Jimmy Mack".
History
Early life and career
Martha Reeves was born the eldest of eleven children to Elijah Joshua and Ruby Lee Gilmore Reeves on July 18, 1941 in
Eufaula, Alabama. The Reeves family moved to Detroit, Michigan right after Martha's birth. Reeves was brought up in church as her grandfather
Elijah Reeves was a minister at Detroit's Metropolitan Church. As a teenager going to Northwestern High School, she was vocally
coached by Abraham Silver, who also coached future Motown stars Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson (of The Supremes) and Bobby Rogers (of The
Miracles).
In 1957, she first connected with Rosalind Ashford, Gloria Williams and Annette Beard in what became The
Del-Phis after a man named Edward "Pops" Larkins was starting a sister singing group to a male vocal group of his. The
Del-Phis performed at local benefits, YMCA parties and high school functions. During times when the group temporarily disbanded,
Martha joined other groups including the Sabre-Ettes and the Fascinations. Before leaving high school, she performed an operatic
number at her graduation party and received a standing ovation. In 1960, she reconnected with the Del-Phis and under the lead of
Williams, the group signed with the Chess subsidiary, Checkmate, which issued the single,
"I'll Let You Know", in 1961. The song failed to impact the charts and the label was later sold to Motown.
Later on that year, Martha worked odd jobs and worked as a singer during nighttime hours singing jazz and blues standards at
Detroit's nightclubs. During one performance, a Motown A&R man and staff songwriter named William "Mickey" Stevenson spotted Martha singing a song while performing at the
Twenty Grand club. Going under the name Martha LaVaille at the time, Stevenson was impressed by the singer and opted to have her
audition for the label. Oddly enough when Reeves showed up the next day, Stevenson told her that she had to come on a certain day
of the week, noting that Motown auditioned singers on Thursdays. Stevenson then told Martha to watch his office while he tended
elsewhere. Almost accidentally Reeves found herself earning pay as Stevenson's secretary opting to recruit local singers setting
up auditions, a fact made known on The Temptations, when she set up
an audition for the struggling group, then known as the Elgins.
During off times, Martha again recorded as member of the Del-Phis (later known as the Vels), now recording under the Motown
subsidiary, Mel-O-Dy. The single, "There He Is (At My Door)", was first recorded under the lead of Gloria Williams, who was
frustrated after the song failed to grant them a hit. Williams left the group in 1962 giving leeway for Reeves to assume the lead
singing position. Martha and her friends Annette and Roz often helped other Motown acts in the background, most prominently, the
group played a pivotal role in Marvin Gaye's early career singing backup for Gaye's hit
singles, "Stubborn Kind of Fellow", "Hitch
Hike" and "Pride & Joy".
After Mary Wells failed to make it to a recording session feigning illness and
The Andantes found themselves out of town performing for another Motown act, Martha,
Annette and Roz showed up to record a demo record titled "I Have to Let Him Go". Response from the record was so strong that
Motown president and founder Berry Gordy opted to sign the group under a recording contract.
Choosing a new name, Martha and the Vandellas, the group signed to Motown on September 21, 1962. Martha chose the name
Vandellas after a street her family grew up around and after idol Della Reese,
herself a native of Detroit.
