Who’s up for Dancing in the Street when Martha Reeves & the Vandellas come to Liverpool?

There is a REAL Motown legend coming to town soon and she has a back catalogue of hits bigger than the ice slide down on the Pier Head. The date is Thursday 15th December, the venue is Hangar 34 in the Baltic Triangle and the musician is the one and only….Martha Reeves, and of course she will be bringing her Vandellas along for the Liverpool ride too.

Buy your tickets for Martha Reeves & the Vandellas here via Ticketquarter.

It was 1962 that Motown’s Artist and Repertoire Director William “Mickey” Stevenson first heard the voice that would become synonymous with “the sound of young America.” A young jazz/blues singer with the unlikely name of “Martha Lavaille” was bringing audiences to their feet at Detroit’s famed 20 Grand Nightclub singing songs made popular by singers the likes of Gloria Lynne and Della Reese. He invited her to audition at the new Motown Records headquarters, “Hitsville, USA.”

Though the audition never happened, within a year, Martha had taken the reigns of the company’s A&R department, ingratiating herself. She saw that musicians showed up on time and got paid. She watched, learned, and whenever opportunity presented itself, she sang. And when she did, everyone took notice. When Mary Wells couldn’t make a session, Martha was called to the mic. With her group, the Del Phi’s, she recorded “I’ll Have to Let Him Go,” and Martha and the Vandellas was born.

The song was rather forgettable, but Reeves’ sound wasn’t. While waiting for her first hit, Martha (along with Rosalind Ashford and Annette Beard) backed Marvin Gaye on his first three releases and sang with him on stage. Soon, however, they emerged from the shadows with “Come and Get These Memories,” followed by an enviable string of hits:“Heat Wave,” “Quicksand,” “In My Lonely Room,” “Nowhere to Run,” “My Baby Loves Me,”, “Love Makes Me Do Foolish Things,” “I’m Ready For Love,” “Jimmy Mack,” and, of course, the Motown anthem, “Dancing In The Street.”

After leaving Motown in 1972, Martha continued to expand her musical horizons, establishing herself as a singer-songwriter with few limitations. She sang rock, jazz, country, gospel, blues and classical. Her singing companions included everyone from the Godfather James Brown and the Boss Bruce Springsteen to opera diva Beverly Sills and gospel king Rance Allen. She headlined a national touring company of the musical “Ain’t Misbehaving,” and for three years toured the UK in the musical review“Dancing In The Street.”

Martha Reeves continues to thrill audiences around the world. Her self-produced 2004 CD, “Home to You” was named one of the year’s best by the Asbury Park Press. In 2005, Will Smith mined the Motown vaults to uncover her unreleased gem, “It’s Easy to Fall In Love,” and included it in the hit movie “Hitch.”  Also in 2005, Motown released Martha’s “Lost and Found” collection, which included the rare Smokey Robinson-penned “Spellbound,” her studio recording of “For Once In My Life,” and covers of hits by the likes of Aretha Franklin, the Marvelettes, Vikki Carr, Sam & Dave, and the Four Tops. She was also featured in the PBS special, “Motown: The Early Years,” writing liner notes for the four-set CD package. A “Gold” collection was released in March 2006 and “The Definitive Collection” in 2009.  (Her 1968 “Live at the Copa” remains in the vaults, but we hope for a release in the not-too-distant future.

Martha Reeves and the Vandellas (sisters Lois and Delphine) bring bring class, sass, and unparalleled Motown style to any event.

Buy your tickets for Martha Reeves & the Vandellas here via Ticketquarter.

Get this for a list of hits…

I’m Not Leaving (Collaboration with The Crystal Method)

Come and Get These Memories

(Love Is Like A) Heat Wave

A Love Like Yours (Don’t Come Knocking Everyday)

Quicksand

In My Lonely Room

Live Wire

Love Makes Me Do Foolish Things

Nowhere To Run

Dancing in the Street

Wild One

Motoring

I’m Ready for Love

My Baby Loves Me

Jimmy Mack

Third Finger, Left Hand

Lovebug, Leave My Heart Alone

One Way Out

Honey Chile

In and Out of My Life

Bless You

Tear It On Down

Wild Night

Power of Love

No One There

Now That We’ve Found Love

(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher

Watch Your Back

Home to You

It’s Easy to Fall in Love (With A Guy Like You)

Buy your tickets for Martha Reeves & the Vandellas here via Ticketquarter.