Each week, Danny Lake will provide a look at the past - and the present - for one of your favorite artists. He'll give you a brief bio about what they were doing then and what they're doing today. Check back each week for the latest installment of "Where Are They Now?"

MARTHA AND THE VANDELLAS

Martha Reeves was born in Alabama and reared in Detroit in her teens by her grandmother. In 1957, joined Gloria Williams, Rosalind Ashford, and Annette Beard to form the Del-Phis. After four years of playing parties and local festivals, the group was signed to the Chess subsidiary, Checkmate Records, the Reeves led "I'll Let You Know", was released in 1961. While performing solo at Detroit's Twenty Grand Club, Reeves was asked by Motown Records executive/staff songwriter/producer Mickey Stevenson to come to the label to audition. Reeves unexpectedly took the job as secretary at the label after showing up to audition on the wrong day.

Around that time Martha and her former Vells band mates Ashford and Beard were recruited to perform background work for Marvin Gaye on "Stubborn Road of Fellow", "Hitch Hiker", and Pride & Joy", which prominently featured the girls.

In 1962 when Mary Wells missed a recording session to record a song Stevenson had written, he recruited Reeves to sing the demo. It worked and Reeves was signed on September 21, 1962. It was then that Reeves changed the group's name. The "Van" part came from a street that Reeves had lived on-Van Dyke Street-in Detroit, and the "Della" part honored Della Reese, Reeve's favorite singer.

The Vandellas first Top 40 hit came in 1962 with the Holland-Dozier-Holland penned "Come & Get These Memories". They signed with Barry Gordy and Motown during this year as well. Their second hit "(Love is Like a) Heat Wave" reached #4 on the Hot 100 as well as #1 on the R&B charts for five weeks. It was their first million seller and won the group their only Grammy Award nomination for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group.

Another Holland-Dozier-Holland composition, "Quicksand" became the group's second Top Ten single and their third Top 40 single. The Vandellas next two singles " "Live Wire" and "In My Lonely Room" failed to reach the Top 40. "Dancing in the Street", their next single, however, reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100.

During the years spanning between 1964 and 1967 the Vandellas were one of the label's top acts with singles like "Wild One" (#34 US), "Nowhere to Run" (#8 US), "My Baby Loves Me" (#22 US), "I'm Ready for Love" (#9 US), and "Jimmy Mack" (#10 US). The group appeared on popular American television shows such as The Ed Sullivan Show, The Mike Douglas Show, American Bandstand, and Shindig!. The Vandellas had become one of the label's most popular performing acts during this era.

After the departure of Motown contributor and Reeve's mentor "Mickey" Stevenson in 1967 and Holland-Dozier-Holland in early 1968, Motown struggled to find good material for many of their acts, but the Vandellas continued to find success with the Richard Morris produced singles "Love Bug Leave My Heart Alone" (#25 US), and "Honey Chile" (#11 US). By 1968 the hits were very few, and by 1972 the group called it quits.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Original member Gloria Williams retired from show business when she left the group, died in 2000. In 1983 Reeves successfully sued for royalties from her Motown hits and the label agreed to have the songs credited as Martha Reeves & the Vandellas from then on. Between the years of 2005 to 2009, Reeves held the eighth seat of Detroit's city council. In late 2009, she lost her seat and now has continued to perform at various shows around the US!

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Where Are They Now? archive - check out previous featured artists