Win tickets to see Martha Reeves and the Vandellas

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Here is an interview with Martha Reeves which tells the story of how she become a well known singer.

Did you always want to be a singer? How did you get into the music business?

At the age of 3, my older brothers Benny and Thomas and I won chocolate covered candy singing at a talent contest at my family’s church. I would gather to sing with friends from high school. We loved blending our voices, and became a part of a group of choir members named The Fascinations. A group called The Del-Phis had lost their second lead, and another friend recommended me. Our voices blended automatically, and for two years we practiced at each-others’ houses three times a week. We would sing at any given invitation, Birthday parties, YMCA-YWCA Clubs, recreation halls, churches, anywhere being underage. Sometimes, we were paid. We were given a chance to record on Check-Mate Records in Chicago.

At 21, I won a talent contest. The prize was a weekend job for $5 a night at the biggest nightclub in Detroit, The Twenty Grand. There, I met Mickey Stevenson, A&R director of the newly founded recording company Motown, who handed me a business card, introduced himself, and told me “You have talent, come to Hitsville USA!” The rest is history!

You’ve had such a successful and varied career, what have been the highlights? Every experience is a highlight because it is a gift from God. I’m having some new experiences this year, including performing on a train. We did a trip through the Sierra Mountains in California earlier this year, and are doing a trip from Chicago to New Orleans in June. Your songs are like your children: all of them are special in their own way. Come and Get These Memories got us on the charts. Heat Wave gave us a Grammy Nomination. Nowhere to Run and Forget Me Not gave us a special place in the hearts of veterans. Dancing in the Street put us in the Smithsonian. And Jimmy Mack is one of those songs that everybody sings along to!

How have you seen the music business change over the years?

The music business isn’t as much about music anymore. It’s videos, half-naked girls and beats. It’s not about how well you sing, how you interpret a song, or how good the songs are. Motown songs are memorable. Fifty years later, they are still fresh. We had real musicians, The Funk Brothers, who were really jazz players. They knew how to play behind singers and make spaces for voices. A lot of today’s music is made with what I call “noisy toys”. Those machines are putting talented musicians out of business.

We were also blessed to have a genius like Berry Gordy who could recognise talent and took the time to help develop us. He made 30 acts household names! He invested in us. Motown gave us four years of training in the Artistes Development Department. We were made for longevity. I believe that learning something new every day is the key to happiness and long life. I advise anyone who chooses a career in any field, especially entertainment, to get educated by learned professionals, and know all about your craft to succeed. You can’t rely on auto-tunes and a skimpy wardrobe if you want to do this for 50 years. You tour all over the world; do UK audiences differ to those from other countries?

I love audiences in the UK. They know all the songs and all of the words. They sing and they dance and they come to have a good time. My favourite place is on stage, whether it is a large arena, a theatre or a small club, giving and receiving the love that Motown has afforded us. We are universal, a household word in every nation. Travelling has been overwhelming, beyond my wildest dreams. We have been given the key to many cities, and met with dignitaries. I remember meeting with the Mayor of Bath a few years ago when I was on the Detroit City Council. We were performing in Bath, so we talked music and politics. My fondest joy is performing. We’re looking forward to you appearing, what can fans expect from your show?

They can expect to have a good time! We have a great band, led by my long-time drummer, Larry Crockett. We do a lot of songs that we only do in the UK, like No One There, and I have a couple of other surprises.

I always come out to meet with fans after the show. Sometimes that one-on-one time is longer than the show itself, but it is important to me. I would not be where I am if it wasn’t for the fans, so I appreciate them.

We ended our first Motown Revue tour of the UK in Portsmouth on April 12, 1965. Now here I am almost 49 years to the day! Let’s make some new memories.