Martha Reeves and The Vandellas

“Summer’s here and the time is right for dancing in the street...”

Singing those anthemic lyrics, Martha & The Vandellas encapsulated the '60s and, in the process, created a musical touchstone for pop and for Motown. More aggressive, earthier and harder-edged than other Motown greats, Martha & The Vandellas celebrated a streetwise joy in music.

Fronted by the brassy and soulful Martha Reeves, the Detroit group started out in 1957 as The Del-Phis with a lineup that included Annette Beard and Rosalind Ashford. After a couple of singles in the early 1960s failed to hit, Reeves performed solo at Detroit’s 20 Grand nightclub when Motown A&R director Stevenson invited her to audition. When she showed up the next day, unfortunately not Motown’s usual audition day, Martha found herself answering Stevenson’s constantly ringing telephone and accepted a job as his secretary.

Reeves wasn’t far from a studio. With Beard and Ashford she sang background on various recording sessions, including Marvin Gaye’s hits “Stubborn Kind of Fellow” and “Pride and Joy.” The Vandellas even received credit on the 45. In ’63, Martha sat in for Mary Wells and Motown released the track as the first official Martha & The Vandellas recording, “I’ll Have To Let Him Go.” The group’s moniker was derived from a combination of Van Dyke Street, where Martha’s grandmother lived, and the name of one of her favorite singers, Della Reese.

Later in 1963 the Vandellas had their first hit with Holland-Dozier-Holland’s “Come and Get These Memories.” The driving “(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave” made Martha and The Vandellas a sensation. That single was immediately followed by “Quicksand.” A pregnant Beard left the group and was replaced by Betty Kelly.

“Dancing in the Street,” released in 1964, became a no. 2 pop smash that remains one of the most played, and most covered, songs in pop music. Between 1964 and 1967, the hits kept on flowing, including “Nowhere to Run,” “I’m Ready for Love,” and seemingly out of nowhere, “Jimmy Mack,” a no. 1 R&B and top 10 pop hit in ’67 that had actually been recorded three years earlier. Other smashes included the hits “Wild One,” “You’ve Been in Love Too Long” (later covered by Bonnie Raitt), “My Baby Loves Me,” “Love Bug Leave My Heart Alone,” and “Honey Chile.” The group also scored classic B-sides, from “Third Finger, Left Hand” to “Love (Makes Me Do Foolish Things).”

In 1967, Betty left, replaced by Martha’s younger sister Lois. At the same time, Martha finally received full top billing; the marquee would now read Martha Reeves & The Vandellas. A further personnel change took place with Rosalind’s departure in 1969, and her replacement by Sandra Tilley. But turmoil within Motown and within the group, and the focus on other emerging stars kept the Vandellas from any additional major success. After a trio of R&B Top 40s—“Bless You,” “In and Out of My Life” and Ashford & Simpson’s “Tear It On Down”—the group officially disbanded following a farewell concert at Cobo Hall in Detroit in December 1972.

As Motown moved to Los Angeles, Reeves opted to remain in Detroit and sign a solo deal with MCA in 1974. There she released an acclaimed, self-titled album produced by Richard Perry, which featured the chart hit “Power of Love” and “Wild Night,” a Van Morrison cover used in several feature films, notably Thelma and Louise. She would also later record for Arista and Fantasy.

In 1983, Martha Reeves and The Vandellas were rediscovered thanks to Martha’s solo performance on the “Motown 25” anniversary special and their appearance on the blockbuster soundtrack to The Big Chill. Reeves, Beard, and Ashford reunited in the 1990s to perform again in concert. The Vandellas have also since performed in other configurations, including Martha with Lois and another sister, Delphine—at least when Martha was not performing her duties as a Detroit city councilwoman, a position she won in 2005.

Martha Reeves and The Vandellas were inducted in 1995 into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, only the second all-female group to be so honored. Since then, “Dancing in the Street” has been inducted into the Grammy® Hall of Fame and, in 2004, the group was included on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

Along with The Supremes, Martha and The Vandellas inspired many of the girl groups that followed, including the Emotions, Pointer Sisters, En Vogue, and Destiny’s Child. When the group was introduced at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, it was by The B-52’s, whose Fred Schneider would later write: “‘Dancing in the Street’ is my favorite single of all time…It starts with a pounding drumroll, then the trumpets and then Martha’s voice—which is like a horn. The lyrics invite everybody to get together for the best dance party going.”

They still do.