Part 2—Martha & The Vandellas: Igniting a Hitsville Heat Wave
Martha Reeves had not just cracked the door open at Motown with “I’ll Have to Let Him Go;” she had practically kicked it down with her undeniable talent and her remarkable ability to shine in the face of unexpected challenges. In the aftermath, Mickey Stevenson swiftly summoned Reeves and the Vels for another round of session work just days after, setting the stage for a series of events that would reshape the trajectory of the group.
Annette Beard, Martha Reeves, and Rosalind Ashford. Illustration by J.D. Humphreys
The Vels laid down the track for “You’ll Never Cherish a Love So True (‘Til You Lose It),” featuring Williams as the lead vocalist. During this session, they also recorded the initial version of “There He Is (At My Door).” Gordy was pleasantly surprised by the group’s harmonious performance, especially noticing Reeves showcasing her vocal talent. Astonished, he exclaimed, “Why is she working as a secretary when she should be singing?” He promptly extended recording contracts to them. This turn of events served as a reality check for Williams. After carefully considering the demanding nature of the opportunity, she concluded that it would be too overwhelming and chose to decline the offer.
LISTEN TO “YOU’LL NEVER CHERISH A LOVE SO TRUE (‘TIL YOU LOSE IT) BY THE VELS
LISTEN TO “THERE HE IS (AT MY DOOR)” BY THE VELS
Following Williams’ departure, Reeves assumed the role of lead singer by default, leading to the group’s renaming as Martha & The Vandellas. There is legend suggesting that the group was named after Detroit’s Van Dyke Street and Reeves’ idol, Della Reese. However, Ashford disputes this claim, asserting that Gordy was the one who coined the name, not Reeves.
The trio possessed all the qualities indicative of the next successful girl group. Reeves, with her naturally commanding presence, became the charismatic lead singer—tall, slender, and model-like, always exuding a smiling charm that captured attention. Ashford, shorter and more introverted, showcased a distinct beauty with eyes set far apart adorned in eyeliner, reminiscent of Brigitte Bardot’s cat-eye technique, give her a simultaneously stunning and adorable appearance. Beard’s captivating allure gave the group its three-of-a-kind. Audiences were in for a treat as these three all-American Black girls graced the stage with both beauty and harmony.
• “COME AND GET THESE MEMORIES” •
In 1962, the group recorded “Come and Get These Memories,” reaching number 29 on the Pop chart and number 6 on the R&B chart in 1963. Originally, songwriter Lamont Dozier had intended “Come and Get These Memories” for white country music singer Loretta Lynn.
“The story itself lent itself to a country and western feeling,” he said in a Songfact interview. “That’s the way I envisioned it, but I didn’t know how to go about finding Loretta Lynn to convince her to do this song ‘Come and Get These Memories.’ I had her in mind when I first wrong the song, but I didn’t know how to get in contact with her.”
Dozier adds, “I had written it all out when I was just starting at Motown, before I got with the Hollands, so I had to change it. The way I felt it, it was a country song with twangy steel guitars and a banjo. At Motown, I had to get out a lot of songs in a short time, so I figured I'd just change the arrangement I had in my mind from country to a progressive type of R&B/jazz with a shuffle. That's how it got a jazz type of feeling with the chords, elevenths and ninths and what have you."
Reeves would also recount for Mojo magazine February 2009 that, "The idea came from Holland-Dozier-Holland. Lamont played the keyboards to teach us the song, Eddie Holland did the vocals for the lead, and Brian Holland added the harmonies for the background. So the three of them working with us, we came up with a beautiful song. Whenever I hear it I always marvel at the ways that everything blends, the voices, the music. There's this instant entrance where you have to count to catch but it works every time."
“Whenever I hear it [“Come and Get These Memories] I always marvel at the ways that everything blends, the voices, the music.”
- Martha Reeves
“Come and Get These Memories” narrates the story of a disillusioned girl who is in the midst of returning various mementos from a past relationship. These include love letters, records, a friendship ring, and a teddy bear. The Vandellas added a theatrical touch to the storytelling by incorporating props into the performance.
“On stage I would use a large teddy bear as a prop,” Reeves said. “I sang a line about giving back the stuffed animal that had been won at the state fair. When I came back to that line, someone would hand me the teddy bear from the wings. Then I would throw it back when I would reach the line telling the boyfriend to come and get it.”
