Post by timmy84 on May 4, 2006 23:24:57 GMT -5
Martha & the Vandellas' Timeline
1941
-July 18: Martha Rose Reeves was born the eldest of nine children to Elijah and Ruby Reeves in Eufaula, Alabama on this day. Eleven months later, Reeves' family moves to Detroit, Michigan.
1942
-July 4: Annette Beard is born on this day in Detroit, Michigan.
1943
-September 2: Rosalind Ashford is born on this day in Detroit, Michigan.
1944
-September 16: Betty Kelley is born on this day in Detroit, Michigan.
1946
-May 6: Sandra Tilley is born in Cleveland, Ohio.
1948
-April 12: Sandra Delores Reeves, a/k/a Lois Reeves, is born on this day in Detroit, Michigan.
1955
-Martha, aged 14, begins attending Detroit's Northwestern High, where she's vocally coached by Abraham Silver. The same coach will guide fellow future superstars including Florence Ballard of the Supremes and Bobby Rogers of the Miracles.
1959
-Martha, aged 18, graduates from Northwestern High and gives a stellar performance at the graduation ceremony resulting in a standing ovation. The same year, Martha joins her first group, the Fascinations.
1960
-Summer: Martha joins forces with friends Rosalind Ashford and Annette Beard and Gloria Williamson to form the Del-Phis.
1961
-Signing with Checkmate Records, a subsidiary of Chess, the Del-Phis cut the single, "My Baby Won't Come Back".
-After performing solo as Martha LaVaille at Detroit's Twenty Grand nightclub, she's offered a card by Motown Records' A&R man William "Mickey" Stevenson for a possible audition. Upon entering Motown's Hitsville, U.S.A. studios, however, Reeves finds herself appointed to be the label's secretary and audition session maker.
1962
-Changing their name to the Vels, Reeves, Williamson, Beard and Ashford began doing background work for Motown acts including Marvin Gaye and Mary Wells and cut a single, "You'll Never Cherish a Love So True ('Til You Lose It)". Williamson leaves after the single is published on the short-lived Me-Lo-Dy subsidiary.
-September: After Mary Wells feigned ill before a scheduled recording date, Stevenson recruits Martha to sing Wells' song, "I'll Have to Let Him Go", she brings alongside Annette and Rosalind to the recording studio. Afterwards, the trio is offered a new contract with Motown's Gordy subsidiary. They also change their name to Martha and the Vandellas, naming the group after Martha's favorite singer, Della Reese, and after the name of their neighborhood street, Van Dyke. The same month, "I'll Have to Let Him Go" is officially issued as the Vandellas' first single.
-October: The first of three Marvin Gaye hits to feature the Vandellas, "Stubborn Kind of Fellow", charts and eventually reaches #8 R&B and #46 Pop. Singing for Gaye, the group helps the Washington, D.C.-based crooner and former Moonglows lead singer score two of his first Top 40 pop hits: "Hitch Hike" (#30 Pop; #12 R&B) and "Pride & Joy" (#10 Pop; #2 R&B).
1963
-February: Martha and the Vandellas' second single, "Come And Get These Memories", becomes the first hit for the group and also the first hit for songwriters-producers Holland-Dozier-Holland, on this, their first record as a collaborative team. The song charts #29 Pop and #6 R&B.
-June: The Vandellas' first album, Come And Get These Memories, is released.
-July: The second HDH hit and the Vandellas' first off-the-board smash single, the gospel-infused "(Love Is Like A) Heat Wave" (or just "Heat Wave" for short) is released. The song rises to #4 on the Pop singles chart and #1 on the R&B singles chart making it the first million-selling single by the group.
-September: The Vandellas' second album, Heat Wave, is released.
-November: The Vandellas struck gold again with their third Top 40 single and second Top 10 single, "Quicksand", their third straight HDH collaboration. The song tops at #8 on the pop singles chart.
1964
-January: Annette Beard (now Annette Sterling) announces her retirement from show-business leaving the Vandellas. Martha quickly replaces Annette with Betty Kelley, former member of Motown girl group the Velvelettes.
