Martha Reeves & the Real Detroit

The former Motown singer, though born in Alabama, is pure Detroit. Reeves (July 18, 1941-) moved with her family to the Motor City when she was a baby; her grandfather was a man of God and she apparently spent much time at the Metropolitan Church. Hence it may come as no shock that she became a born-again Christian long after her years at Motown.

Last year she ran for a seat on the Detroit City Council -- and won. These days she's wrangling with issues like water rates, community services, and other basic but vital matters. Naturally she supports cultural and tourist attractions and has proposed new statues for other local singers -- something to compete with The People Mover and Joe Louis' arm. Indeed, the Motown Museum on West Grand Boulevard is a real attraction already, home of Hitsville, USA. It's definitely worth visiting; here's the official website: http://www.motownmuseum.com/

Martha Reeves started at Motown as a secretary, but she formed the Delphis, a girl group, in high school, and had already recorded with Check-Mate Records. She knew what she wanted, and after hard work serving the big men at Motown, she and her girls began doing backup for Marvin Gaye. There's good coverage of this period in Gerri Hirshey's Nowhere to Run: The Story of Soul Music (1984; reissued in 1994). Hirshey interviewed Reeves on the fly, and here's what she said (not too long before his death) about Marvin, who worked as a session drummer when she got there: "I kind of followed him around 'cause he was awful cute. But he wore his hat down on his eyes all the time. Nobody could really see what he was up to. To this day Marvin is a very -- well, let's say he has a tremendous inner life. He'd come in, he smoked this corncob pipe, and he just did sessions and left. And one day he got discovered." (p. 150)

The Delphis became Martha and the Vandellas and backed Marvin on early records like "Stubborn Kind of Fellow"and "Hitch Hike." (The Vandellas name was apparently an amalgamation of Detroit's Van Dyke Avenue, Della Reese, and the Delphis)

Thanks in part to Marvin Gaye, Martha and the Vandellas launched, too, becoming Motown stars in their own right. The big hits they mustered include "(Love Is Like A) Heatwave," "Dancing in the Street," and "Nowhere to Run."

My personal favorite is "Nowhere to Run" because it's so dark and driven, so very Detroit. About the song, Reeves mused: "I'm glad I recorded that one. Some part of every day I'm like that song. I feel like that every single day." (p. 148)

There were other hits, too, of course, and extended Motown tours. Racial tensions and Vietnam were major social issues, and during a series of 1960s race riots (including the 1967 one in Detroit), "Dancing in the Streets" became seen as a coded message to riot. How strange is that?

By the early 1970s, Reeves had a son (Eric) and Motown relocated its offices to Los Angeles. About that time, she is quoted as saying, "I think I was the first person at Motown to ask where the money was going. . . And that made me an enemy. Did I find out? Honey, I found my way out the door." (p. 153)

As always, Martha Reeves soldiers on. Good for her -- and Detroit. I hope she does well on the City Council. Years of touring and drug addictions have reportedly left her a little banged up, with hearing loss and sensitive light-damaged eyes. She still records and performs and has at least one book out -- Dancing in the Street: Confessions of a Motown Diva (1995).

Ciao, dear readers. Time to do some dancing in the streets. . . . .