LISTEN TO “COME AND GET THESE MEMORIES” BY MARTHA & THE VANDELLAS
Marking a significant accomplishment, Martha & The Vandellas joined the esteemed ranks of signature artists, alongside the Marvelettes. With two thriving girl groups on his roster, Gordy now boasted a lineup that included several artists with potential to achieve hit records and shape Motown’s enduring legacy.
Holland-Dozier-Holland (Top: Lamont Dozier, Left: Brian Holland, Right: Eddie Holland). Illustration by J.D. Humphreys
• THE “HEAT WAVE” HITS •
Martha & The Vandellas recorded the breakthrough hit “Heat Wave” that skyrocketed to number four on the Hot 100 and number one in R&B singles in the summer of 1963. As the group’s first million-seller, and epitomizing the Motown Sound, this single landed the group the first Grammy Award nomination for Motown.
Released as a single on July 9, 1963, “Heat Wave” coincided with the weeks leading up to the March on Washington. This historic event saw 20,000 civil rights supporters gather in Washington D.C., to witness Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. deliver his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech and march for jobs and freedom. Despite Washington not being in the midst of an actual heat wave, the song “Heat Wave” was resonant in the minds of those present, adding to the simmering intensity of the Civil Rights Movement on that memorable day.
Building on the success of “Heat Wave,” Martha & The Vandellas ventured into recording “Quicksand” with a gospel flair in the late fall of 1963, achieving the impressive rank of number 8 in the Billboard Top 10. This momentum carried into 1964, solidifying Martha & The Vandellas was one of the quintessential girl groups of Motown. The group’s journey from being an unknown background vocal ensemble to becoming a favorite among Motown audiences was marked by the patience and perseverance of its members, particularly fueled by the determined nature of Reeves.
LISTEN TO “HEAT WAVE” BY MARTHA & THE VANDELLAS
LISTEN TO “QUICKSAND” BY MARTHA & THE VANDELLAS
In 1964, their reign would gradually subside. Motown, especially Gordy, began to put much focus on the Supremes.
Beard explains, “We didn’t get upset when Berry decided to put the Supremes above us. People used to ask if we got along, yes, we got along. Their style of music was a little cutesier than ours which was a little more rougher. It was okay. That was Berry’s choice. He and Diana had a little thing but okay? It happens. But I don’t hold that against anybody. I’m just glad I had the opportunity that I had because my parents would have never been able to send me around the world or different states. I would not have had that opportunity because they would have never been able to afford it. I was fine with that. And to this day, I’m still fine.”
“We didn’t get upset when Berry decided to put the Supremes above us.”
- Annette Beard
The songwriting talent of Holland-Dozier-Holland that had previously pushed their songs to the top was now in reserve for the Supremes.
LISTEN TO “COME AND GET THESE MEMORIES” (COVER) BY THE SUPREMES
“They wrote some great songs and then we lost them,” Ashford said. “It was a little disappointing to learn ‘What? No more songs from Holland-Dozier-Holland?’ It was disappointing, but we got through it. We had different writers.”
• CHANGES TO THE GROUP •
The year also brought in personnel changes for Martha & The Vandellas. Annette Beard had married her high school sweetheart the previous year and her family was about to expand.
“I think might have been about 4 or 5 months pregnant when I announced to the ladies that I was going to step down out of the group because I was pregnant,” Beard said. “They were begging me not to leave because they said they could have uniforms made in the maternity style or the extra room that I needed. I was like, ‘I am not getting up on nobody’s stage pregnant, okay?’”
The Vandellas: Betty Kelley and Rosalind Ashford. Illustration by J.D. Humphreys
With Beard out of the group, Betty Kelley of the Velvelettes was called to a meeting with Gordy. With the news of the request came nervous knots for Kelley. “You’re thinking, ‘Oh what did I do? What is he going to do?’” Kelley recalled. “These were the things going through my head and when I got there I saw Martha and Rosalind sitting outside his office. When I went to talk to him and it finally hit me that he was going to pull me out of the Velvelettes and put me in the Vandellas for a trial, it was kind of scary.”