Martha and the Vandellas
-
With her brassy and gospel-reared alto vocals, Martha Reeves helped ascend Martha and the Vandellas from background singers to
international superstars with early songs such as "Come and Get These
Memories" and "(Love Is Like A) Heat Wave" distinguishing the group
from contemporaries and label mates The Marvelettes and The Supremes, who were more influenced by doo-wop. Though the group's
early recordings under their different monikers were doo-wop oriented, the majority of songs released under the Vandellas' name
produced a rougher, soulful sound with frenetic musical backing from The Funk
Brothers. Martha's alto, Rosalind Ashford's soprano and Annette Beard's contralto vocals gave their harmonies dimension
and made their recordings unique. After "Heat Wave" became the group's first million-seller, the Vandellas quickly rose to become
the label's top draw both as recording stars and as a successful live act. Martha was the one consistent member of the group
staying throughout all the group's incarnations and lineups. After the exits of original members Annette Beard and Rosalind
Ashford, members replacing them included Betty Kelly, Sandra
Tilley and Martha's youngest sister Lois Reeves. Among the singles released that
became signature hits for the group included "Quicksand", "In My Lonely Room", "Live Wire", "Nowhere to Run", "A Love Like Yours
(Don't Come Knocking Everyday)", "I'm Ready for Love", "Jimmy Mack", "Honey Chile" and the group's most popular single,
"Dancing in the Street". These hits and more helped the Vandellas rival that of
The Supremes as the label's most successful all-female singing group. Martha often cites
her performance highlights as one being a performance with Vandellas worshipper, Brit soul singer Dusty Springfield, on the UK show, Ready, Steady, Go! and performing on the Ed Sullivan Show. Despite the success of the Vandellas, Martha was dismayed by Berry Gordy's
decision to promote The Supremes and the group's lead singer Diana Ross in particular more so than for the Vandellas and other girl groups. Other issues including group
infighting (Martha often tangled with Betty Kelly), a stringent recording and touring schedule and other matters led to Reeves
abusing prescription drugs and alcohol. Near the end of the decade, Reeves suffered a nervous breakdown during a bad reacion from
a hallucinatory drug she took and had to be institutionalized in late 1968. The breakdown led to a brief disbanding of the
Vandellas in which Ashford left for good. When Reeves was well enough to return, she recruited Sandra Tilley and the lineup of Martha and Lois Reeves and Tilley continued until 1972 when the group
disbanded shortly after issuing the Black Magic album. In 1973, Martha plan
on continuing to release solo work with Motown but when the label moved from Detroit to Los Angeles, an angry Reeves negotiated out of her contract with Motown ending her twelve-year
association with the label.
Solo career
Martha released her first solo album in 1974 for MCA. The self-titled album was
reportedly the most expensive album of that time costing $250,000. Featuring the singles, "Power of Love" and "Wild Night", the
album was a critically-favored smash though it failed to generate commercial success as did Reeves' subsequent follow-ups on
other labels including Arista and Fantasy. In
1977, Reeves ended her long bout of drug and alcohol addiction and became a born-again Baptist.
After one more album in 1980, Reeves semi-retired from the spotlight though she continued to perform onstage usually as an oldies
act. In 1983, she successfully sued her former label, Motown, for back royalties and the same year, performed solo on the famed
Motown 25 special. She then performed in a Broadway production of Ain't Misbehavin' and reunited
with original members of the Vandellas in 1989 both on record (recording for the London-based
Motor City Records that year issuing the single "Step Into My Shoes") and on tour. In 1995, Reeves and the Vandellas were
inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and eight years after that were
inducted to the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2003. In 2004, Reeves released her
first album in 24 years with Home to You with records she had written and produced herself except for a Billie Holiday cover and an updated version of her big hit, "Jimmy
Mack". Between leaving the Vandellas and her solo career, Martha served time as an early contributor to the music
newspaper, Soul, for which she was honored for by the Black Women in Publishing organization. She was also honored for her
best-selling 1995 autobiography.
"Wild Night" was featured on the soundtrack to the movie Thelma & Louise, the song can be heard during one of the
several crucial moments in the lead characters lives in the movie. "Nowhere to Run" is
the first record played by Robin Williams as manic DJ Adrian Cronauer in the movie "Good Morning Vietnam".
Current work
In 2005, Reeves ran for and won a seat on the Detroit City Council. Reeves said she was running for the "youths of the city"
and for adequate policing of the neighborhoods. One of her ideas to boost Detroit's economy was a series of downtown statues of
such Motown figures as Stevie Wonder and Smokey
Robinson.
Reeves has been a vocal critic of landlords that own decaying lots. However, on 6 June
2006, the Detroit News reported that Reeves is the owner
of at least fifteen lots and two rental properties in Detroit. According to city, county and court records Reeves owns properties
that have been cited for 25 code violations that have never been repaired and one of her houses had to be razed, at a cost to the
city of $5,000, money that Reeves has not paid back. [1]
She made a cameo appearance on the boardwalk in the film, Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny as a passer-by listening to the duo. This
information was heard on the audio commentary of the film's DVD by Kyle
Gass.
Martha continues to hold her daily duties as a musician often performing in concerts under the bill Martha Reeves of Martha
Reeves and the Vandellas with sisters Lois and Delphine Reeves.
Discography
Albums
- 1974: Martha Reeves (MCA)
- 1977: For the Rest of My Life (Arista)
- 1978: We Meet Again (Fantasy)
- 1980: Got To Keep On Moving (Fantasy)
- 2004: Home To You (Itch/True Life Entertainment)
Singles
- "Power of Love" (1974) (#76 Pop; #27 R&B)
- "Wild Night" (1974) (#74 R&B)
- "Love Blind" (1975) (#61 R&B)
References
External links
References
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