-January: The Vandellas' "Live Wire" charts at #42 Billboard Pop and #11 Cashbox R&B.
-March: The Vandellas' fifth consecutive Hot 100 hit, "In My Lonely Room", charts at #44 Billboard Pop and reaches #6 Cashbox R&B.
-July: Martha and the Vandellas hit superstardom with the release of the William Stevenson/Marvin Gaye-composed dance tune, "Dancing in the Street". Originally offered as a song to Kim Weston, the song eventually rises to #2 on Billboard's Hot 100, hitting #8 on the Cashbox R&B charts and it eventually becomes their first worldwide hit, peaking at #28 UK Pop in its initial release. The song becomes an anthem for not only Motown, but for the entire 1960's in terms of its musical and global appeal thanks to the burgeoning civil rights movement.
-November: "Wild One" reaches #34 Billboard Pop and #11 Cashbox R&B. The song, like the Shangri-Las' "Leader of the Pack", is a tribute to bikers.
1965
-February: Martha and the Vandellas' second smash single, the HDH-produced stomper, "Nowhere to Run", races to #8 Pop and #5 R&B on the Billboard charts. The song's battle cry, "nowhere to run to, baby/nowhere to hide", becomes another civil rights-inspired yell despite the song's message of love-gone-crazy.
-April: Martha and the Vandellas releases their third album, Dance Party, a concept album focusing on dance anthems (including "Dancing in the Street", "Wild One" and "Nowhere to Run"). Featuring the famous b-sides "There He Is (At My Door)" and "Motoring", it becomes the group's most accomplished album.
-July: The single, "You've Been in Love Too Long", about a woman confronting another who's suffered too long in her relationship with an abusive lover, reaches #25 R&B and #36 Pop. Its dramatic b-side, "Love (Makes Me Do Foolish Things)" charts at #70 Pop and #22 R&B.
1966
-January: The single, "My Baby Loves Me", is released. A rare Stevenson-Ivy Jo Hunter ballad, the song also features background vocals from the likes of ubiqituous background singers the Andantes and another accomplished Motown group, the Four Tops. It rises to #3 R&B and #22 Pop.
-May: The Vandellas issue their first compilation album, Greatest Hits. The album becomes their highest-charted album to date reaching #50 Pop and #6 R&B.
-May: The ballad, "What Am I Going To Do Without Your Love?", reaches #71 Pop.
-October: The Vandellas hit the Top 10 again with the HDH-produced "I'm Ready For Love". The song reaches #2 R&B and #9 Pop.
-December: The Vandellas' fourth studio album, Watchout! is released.
1967
-February: The single, the HDH-produced "Jimmy Mack" (which was kept under the shelves for two years prior because it reportedly sounded like a 'Supremes song'), reaches the Top 10 of the Billboard pop charts peaking at #10, it also becomes their first #1 R&B single since "Heat Wave". It's the group's last single with Holland-Dozier-Holland, who leave Motown under contractual disputes over royalties leaving most of the singing groups they produced hits for in limbo including the Vandellas, the Supremes and the Four Tops.
-April: The Vandellas' Live album is released.
-July: After reportedly feuding with Martha and Rosalind, Betty Kelley is fired from the Vandellas. Martha picks her own sister, Lois, to join the group.
-August: The Vandellas hit the Top 40 with the Richard Morris-Sylvia Moy produced and written single, "Love Bug Leave My Heart Alone", which reaches #14 R&B and #25 Pop.
-October: The Vandellas' last Top 40 Pop hit, "Honey Chile", is the first to be credited for Martha Reeves & the Vandellas as a new policy for some groups to have their names put in front of the groups' names after first trying it on Diana Ross & the Supremes. "Honey Chile", which pays tribute to Martha's Southern upbringing though she was reared in Detroit, reaches #5 R&B and #11 Pop.
1968
-April: The single, "I Promise to Wait My Love", is released. The song reaches #62 Pop and #36 R&B. Despite its modest success, it's considered one of the group's most played and beloved tracks. The b-side, "Forget Me Not", reaches #93 Pop and #11 UK Pop.
-May: The Vandellas released their fifth studio album, Ridin' High.
