Martha and the Vandellas
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| Martha and the Vandellas | ||
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 Martha and the Vandellas on the cover of their seminal 1964 single, "Dancing in the Street". Clockwise from left to right: Martha Reeves, Annette Beard and Rosalind Ashford.
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| Background information | ||
| Also known as | The Del-Phis, The Vells, Martha Reeves & the Vandellas | |
| Origin |  Detroit, Michigan, USA |
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| Genre(s) | R&B/soul/pop | |
| Years active | 1960 - 1972 | |
| Label(s) | Chess Motown |
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| Associated acts |
Marvin Gaye | |
| Former members | ||
| Martha Reeves Rosalind Ashford Annette Sterling Gloria Williamson Betty Kelley Sandra "Lois" Reeves Sandra Tilley |
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Martha and the Vandellas were one of the most successful groups in the Motown roster during the 1960s and fully active from 1960 to 1972, performing at various times doo-wop, blues, pop, rock and roll and soul.
The label's second most-successful all-female singing group after The Supremes, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas were known for a churchier, more southern-styled soul than the Supremes, as typified in Motown hits such as "(Love Is Like A) Heat Wave", "Nowhere to Run", "Honey Chile" and, their signature song, "Dancing in the Street".
Founded in Detroit, Michigan in 1960, the group had initially gone by the name The Del-Phis and originally was a quartet of original lead singers Martha Reeves and Gloria Williamson and background vocalists Rosalind Ashford and Annette Sterling. Williamson left after several failed singles recorded on the Checkmate, Me-Lo-Dy and Tamla labels, leaving the quartet as a trio and Reeves as the remaining lead singer. They changed their name again to The Vells singing background for established Motown performers such as Mary Wells and Marvin Gaye before signing a new deal with Motown's Gordy label, changing their name to Martha and the Vandellas in 1962.
In 1964, the Vandellas' lineup changed with Betty Kelley replacing Sterling. In 1967, Kelley was fired and was replaced by Martha's younger sister, Sandra "Lois" Reeves. In 1969, Ashford was also fired and replaced by Sandra Tilley. The lineup of the Reeves sisters and Tilley continued after Martha's return from an institution after suffering a nervous breakdown. The group's final performance at Detroit's Cobo Hall in 1972 ended their twelve-year association.
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[edit] History
[edit] Origins
Martha Reeves, an Alabama-born and Detroit-reared teenager was brought up in the church by her grandfather. While going to school at Detroit's Northeastern High School, she was vocally coached by Abraham Silver, a man who also vocally coached future Supremes members Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson and Miracles member Bobby Rogers.
After graduating from high school in 1959, eighteen-year-old Reeves joined her first girl group called the Fascinations, who made their first recordings in 1960 on the local Bobbin label. In late 1960, Reeves met seventeen-year-old Rosalind Ashford. Both girls were invited by Annette Beard and Gloria Williamson to form a girl group on their own. They named themselves The Del-Phis.
After performing at several talent shows, the group was signed to the Chess subsidiary, Checkmate Records, with the release of the record, the Reeves-led "My Baby Won't Come Back", which was released in 1961. Gaining some attention from Motown after the label bought Checkmate, the group, now under the name The Vells, recorded the Williamson-led songs "There He Is (At My Door)" and "Camel Walk", the latter on the Tamla label. After those two singles failed to chart, Williamson left the group and the group stopped recording while Reeves tended time singing solo at Detroit nightclubs trying to get noticed, usually under the pseudonym Martha LaVaille.
While performing solo at Detroit's Twenty Grand club, Reeves was asked by Motown executive and staff songwriter/producer William "Mickey" Stevenson to come to the label to audition. Reeves unexpectedly took the job of secretary at the label after showing up late to an audition. Around this time, Martha and her Vells bandmates Ashford and Beard were recruited to perform background work for the likes of The Miracles, Mary Wells and Marvin Gaye. Gaye's first hit records "Stubborn Kind of Fellow", "Hitch Hike" and "Pride & Joy", prominently featured the girls.
In 1962 when Wells missed a recording session to record a song Stevenson had written, he recruited Reeves to sing the song as a demo. Bringing along Ashford and Beard, the trio recorded Stevenson's "I'll Have to Let Him Go". A strong response from the song convinced Motown CEO Berry Gordy to sign the Vells to another Motown subsidiary, Gordy, as a professional recording act, after which they changed their names.
The story about the name change (to Martha and the Vandellas) is a most colorful one. The Van part came from a street that neighbored Reeves' own - Van Dyke Street in Detroit - and the Della part honored Della Reese, Reeves' favorite singer. An alternative account of the name's origins states that Marvin Gaye described the group as "vandals" after their strong backing vocals drowned out his own singing during a recording session, but this would appear to be apocryphal. Coincidentally, several musicologists have noted, "Vandella" is also a French bastardization of an Ethiopian name for a mythical tribe of ghost-walking demons, similar to a succubus.
