The Power Packed Martha and the Vandellas

The Vandellas were the most aggressive girl group to emerge from Motown in the sixties.
Led by the powerhouse vocals of Martha Reeves, the group produced some of the most popular dance tracks of the decade.Martha Reeves first got together with her friends Annette Beard and Rosalind Ashford in high school. Calling themselves the Del-Phis the group released one unsuccessful single on the Chess subsidiary, Check Mate Records.

Later Reeves joined Motown as the secretary to A&M head, William Stevenson. One day, Motown boss Berry Gordy needed back up singers at short notice and Martha and her friends ended up filling the slot. They went on to sing backing vocals for Marvin Gaye’s Stubborn Kind Of Fellow and Hitch Hike.

Dubbed Martha and the Vandellas by Gordy, the group was soon recording their own album on Motown, making their debut with I’ll Have To Let Him Go. The group’s name originated from combining words from Van Dyke Street in Detroit and Della Reese, Reeve’s favourite singer.

Martha and the Vandells scored their first hit with Come And Get These Memories in 1963. The track charted at No. 6 on the R&B list and made it to the pop Top 30. Two dance records Heat Wave and Quicksand followed the same year. Both these explosive dance albums were produced by the famous Holland_Dozier_Holland.

Over the next four years the group tasted success with a series of hits. Their biggest hit was 1964’s Dancing in the Street, which peaked at No 2 on the pop charts. Other hits included Nowhere to Run in 1965, I’m Ready For Love in 1966, Jimmy Mack in 1967 and Honey Chile also in 1967.

The group went through several changes in line up in the following years. Annette Beard retired in 1963 and was replaced with Betty Kelly, formerly of the group Velvelette. Kelly was with the Vandellas for four years. After she left Reeves’ younger sister Lois joined the group. Rosalind Ashford left in 1969 and Sandra Tilley took her place.

In 1974 the group disbanded, after a final performance at Detroit’s Cobo Hall in 1972. Some say the group’s demise was a result of Motown’s obsession with the Supremes. Others cite the line up changes as being partly responsible. The group members themselves felt that Motown had short-changed them. Later in 1989 Reeves, Ashford and Beard were to sue the label for back royalties.

After the split, Reeves signed to MCA as a solo artiste in 1974. She scored a minor hit with Power of Love from her debut album. But though this album and subsequent releases were praised by critics, she could never duplicate the popularity of her Vandella days. Reeves continued to tour and record, occasionally teaming up with Ashford and Beard.

Among the other band members, Lois Reeve went on to work with Al Green while Sandra Tilley died while being operated on for a brain tumour in 1981.

In 1994 Reeves released her autobiography Dancing on the Street which she has co-written with Mark Bego. In it she details her conflicts with Berry Gordy and Motown as well as the difficult phase in her life when the pressures of show biz drove her to an addiction to psychoactive prescription drugs. She has triumphed over these troubles and has been drug–free since 1977.

In 1995 Martha and the Vandellas was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Their songs have been successfully covered by artistes like Mick Jagger and David Bowie and Linda Ronstadt and the Jam.