-July: Martha Reeves reportedly goes through an addiction to prescription drugs and suffers nervous breakdowns, one of which sends her briefly to an institution putting the future of the Vandellas in limbo.
-October: The single, "Sweet Darlin'", reaches #80 Pop and #45 R&B.
1969
-January: Martha is released from the institution and, with encouragement from Eddie Kendricks of the Temptations, revamps the Vandellas. With Rosalind Ashford bowing out, she's replaced by Sandra Tilley.
-April: The single, "(We've Got) Honey Love", is released. The song eventually reaches #56 Pop and #27 R&B.
-July: The infectious funk single, "I Can't Dance to That Music You're Playin'" (featuring future wife of Stevie Wonder, singer-songwriter Syreeta Wright singing the chorus), becomes a big hit for the Vandellas reaching #24 R&B and #42 Pop. Meanwhile, "Dancing in the Street" is revived in the UK and reaches #4 Pop.
-August: The single, "Taking My Love (And Leaving Me)", reaches #44 R&B.
-October: The Vandellas issue their sixth studio album, Sugar 'N' Spice, is released.
1970
-February: The first-ever Motown socially-conscious protest single, "I Should Be Proud", is released by the Vandellas. The controversy over the single probably led to the song only reaching #80 Pop and #45 R&B.
-September: The Vandellas issue Natural Resources.
-November: The Vandellas hit #93 Pop and #43 R&B with their only Norman Whitfield-produced single, "I Gotta Let You Go".
1971
-September: Martha Reeves & the Vandellas score their biggest hit in years with the Jackson 5-esque funk/soul single, "Bless You". Written and produced by the Corporation, it reaches #53 Pop in the US, #29 R&B, and reaches #33 UK pop and #16 in Canada. It becomes one of the Vandellas' last significant hit records and their last Hot 100 hit eight years after their first one.
1972
-January: The catchy R&B gem, "In And Out of My Life", reaches #22 R&B, their highest-charted R&B single since 1967's "Honey Love" charted at #5 R&B.
-February: Martha Reeves & the Vandellas release what is the group's final album, Black Magic.
-May: The Vandellas' final single together, the Ashford & Simpson-produced "Tear It On Down" becomes their last charted single reaching #37 R&B.
-December 21: Martha Reeves & the Vandellas host their farewell concert at Detroit's Cobo Hall.
1973
-January: Motown announces the disbanding and split of Martha Reeves and the Vandellas and announces that Martha is recording solo for the label. The deal goes annuled though after Martha refuses to go alongside the rest of the label to Los Angeles after 14 years in Detroit. She eventually gets out of her deal with Motown but not before the issue of the single "Not Out There", which though it was recorded for Black Magic, is issued as Martha's first solo record.
-July: Martha Reeves signs with MCA Records officially ending a 12-year tenure at Motown Records.
1974
-February: Martha's first solo single, "Power of Love" (originally recorded by soul singer Joe Simon, of "The Chokin' Kind" fame), is released. The song reaches #76 Pop and #27 R&B.
July: Martha Reeves releases her self-titled debut, Martha Reeves, on MCA Records. The album gets rave reviews for its rock-soul hybrid though it doesn't generate to commercial sales. The second single, "Wild Night" (a Van Morrison cover), reaches #74 R&B. Martha's version would be revived in the soundtrack to Thelma & Louise and will be covered again by John Mellencamp and Me'Shell N'degeocello.
1976
-Martha signs with Arista Records.
1977
-The funk single, "Love Blind", penned solely by Reeves herself, reaches #61 R&B. The album that features the hit, The Rest of My Life, is released around this time.
-Martha reportedly finally kicks her prescription drug habit after going to rehab and declares herself a born-again Baptist.
1978
-Signing with Fantasy Records for a two-album deal, Martha celebrates her newfound spirituality and sobriety with the single, "Free Again", from her Fantasy Records debut, We Meet Again, which is produced by former Motown staffer Hank Cosby.
-Martha Reeves, Annette Sterling Helton and Rosalind Ashford Holmes reunite as the original Vandellas for a benefit concert. It's the first time the original members have performed in over fifteen years.
