Martha Reeves facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Martha Reeves |
|
|---|---|
Reeves performing in 2011
|
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Martha Rose Reeves |
| Also known as | Martha LaVaille |
| Born | July 18, 1941 Eufaula, Alabama, U.S. |
| Origin | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Years active | 1957–present |
| Labels | |
Martha Rose Reeves (born July 18, 1941) is a famous American singer. She is best known as the lead singer of the Motown girl group Martha and the Vandellas. This group had many big hit songs. Some of their most popular songs include "Nowhere to Run", "Heat Wave", "Jimmy Mack", and "Dancing in the Street".
From 2005 to 2009, Martha Reeves was a councilwoman in her hometown of Detroit, Michigan. Martha Reeves and the Vandellas were honored in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. In 2023, Rolling Stone magazine named Reeves as one of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.
Contents
Martha Reeves' Early Life
Martha Rose Reeves was born in Eufaula, Alabama. She was the third of 11 children in her family. When she was a baby, her family moved to Detroit, Michigan. Her grandfather was a minister at a church in Detroit.
Her family loved music and were very active in their church choir. Martha's father played guitar, and her mother enjoyed singing. The children learned to love music from their parents. At Northeastern High School in Detroit, Martha had a vocal coach named Abraham Silver. He also taught other famous singers like Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson from the Supremes.
Martha grew up listening to gospel music. She was inspired by singers like Lena Horne and Della Reese. She became a big fan of R&B and doo-wop music. In 1959, she joined a group called the Fascinations, but she left before they started recording songs.
How Martha's Career Began
In 1957, Martha joined a group called the Del-Phis. The group included Rosalind Ashford, Gloria Williams, and Annette Beard. They were a popular local singing group.
In 1960 and 1961, Martha worked different jobs during the day. At night, she sang jazz and blues standards in Detroit nightclubs. One night, while singing at a club called The 20 Grand, she met Mickey Stevenson. He was a director at Motown Records. He invited her to audition.
Martha, who used the stage name Martha Lavaille, went to Motown's Hitsville USA studios the next morning. She didn't know she was supposed to call first to schedule an audition. Stevenson asked her to answer phones while he was busy. Martha used her high school skills to answer calls and help with payroll for Motown's musicians, The Funk Brothers.
In a 2019 documentary, Stevenson said Martha auditioned a few times. He would tell her to "come back later." Martha added that she must have looked like she was about to cry. So, he told her, "Answer this phone. I'll be right back." That "right back" turned into four hours!
Soon, Martha was working many hours at Hitsville. She helped Stevenson and even did some A&R work, which means finding new artists.
The Vels and Motown
By 1961, the Del-Phis changed their name to The Vels. They recorded songs for Checker and Checkmate Records. One day, a singer named Mary Wells couldn't make a recording session. Martha stepped up and called in the Del-Phis. This is how Martha and the Vandellas were formed with their first song, "I'll Have to Let Him Go".
Later, another group couldn't make a session to sing backup for the Miracles' drummer. Martha called her groupmates. The ladies, now a trio after Gloria Williams left, sang backup for Marvin Gaye's song "Stubborn Kind of Fellow". That song became a hit! Martha and the Vandellas sang backup for Marvin Gaye on his first three songs, his first album, and even on stage. They did this even after they started having their own hit songs.
There's another story about how Martha started singing at Motown. According to Berry Gordy, the head of Motown, they sometimes recorded music without a singer. This was against union rules. One day, a union representative made a surprise visit. Everyone was worried. Berry said they needed someone to sing into the microphone right away. His secretary, Martha, overheard this. She grabbed the microphone and started singing. And that's how Martha became a singer!
Martha and the Vandellas' Success
Martha Reeves had a powerful, gospel-style voice. This helped Martha and the Vandellas become very popular. They started as backup singers and then had their own hits like "Come and Get These Memories" and "Heat Wave". Their unique sound made them different from other groups like the Marvelettes and the Supremes.
After "Heat Wave" sold over a million copies, Martha and the Vandellas became one of Motown's top groups. They were famous for their recordings and their live shows. Martha was the only member who stayed with the group through all its changes. When original members Annette Beard and Rosalind Ashford left, new members joined. These included Betty Kelly, Sandra Tilley, and Martha's sister, Lois Reeves.
The group released many famous songs, including "Quicksand", "Nowhere to Run", "Jimmy Mack", and their most popular song, "Dancing in the Street". They appeared on many TV shows like The Mike Douglas Show, American Bandstand, and The Ed Sullivan Show. They also performed with British singer Dusty Springfield on the UK show Ready Steady Go!.
The group was featured in major magazines like Ebony and Jet. Martha Reeves also wrote for the newspaper Soul.