[edit] Success
Following their signing to Motown's Gordy imprint in 1962, Martha and 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, "(Love is Like a) Heat Wave," became a phenomenal record for the group, reaching number four on the Hot 100 and hitting number one on the R&B singles chart, where it would stay for five weeks. It became their first million-seller, adding them to the list of Motown hitmakers including The Marvelettes, Marvin Gaye, Mary Wells and the Miracles.
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 and reached number eight pop in the late fall of 1963. Around that time, Beard, who was pregnant with her first child and set to get married, chose to leave her singing career behind by 1964. 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" were two fairly successful singles, although they failed to reach the Top 40. However, their next single, "Dancing in the Street", rose up to number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and also found global success, peaking at number four on the UK pop singles chart. The song would become one of the most covered singles in history, and was considered by some as the greatest record to come out of Motown.
Between 1964 and 1967, singles like "Wild One" (US #34), "Nowhere to Run" (US #8; UK #26), "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 even as fellow Motown girl group The Supremes had begun to eclipse the group in base of popularity, hit singles and sales. At this time, the burgeoning sounds of British rock and psychedelic rock threatened to derail the girl group scene that had dominated music throughout the early to mid-sixties.
[edit] Personnel changes, Martha Reeves' illness and decline
By 1967, Martha and the Vandellas had been one of the most successful groups in the Motown roster. However, the label struggled to find good material for many of their acts after the exit of Holland-Dozier-Holland that year. Another important Motown contributor and Reeves' mentor William "Mickey" Stevenson had also left abruptly. The Vandellas struggled to find decent singles, although the Richard Morris-produced "Love Bug Leave My Heart Alone" (US #25; R&B #14) and "Honey Chile" (US #11; UK #30; R&B #5) added to their long list of hit singles. That year, label changes had started to take effect, and Motown CEO Berry Gordy stopped putting much attention into the Vandellas' material as he developed a romantic relationship with Diana Ross and focused much of his attention on building the Supremes' middle-of-the-road fan base and Ross' burgeoning upcoming solo career that followed shortly after. The Vandellas' sound (and the sound of many Motown acts with the exceptions of Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, The Miracles and Stevie Wonder) suffered as a result.
Problems had also developed between members of the group. Betty Kelley was the first to be let go after reportedly missing shows, as well as getting into altercations with Reeves. Kelley was fired in 1967 and was replaced by Martha Reeves' sister Lois. 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's names to reflect their featured lead singers. Though it was also rumored that the Vandellas' name change was made to ease tensions between Reeves and Diana Ross. In 1969, Reeves, who felt Gordy neglected her and her group for Diana Ross and the Supremes, became depressed and addicted to painkillers. After suffering several nervous breakdowns that derailed the Vandellas' successful streak, she entered an institution in 1970.
Reeves eventually recovered well enough to continue recording with the Vandellas. By 1969, the stress of performing caused original member Rosalind Ashford's firing. She was quickly replaced by another former member of The Velvelettes, Sandra Tilley, and the Vandellas continued to release albums and singles well into the '70s, although the hits were coming at a less than frenetic pace than before. There were a few that charted, including "I Can't Dance To That Music You're Playing", which peaked at number forty-two pop and featured singer Syreeta Wright in additional background vocals. The single, "Taking My Love (And Leaving Me)" became the Vandellas' first single that didn't hit the Hot 100, peaking at number two on the Billboard's Bubbling Under Hot 100 charts. In 1970, the group released a controversial protest single, "I Should Be Proud", which was loosely themed around Vietnam War. Despite its modest success on the Hot 100, Reeves called the song a personal triumph.
In 1971, the group scored their biggest single in years with the Jackson 5-esque "Bless You" (produced by the Jackson 5's producers The Corporation). The song peaked at number fifty-three on the US Billboard pop singles chart (the biggest peak of the post-Ashford & Kelley-era Vandellas), and number twenty-nine on the Billboard R&B singles chart. "Bless You" was their first UK Top 40 hit since 1968's "Forget Me Not" (#11 UK), with the song reaching number thirty-three there. It ended up becoming the last Billboard Hot 100 hit single for the group. After two successive Top 40 R&B singles, "In and Out of My Life" (#22 US R&B) and the Ashford & Simpson produced "Tear It On Down" (#37 US R&B), the group agreed to disband. A farewell concert was held at Detroit's Cobo Hall on December 21, 1972.