1980
-Martha releases Got To Keep On Moving. It becomes Reeves' final album for a while.
1981
-September 9: Sandra Tilley dies of a brain aneursym at the age of 35.
1983
-May 16: Martha reunites with her old label mates on the special, Motown 25: Yesterday, Today & Forever.
-June: Martha successfully sues Motown for back royalties earning over a bulk of the royalties.
1988
-Martha performs alongside Mary Wells and former members of the Temptations, Eddie Kendricks and David Ruffin on a special titled simply Dancing in the Street.
1989
-Martha, Annette and Rosalind reunite again as Martha and the Vandellas both on tour and on record issuing their first single together in two decades (and over 17 years after the last Vandellas record) with "Step In My Shoes" on the London-based Motor City record label.
1994
-Martha publishes her autobiography, Dancing in the Street: Confessions of a Motown Diva.
-Martha and the Vandellas' classic hits "(Love Is Like A) Heat Wave" and "Dancing in the Street" are named as two of over 500 songs that shaped rock & roll according to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame committee.
1995
-March: Martha and the Vandellas are inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame by Fred Schneider of the B-52's. Reeves, Ashford Holmes, Sterling Helton, Kelley and Lois Reeves are present to recieve their trophies. They're actually only the second all-female group to be inducted.
1998
-January: Martha performs in front of her biggest crowd yet at the 32nd annual Super Bowl during a celebration of Motown's 40th anniversary.
1999
-Martha and the Vandellas are inducted to the Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame.
-Martha and the Vandellas' "Dancing in the Street" is inducted to the Grammy Hall of Fame.
2003
-Martha and the Vandellas are inducted to the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.
2005
-November: After running a campaign for a seat in Detroit's City Council, Reeves wins the eighth seat. She hopes to change the scenery of the Motor City and has mentioned that she wants to put statues of Motown legends including the Temptations and Stevie Wonder in the streets of Detroit.
2006
-April 12: The Library of Congress preserves "Dancing in the Street" for its historical and artistic significance. Reeves is present for the event and says she was "thrilled" to see the song preserved.
1941
-July 18: Martha Rose Reeves was born the eldest of nine children to Elijah and Ruby Reeves in Eufaula, Alabama on this day. Eleven months later, Reeves' family moves to Detroit, Michigan.
1942
-July 4: Annette Beard is born on this day in Detroit, Michigan.
1943
-September 2: Rosalind Ashford is born on this day in Detroit, Michigan.
1944
-September 16: Betty Kelley is born on this day in Detroit, Michigan.
1946
-May 6: Sandra Tilley is born in Cleveland, Ohio.
1948
-April 12: Sandra Delores Reeves, a/k/a Lois Reeves, is born on this day in Detroit, Michigan.
1955
-Martha, aged 14, begins attending Detroit's Northwestern High, where she's vocally coached by Abraham Silver. The same coach will guide fellow future superstars including Florence Ballard of the Supremes and Bobby Rogers of the Miracles.
1959
-Martha, aged 18, graduates from Northwestern High and gives a stellar performance at the graduation ceremony resulting in a standing ovation. The same year, Martha joins her first group, the Fascinations.
1960
-Summer: Martha joins forces with friends Rosalind Ashford and Annette Beard and Gloria Williamson to form the Del-Phis.
1961
-Signing with Checkmate Records, a subsidiary of Chess, the Del-Phis cut the single, "My Baby Won't Come Back".
-After performing solo as Martha LaVaille at Detroit's Twenty Grand nightclub, she's offered a card by Motown Records' A&R man William "Mickey" Stevenson for a possible audition. Upon entering Motown's Hitsville, U.S.A. studios, however, Reeves finds herself appointed to be the label's secretary and audition session maker.
1962
-Changing their name to the Vels, Reeves, Williamson, Beard and Ashford began doing background work for Motown acts including Marvin Gaye and Mary Wells and cut a single, "You'll Never Cherish a Love So True ('Til You Lose It)". Williamson leaves after the single is published on the short-lived Me-Lo-Dy subsidiary.