In 1968, Rosalind Ashford left the group. Martha brought in Sandra Tilley. The group, with Martha, Lois Reeves, and Sandra Tilley, continued until 1972. They released the album Black Magic before breaking up. In 1972, Motown Records moved from Detroit to Los Angeles. Martha left her contract with Motown at that time.
In 1989, Martha Reeves, Rosalind Ashford, and Annette Beard sued Motown Records. They wanted royalties, which are payments for their music, that they hadn't received since 1972. The company settled with them in 1991. Berry Gordy, Jr. apologized to Martha Reeves for how long it took to reach an agreement. The details of the settlement were not made public.
Martha's Solo Career
After leaving Motown, Martha Reeves moved to Los Angeles. She signed with MCA in late 1973. Her first project was the soundtrack for the film Willie Dynamite in January 1974. In the summer of that year, MCA released her self-titled album, Martha Reeves. This album was produced by Richard Perry. It was said to be very expensive to make, costing $250,000. It featured other famous musicians like Billy Preston and James Taylor. Even with good reviews, the album didn't sell very well. Her later albums on other labels like Arista and Fantasy also didn't become big hits.
In December 1975, she was a musical guest on the first season of Saturday Night Live. She sang the Christmas song "Silver Bells" and a cover of Jackie Wilson's "[(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher]".
In Los Angeles, Martha took acting classes. She appeared in the movie Fairy Tales and on the TV show Quincy, ME. She also appeared on TV game shows like Hollywood Squares. In 1977, with help from former Motown producer Frank Wilson, Martha became a born-again Christian.
She released one album on Arista Records and two albums on Fantasy Records. In 1983, she performed alone on the Motown 25 TV special. She then performed in a Broadway show called Ain't Misbehavin'. In 1989, she reunited with the original members of the Vandellas for a recording and a tour.
In 1995, Reeves and the Vandellas were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. They were also inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2003. Martha performed at the halftime show of Super Bowl XXXII in 1998 with her sisters and fellow Vandellas, Lois and Delphine Reeves.
In 2004, Martha released her first album in 24 years, called Home to You. She wrote and produced most of the songs herself. It included a cover of a Billie Holiday song and a new version of "Jimmy Mack". Before her solo career, Martha wrote for the music newspaper Soul. She was honored for this work. She was also honored for her best-selling autobiography, Dancing in the Street, which came out in 1995.
Her song "Wild Night" was in the movie Thelma & Louise. Martha sometimes starts her live shows with this song. "Nowhere to Run" was the first song played by Robin Williams' character in the movie Good Morning, Vietnam.
Martha has appeared on many TV shows as a solo artist. These include The Midnight Special and Soul Train. She also sang "Georgia On My Mind" with James Brown on The Dennis Miller Show. She performed on VH-1's Divas Celebrate Soul with other singers. She also appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Dancing With the Stars. Around that time, she had a new song on the music charts called "I'm Not Leaving" with the group Crystal Method.
In January 2012, Martha Reeves performed six sold-out shows at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London. Famous guests like Phil Collins and Boy George came to see her. She has also performed at Carnegie Hall, the Blue Note in Milan, Italy, and the Howard Theater in Washington, DC. In November 2015, she went on a sold-out tour in Belgium and Paris, France.
Martha Reeves received an honorary PhD in Humanities on November 25, 2012, in Detroit. In August 2016, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas performed a concert at the Hippodrome in London.
Martha's Current Work
After serving on the Detroit City Council from 2005 to 2009, Martha Reeves returned to performing full-time. She does nearly 50 shows each year. In 2010, she had a big tour in Australia. She often performs at festivals in the UK during the summer. She was nominated for two UK Festival Awards for her performances.
Reeves is a board member of the SAG-AFTRA Detroit chapter. This organization helps actors and performers. In 2007, she spoke to Congress to ask for better wages and royalties for musicians. She was honored for her hard work and bravery. She is also on the board of SoundExchange. This group collects royalties for artists when their music is played on digital radio.
She had a small role in the movie Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny. She played someone listening to the main characters on a boardwalk.
Martha continues to perform concerts and club dates. She performs both alone and with her Vandellas. Her sisters Lois (who joined the Vandellas in 1967) and Delphine (who joined in the mid-1980s) often perform with her.
In September 2019, Martha was a contestant on the BBC One show Celebrity MasterChef in the UK.
In 2024, Martha received a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame. Many famous people, including Berry Gordy Jr., Smokey Robinson, and Stevie Wonder, honored her at the event.
Martha Reeves' Music
Albums
- 1974: Martha Reeves (MCA)
- 1976: The Rest of My Life (Arista)
- 1978: We Meet Again (Fantasy)
- 1980: Gotta Keep Moving (Fantasy)
- 2004: Home To You (Itch/True Life Entertainment)
Singles
- "Power of Love" (1974)
- "Wild Night" (1974)
- "Love Blind" (1975)
- "I'm Not Leaving" with Crystal Method (2012)
