Half way through the year and time for a new legend of
Ladies and germs I give you Martha Reeves and The Vandellas!

Martha had been singing with some girl friends - including Rosalind Ashford - in High School and later started singing solo in the nightclubs of Detroit. It was while singing in the Twenty Grand that she was spotted by songwriter and Motown A&R man Mickey Stevenson who told her to come to Hitsville USA for an audition. When she turned up he told her she had come on the wrong day - Thursdays were audition day! - but could she keep an eye on his office?!

So Martha became his secretary including booking in artists and singing backing vocals with old friend Roz Ashford and Annette Beard - they can be heard distinctly on Marvin Gaye's STUBBORN KIND OF FELLOW and HITCH HIKE. When Mary Wells didn't show up for a Stevenson session he gave the gig to Martha and her friends who impressed Berry Gordy so much he signed them... and Martha and The Vandellas were born!

The hits came almost immediately with COME AND GET THESE MEMORIES, (LOVE IS LIKE A) HEAT WAVE and QUICKSAND. Betty Kelly replaced a pregnant Annette Beard and The Vandellas line-up most recognised was in place and in 1964, Stevenson allocated them a song which his singer wife Kim Weston had passed on and as soon as the world heard Martha sing "Calling out around the world..." they joined her in DANCING IN THE STREET making it one of the biggest hits of the Sixties.

With the departure of Holland-Dozier-Holland and Mickey Stevenson, The Vandellas foundered like a few other Motown acts, surviving on the odd big hit and some minor ones. In the late Sixties Martha battled with addiction problems and defections from the group but that meant she could recruit her glamorous sister Lois. The group disbanded in 1972 as Motown headed to Los Angeles and Martha remained in Detroit.

Despite the changing fashions in music it is great to be able to say that Martha and the Vandellas, Lois and younger Reeves sister Delphine, are still working - and working it! Although Martha's voice isn't as strong and as raucous as it was, she can still get an audience worked up to fever pitch by her stage presence and sheer enjoyment of her craft.

I have now been lucky enough to see Martha and sisters three times on stage in the past few years. A favorite memory being when we saw them at the Jazz Cafe a few years ago and Martha signed autographs on stage. As I sat with her at the table, the d.j. played one of their greatest songs MY BABY LOVES ME and Martha started singing it softly... how could I resist? I chipped in the required backing line of"Oh yeahhh" so here is a photo of Martha and her honorary Vandella!