-September: After Mary Wells feigned ill before a scheduled recording date, Stevenson recruits Martha to sing Wells' song, "I'll Have to Let Him Go", she brings alongside Annette and Rosalind to the recording studio. Afterwards, the trio is offered a new contract with Motown's Gordy subsidiary. They also change their name to Martha and the Vandellas, naming the group after Martha's favorite singer, Della Reese, and after the name of their neighborhood street, Van Dyke. The same month, "I'll Have to Let Him Go" is officially issued as the Vandellas' first single.
-October: The first of three Marvin Gaye hits to feature the Vandellas, "Stubborn Kind of Fellow", charts and eventually reaches #8 R&B and #46 Pop. Singing for Gaye, the group helps the Washington, D.C.-based crooner and former Moonglows lead singer score two of his first Top 40 pop hits: "Hitch Hike" (#30 Pop; #12 R&B) and "Pride & Joy" (#10 Pop; #2 R&B).
1963
-February: Martha and the Vandellas' second single, "Come And Get These Memories", becomes the first hit for the group and also the first hit for songwriters-producers Holland-Dozier-Holland, on this, their first record as a collaborative team. The song charts #29 Pop and #6 R&B.
-June: The Vandellas' first album, Come And Get These Memories, is released.
-July: The second HDH hit and the Vandellas' first off-the-board smash single, the gospel-infused "(Love Is Like A) Heat Wave" (or just "Heat Wave" for short) is released. The song rises to #4 on the Pop singles chart and #1 on the R&B singles chart making it the first million-selling single by the group.
-September: The Vandellas' second album, Heat Wave, is released.
-November: The Vandellas struck gold again with their third Top 40 single and second Top 10 single, "Quicksand", their third straight HDH collaboration. The song tops at #8 on the pop singles chart.
1964
-January: Annette Beard (now Annette Sterling) announces her retirement from show-business leaving the Vandellas. Martha quickly replaces Annette with Betty Kelley, former member of Motown girl group the Velvelettes.
-January: The Vandellas' "Live Wire" charts at #42 Billboard Pop and #11 Cashbox R&B.
-March: The Vandellas' fifth consecutive Hot 100 hit, "In My Lonely Room", charts at #44 Billboard Pop and reaches #6 Cashbox R&B.
-July: Martha and the Vandellas hit superstardom with the release of the William Stevenson/Marvin Gaye-composed dance tune, "Dancing in the Street". Originally offered as a song to Kim Weston, the song eventually rises to #2 on Billboard's Hot 100, hitting #8 on the Cashbox R&B charts and it eventually becomes their first worldwide hit, peaking at #28 UK Pop in its initial release. The song becomes an anthem for not only Motown, but for the entire 1960's in terms of its musical and global appeal thanks to the burgeoning civil rights movement.
-November: "Wild One" reaches #34 Billboard Pop and #11 Cashbox R&B. The song, like the Shangri-Las' "Leader of the Pack", is a tribute to bikers.
1965
-February: Martha and the Vandellas' second smash single, the HDH-produced stomper, "Nowhere to Run", races to #8 Pop and #5 R&B on the Billboard charts. The song's battle cry, "nowhere to run to, baby/nowhere to hide", becomes another civil rights-inspired yell despite the song's message of love-gone-crazy.
-April: Martha and the Vandellas releases their third album, Dance Party, a concept album focusing on dance anthems (including "Dancing in the Street", "Wild One" and "Nowhere to Run"). Featuring the famous b-sides "There He Is (At My Door)" and "Motoring", it becomes the group's most accomplished album.
-July: The single, "You've Been in Love Too Long", about a woman confronting another who's suffered too long in her relationship with an abusive lover, reaches #25 R&B and #36 Pop. Its dramatic b-side, "Love (Makes Me Do Foolish Things)" charts at #70 Pop and #22 R&B.
1966
-January: The single, "My Baby Loves Me", is released. A rare Stevenson-Ivy Jo Hunter ballad, the song also features background vocals from the likes of ubiqituous background singers the Andantes and another accomplished Motown group, the Four Tops. It rises to #3 R&B and #22 Pop.