The next year, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas confirmed their breakup, with Reeves announcing that she was starting her solo career. At the same time, Motown Records moved its operations to Los Angeles; when Reeves refused to move, she negotiated out of her deal with Motown, signing with MCA in 1974 and releasing the critically-acclaimed self-titled debut, Martha Reeves. Despite critical raves, neither of Reeves' post-Vandellas/Motown recordings produce the same success as it had the decade before. After several attempts, Reeves finally sobered up in 1977, overcoming her addiction to prescription drugs and becoming a born-again Baptist.
After the Vandellas' split, Reeves' sister Lois sang with the group Quiet Elegance and sang background for Al Green, while Tilley retired from show business in the late-'70s, suddenly dying of a brain aneurysm in 1981 at the age of thirty-six. In 1978, Reeves and original Vandellas Rosalind Ashford and Annette Sterling reunited at a Los Angeles benefit. 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. In 1989, original members Ashford and Sterling sued Motown for royalties. As a result of this and reunited shows, the original trio reunited to perform at concerts together. Reeves also began performing alongside former member and sister Lois Reeves and a third sister, Delphine. Martha Reeves still performs with the two incarnations of the group on occasion and also performs as a solo artist. She currently holds the eighth seat of Detroit's city council, which she won during an election year in 2005.
[edit] Awards and accolades
Though they didn't receive any Grammys, they were nominated for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group for "(Love Is Like A) Heat Wave", in 1964. Martha Reeves and the Vandellas have been receiving some of the industry's highest honors, including inductions into the Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame, as well as the Grammy Hall of Fame. But their most notable induction was the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, (making them the second girl group to be inducted) in 1995; all of them were inducted, except for Sandra Tilley and Gloria Williamson. The group was inducted by new wave band The B-52's, whose frothy dance music was said to have been inspired by the Vandellas. They were inducted to the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2003. 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 Magazine ranked the group #96 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.[1]
[edit] Impact
Regarded for their early and mid-'60s 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 & roll history, the song was revamped several times including a famed 1985 duet by rockers David Bowie and Mick Jagger. Another song, 1965's "Nowhere to Run" has been featured during sports events while 1967's "Jimmy Mack" has been said to inspire what Reeves later called a "virtual legend" of the name of the song. Their smash 1963 hit, "(Love Is Like A) Heat Wave", has been said to have been the first song to signify the Motown sound or "Sound of Young America" with its doo-wop call and response vocals, gospel backbeat and jazz overtones. With their aforementioned singles and subsequent others including "I'm Ready For Love" and "Honey Chile", the Vandellas inspired the number of black girl groups that followed them: The Emotions, Honey Cone, High Inergy, The Pointer Sisters, En Vogue and Destiny's Child, all of whom have shown the influence that the Vandellas and Motown Records have had on today's performers. Lead singer Martha Reeves, in response, has been regarded as one of the most versatile performers of her generation.
[edit] Personnel
- Martha Reeves (1960-1972)
- Annette Sterling (1960-1964)
- Rosalind Ashford (1960-1969)
- Gloria Williamson (1960-1961)
- Betty Kelley (1964-1967)
- Sandra "Lois" Reeves (1967-1972)
- Sandra Tilley (1969-1972)
[edit] Discography
For a detailed listing of albums and singles, see Martha and the Vandellas discography
- Also available is a DVD of the last live appearance Martha made with Mary Wells and David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks made together, entitled "Dancing In The Street."
[edit] US and UK Top 40 Singles
The following singles reached the Top 40 of either the United States pop singles chart or the United Kingdom pop singles chart.
| Year | Song title | US Hot 100 chart | UK Top 40 chart |
| 1963 | "Come And Get These Memories" | 29 | - |
| 1963 | "(Love Is Like A) Heat Wave" | 4 | - |
| 1963 | "Quicksand" | 8 | - |
| 1964 | "Dancing in the Street" | 2 | 4 |
| 1964 | "Wild One" | 34 | - |
| 1965 | "Nowhere to Run" | 8 | 26 |
| 1965 | "You've Been In Love Too Long" | 36 | - |
| 1966 | "My Baby Loves Me" | 22 | - |
| 1966 | "I'm Ready For Love" | 9 | 29 |
| 1967 | "Jimmy Mack" | 10 | 21 |
| 1967 | "Love Bug Leave My Heart Alone" | 25 | - |
| 1967 | "Honey Chile" | 11 | 30 |
| 1968 | "Forget Me Not" | - | 11 |
| 1971 | "Bless You" | 33 | 33 |
[edit] US Top 40 Albums
- 1966: Greatest Hits (R&B #6)
- 1967: Watchout! (R&B #14)
- 1968: Ridin' High (R&B #13)
- 1972: Black Magic (R&B #30)
[edit] Awards & recognition
- Martha 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.
- Martha and the Vandellas 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.
- Martha and the Vandellas were inducted to the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2003.
- Martha and The Vandellas' "Dancing In The Street" was included in the National Recording Registry for its historical, artistic and cultural significance in 2006.