“When I went to talk to him [Berry Gordy] and it finally hit me that he was going to pull me out of the Velvelettes and put me in the Vandellas for a trial, it was kind of scary.”
- Betty Kelley
Filling Beard’s shoes evolved beyond a mere trial; naturally, she became the third member. “She was a plant,” Reeves said. “I looked at her and she looked like Annette to me a little bit. We got to talking and the next thing you know I moved her into my house from Kalamazoo, Michigan. She was on her way to… I don’t know where she was going.”
Despite Motown’s increasing emphasis on the Supremes, Martha & The Vandellas persisted in delivering hits like “Dancing in the Street,” “Nowhere to Run,” and “Jimmy Mack.”
LISTEN TO “DANCING IN THE STREET” BY MARTHA & THE VANDELLAS
LISTEN TO “NOWHERE TO RUN” BY MARTHA & THE VANDELLAS
LISTEN TO “JIMMY MACK” BY MARTHA & THE VANDELLAS
The decline of Martha & The Vandellas became unavoidable with the ascent of Diana Ross’ solo career and organizational shifts within the label. As internal conflicts escalated, particularly involving on-stage confrontations between Reeves and Kelly, the group’s decline hastened. Accounts claim that Kelly was fired after one too many missed shows but she insists this is pure misinformation.
“I look at the stuff on the internet on Wikipedia that says, ‘She was fired because she missed some gigs,’” Kelley said. “I never missed a gig. This is crazy. People get what they think are facts, but they’re not facts. I tell people that when I left, the feeling was mutual, but, yes, there was a problem with Martha. It was a problem on her side, not my side.”
“I tell people that when I left, the feeling was mutual, but, yes, there was a problem with Martha.”
- Betty Kelley
Starting in 1967, Reeves’ sister, Lois Reeves, replaced Kelley.
Lois Reeves. Illustration by J.D. Humphreys
Within less than two years after Lois’ arrival, Ashford was summoned to Motown. Ashford was dismissed in 1969 and was replaced by Sandra Tilley of the Velvelettes.
Ashford recalls, “I didn’t voluntarily leave the group. For some reason, up to today, I don’t know why I was no longer in the group. We had a show on the road and when we returned I was called down to Motown for a meeting. When I met with Ewart Abner, he said, ‘Martha doesn’t want to sing with you anymore.’ It was just like that.”
“When I met with Ewart Abner, he said, ‘Martha doesn’t want to sing with you anymore.’ It was just like that.”
- Rosalind Ashford
According to Ashford, they couldn’t retain her because she lacked the name recognition that Reeves had as the lead singer. In that conversation, Abner reminded Ashford that she was not a lead singer and would not become one at Motown. Ashford would have to form a new group or go solo, prospects that weren’t aligned with Gordy’s priorities at the time.
“Afterwards, I went as far as trying to get in touch with her [Martha] to ask what’s happening and the reason for this,” Ashford said. “I could never get in touch with her. I never talked to her until about 15 years ago. The day we got back together, I never got a reason. Never gave me an answer. Like no discussion. That was the end of that.”
• MARTHA REEVES & THE VANDELLAS •
To align with the nomenclature trend of other groups featuring the lead singer’s last name, the group was rebranded as Martha Reeves & The Vandellas. They continued recording and performing until 1972 when Reeves opted to embark on a solo career, coinciding with Motown’s relocation to Los Angeles. Many years later, Beard and Ashford joined Reeves for several concerts, but the camaraderie within the group never fully mended. “We don’t have the same frame of mind,” Reeves stated. “We’re not on one accord, never have been and never will be.”
Marvin Gaye, would remark, “Funny, but of all the acts back then, I thought Martha Reeves & The Vandellas came closest to really saying something. It wasn’t a conscious thing, but when they sang numbers like ‘Quicksand’ or ‘Wild One’ or ‘Nowhere to Run’ or ‘Dancing in the Street,’ they captured a spirit that felt political to me. I liked that.”
“Funny, but of all the acts back then, I thought Martha Reeves & The Vandellas came closest to really saying something.”
- Marvin Gaye
Martha & The Vandellas have etched a legacy that is unique theirs, standing as the epitome of girl group history and serving as a profound muse for female artists to follow.
“We did try, and we endured, and yes, we are queens… yes, we are,” Reeves said.