-May: The Vandellas issue their first compilation album, Greatest Hits. The album becomes their highest-charted album to date reaching #50 Pop and #6 R&B.
-May: The ballad, "What Am I Going To Do Without Your Love?", reaches #71 Pop.
-October: The Vandellas hit the Top 10 again with the HDH-produced "I'm Ready For Love". The song reaches #2 R&B and #9 Pop.
-December: The Vandellas' fourth studio album, Watchout! is released.
1967
-February: The single, the HDH-produced "Jimmy Mack" (which was kept under the shelves for two years prior because it reportedly sounded like a 'Supremes song'), reaches the Top 10 of the Billboard pop charts peaking at #10, it also becomes their first #1 R&B single since "Heat Wave". It's the group's last single with Holland-Dozier-Holland, who leave Motown under contractual disputes over royalties leaving most of the singing groups they produced hits for in limbo including the Vandellas, the Supremes and the Four Tops.
-April: The Vandellas' Live album is released.
-July: After reportedly feuding with Martha and Rosalind, Betty Kelley is fired from the Vandellas. Martha picks her own sister, Lois, to join the group.
-August: The Vandellas hit the Top 40 with the Richard Morris-Sylvia Moy produced and written single, "Love Bug Leave My Heart Alone", which reaches #14 R&B and #25 Pop.
-October: The Vandellas' last Top 40 Pop hit, "Honey Chile", is the first to be credited for Martha Reeves & the Vandellas as a new policy for some groups to have their names put in front of the groups' names after first trying it on Diana Ross & the Supremes. "Honey Chile", which pays tribute to Martha's Southern upbringing though she was reared in Detroit, reaches #5 R&B and #11 Pop.
1968
-April: The single, "I Promise to Wait My Love", is released. The song reaches #62 Pop and #36 R&B. Despite its modest success, it's considered one of the group's most played and beloved tracks. The b-side, "Forget Me Not", reaches #93 Pop and #11 UK Pop.
-May: The Vandellas released their fifth studio album, Ridin' High.
-July: Martha Reeves reportedly goes through an addiction to prescription drugs and suffers nervous breakdowns, one of which sends her briefly to an institution putting the future of the Vandellas in limbo.
-October: The single, "Sweet Darlin'", reaches #80 Pop and #45 R&B.
1969
-January: Martha is released from the institution and, with encouragement from Eddie Kendricks of the Temptations, revamps the Vandellas. With Rosalind Ashford bowing out, she's replaced by Sandra Tilley.
-April: The single, "(We've Got) Honey Love", is released. The song eventually reaches #56 Pop and #27 R&B.
-July: The infectious funk single, "I Can't Dance to That Music You're Playin'" (featuring future wife of Stevie Wonder, singer-songwriter Syreeta Wright singing the chorus), becomes a big hit for the Vandellas reaching #24 R&B and #42 Pop. Meanwhile, "Dancing in the Street" is revived in the UK and reaches #4 Pop.
-August: The single, "Taking My Love (And Leaving Me)", reaches #44 R&B.
-October: The Vandellas issue their sixth studio album, Sugar 'N' Spice, is released.
1970
-February: The first-ever Motown socially-conscious protest single, "I Should Be Proud", is released by the Vandellas. The controversy over the single probably led to the song only reaching #80 Pop and #45 R&B.
-September: The Vandellas issue Natural Resources.
-November: The Vandellas hit #93 Pop and #43 R&B with their only Norman Whitfield-produced single, "I Gotta Let You Go".
1971
-September: Martha Reeves & the Vandellas score their biggest hit in years with the Jackson 5-esque funk/soul single, "Bless You". Written and produced by the Corporation, it reaches #53 Pop in the US, #29 R&B, and reaches #33 UK pop and #16 in Canada. It becomes one of the Vandellas' last significant hit records and their last Hot 100 hit eight years after their first one.
1972
-January: The catchy R&B gem, "In And Out of My Life", reaches #22 R&B, their highest-charted R&B single since 1967's "Honey Love" charted at #5 R&B.
-February: Martha Reeves & the Vandellas release what is the group's final album, Black Magic.
