Music: Martha Reeves
Jeff Hemmings talks to the legendary Motown singer
One of the true legends of Motown, Martha Reeves is now 72 years old, but her forthcoming visit to Brighton will be her fifth appearance in the last five years. “It’s all down to Russell and Tina [Concorde 2 proprietors], they love us and we have such a nice crowd,” says Martha. “The hotel is great, there are some great eating spots, and we’re so close we walk to the venue.”
With her group The Vandellas, Martha Reeves scored dozens of hits in the ‘60s including ‘Nowhere To Run’, ‘Heatwave’, ‘Jimmy Mack’ and, of course, ‘Dancing In The Street’. All her major hits were made with Berry Gordy’s Motown label, based in Detroit, where she moved when aged just 11 months old. And she has continued to perform around the world ever since those glory days.
“We have a northern soul connection here that began in the ‘60s, and continues to this day. I’ve visited the UK and other countries almost every year for the last 50 years… Berry Gordy’s made the effort to make the sound of ‘Young America’, and it worked… I can get on stage, with a good band, a great audience, and some wonderful backing singers, and that feeling of my youth comes back to me; it’s like I’ve never sung the song before, the first time every time. There’s joy in the music and the lyrics, and there’s joy in remembering where I was and what frame of mind I was in when I recorded the songs… I never sang a song I didn’t like, I never sang a song that didn’t have something to do with me in my heart.”
Her enthusiasm for life remains unhindered, despite enduring four years as a councilwoman in Detroit (2005-2009), which brought her into contact with frontline politics.
“I applied, and won the election, and retained the role for four years. It was quite an experience, I voted in the way the people wanted me to vote, who elected me, who called me on the phone every day… I used my ‘Dancing In The Street’ money to get elected, and so I wasn’t someone that could be controlled or swayed. It was quite an experience, but I wouldn’t do that to myself again!”
But Obama’s re-election was something that she saw as positive. “When I saw the crowds standing behind Obama on his victory podium, every nationality was represented. It seems the United Stares was finally united.”
A devout Christian (“I would like to see America start studying the word again, The Bible, mainly because it teaches you morals, and not just the morals and laws mandated by government”) she is also planning a talk tour of theatres in America.
“I’m on a mission to say how positive life is – if you dream, and search yourself, your dreams can come true. I’m going to talk about how the Motown family evolved; I was there when it first started in the man’s [Gordy] house when it was turned into a studio, and I’m going to invite people to come 2648 West Grand Boulevard, and I’ll show them where I was an A&R secretary, how I watched artists come and go, and how I was there when Little Stevie Wonder came in when he was just eight years old…
Concorde 2, Tuesday 18 December, 7pm, £17
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