-May: The Vandellas' final single together, the Ashford & Simpson-produced "Tear It On Down" becomes their last charted single reaching #37 R&B.
-December 21: Martha Reeves & the Vandellas host their farewell concert at Detroit's Cobo Hall.
1973
-January: Motown announces the disbanding and split of Martha Reeves and the Vandellas and announces that Martha is recording solo for the label. The deal goes annuled though after Martha refuses to go alongside the rest of the label to Los Angeles after 14 years in Detroit. She eventually gets out of her deal with Motown but not before the issue of the single "Not Out There", which though it was recorded for Black Magic, is issued as Martha's first solo record.
-July: Martha Reeves signs with MCA Records officially ending a 12-year tenure at Motown Records.
1974
-February: Martha's first solo single, "Power of Love" (originally recorded by soul singer Joe Simon, of "The Chokin' Kind" fame), is released. The song reaches #76 Pop and #27 R&B.
July: Martha Reeves releases her self-titled debut, Martha Reeves, on MCA Records. The album gets rave reviews for its rock-soul hybrid though it doesn't generate to commercial sales. The second single, "Wild Night" (a Van Morrison cover), reaches #74 R&B. Martha's version would be revived in the soundtrack to Thelma & Louise and will be covered again by John Mellencamp and Me'Shell N'degeocello.
1976
-Martha signs with Arista Records.
1977
-The funk single, "Love Blind", penned solely by Reeves herself, reaches #61 R&B. The album that features the hit, The Rest of My Life, is released around this time.
-Martha reportedly finally kicks her prescription drug habit after going to rehab and declares herself a born-again Baptist.
1978
-Signing with Fantasy Records for a two-album deal, Martha celebrates her newfound spirituality and sobriety with the single, "Free Again", from her Fantasy Records debut, We Meet Again, which is produced by former Motown staffer Hank Cosby.
-Martha Reeves, Annette Sterling Helton and Rosalind Ashford Holmes reunite as the original Vandellas for a benefit concert. It's the first time the original members have performed in over fifteen years.
1980
-Martha releases Got To Keep On Moving. It becomes Reeves' final album for a while.
1981
-September 9: Sandra Tilley dies of a brain aneursym at the age of 35.
1983
-May 16: Martha reunites with her old label mates on the special, Motown 25: Yesterday, Today & Forever.
-June: Martha successfully sues Motown for back royalties earning over a bulk of the royalties.
1988
-Martha performs alongside Mary Wells and former members of the Temptations, Eddie Kendricks and David Ruffin on a special titled simply Dancing in the Street.
1989
-Martha, Annette and Rosalind reunite again as Martha and the Vandellas both on tour and on record issuing their first single together in two decades (and over 17 years after the last Vandellas record) with "Step In My Shoes" on the London-based Motor City record label.
1994
-Martha publishes her autobiography, Dancing in the Street: Confessions of a Motown Diva.
-Martha and the Vandellas' classic hits "(Love Is Like A) Heat Wave" and "Dancing in the Street" are named as two of over 500 songs that shaped rock & roll according to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame committee.
1995
-March: Martha and the Vandellas are inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame by Fred Schneider of the B-52's. Reeves, Ashford Holmes, Sterling Helton, Kelley and Lois Reeves are present to recieve their trophies. They're actually only the second all-female group to be inducted.
1998
-January: Martha performs in front of her biggest crowd yet at the 32nd annual Super Bowl during a celebration of Motown's 40th anniversary.
1999
-Martha and the Vandellas are inducted to the Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame.
-Martha and the Vandellas' "Dancing in the Street" is inducted to the Grammy Hall of Fame.
2003
-Martha and the Vandellas are inducted to the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.
2005
-November: After running a campaign for a seat in Detroit's City Council, Reeves wins the eighth seat. She hopes to change the scenery of the Motor City and has mentioned that she wants to put statues of Motown legends including the Temptations and Stevie Wonder in the streets of Detroit.
2006
-April 12: The Library of Congress preserves "Dancing in the Street" for its historical and artistic significance. Reeves is present for the event and says she was "thrilled" to see the song preserved.
Thanks for the memo tho. :thumbsup:
