THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, June 3, 1994 TAG: 9406010122
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: S06 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JUDY PARKER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: 940603 LENGTH: Medium
After performing 94 consecutive one-nighters, it was a real test of endurance.
{REST} When not on stage, or getting half a dozen hours of sleep in some stuffy motel room, the group was crowded elbow-to-elbow for more than three months on a bus criss-crossing the country.
The Vandellas were still about six-months from releasing their first hit ``Come And Get These Memories,'' and were working hard at making a name for themselves.
``Marvin Gaye was one of the headliners on that tour, and we were the backup singers on his album `Stubborn Kind of Fellow.'
``It was an incredible experience,'' Reeves said during a recent telephone interview from her Detroit home.
``Here we were, unknowns, traveling and performing with some of the biggest names in Motown.
``But by the time we got back to Detroit, we knew we were going to make it.''
That 1962 tour included The Miracles and The Marvellettes and solo performer Mary Wells with The Temptations backing her up.
``Little Stevie Wonder was also with the tour. He was just 8-years-old, and it's hard to believe, but he wrote one of his earliest hits `Fingertips' right there on the road, in that bus.
``Motown was really a family environment, with everyone pulling for each other. It was easy to be supportive when you shared sardines and popcorn for dinner.
``But the hardships didn't seem to matter. Especially after the first time we stepped on stage. That was at the Howard Theater in Washington, D.C. It was magical.''
Like many other singers, Reeves traces her musical roots to gospel singing in the choir of her church on Detroit's east side.
``I don't know of any singers who don't have a church background,'' Reeves said. ``That's the first place where we use the talent that God gives us.''
After graduating from Northeastern High School in 1959, Reeves sang lead with the ``Del-phi's,'' an amateur group that performed ``anywhere anybody would listen to us,'' she said. ``We just wanted experience. Most of the time we sang just for the fun of it.''
When the Del-phi's split up, Reeves struck out on her own as ``Martha LaVaille'' singing rhythm and blues in small Detroit nightclubs.
``I had to use another name because I wasn't quite 21, and the clubs wouldn't have hired me if they'd known my real age.''
During one club date, Reeves was heard by William Stevenson of Hitsville, U.S.A., a Motown Records subsidiary.
``I had a daytime job working in a cleaners and was singing in clubs at night. When Mr. Stevenson told me to call him, I showed up at his office the next day,'' Reeves said.
``I caught him by surprise because he wanted to know what I was doing there. I told him I thought he wanted me to sign a singing contract.
``Well, I did get a job. Not as a singer but as his secretary - for $35 a week.''
One of Reeves responsibilities was scheduling studio musicians for recording sessions. Sometimes she would stand in herself to do background foot-stomping and hand-clapping.
``This was before synthesizers.''
Told one afternoon to arrange backup singers for Marvin Gaye's recording of ``Pride and Joy,'' Reeves called her pals from the Del-phi's, soon to be renamed ``The Vandellas.''
The rest of the story is pop music legend, including the origin of ``Vandellas.''
``Another group had the name `Del-phi's, at least something that sounded the same.
``Van Dyke is a well-known street in Detroit that splits the city in half. And we were great admirers of Della Reese. So we took a little bit from both, put the two together, and The Vandellas were born.''
While the group hasn't had a hit in recent years, Reeves is put off when referred to only as an oldies singer.
``I don't think of our songs as '50s music. Good music stands the test of time. That's why songs like `Jimmy Mack' appeal to new generations.''
The group recently released a retrospective CD of their recordings from 1962 to 1972.
``It's selling quite well. Quality lasts.''
In addition to making appearances at events like The Seawall Festival, Reeves holds seminars for ``up and coming singers'' in subjects ranging from enunciation to understanding lyrics.
``A good singer is committed to the words in a song. It's one more example of quality.''
In August, her autobiography, ``Dancing in the Streets - Confessions of a Motown Diva,'' is scheduled for publication.
``I'm gearing up for a book tour for the fall,'' Reeves said. ``But this one won't be like the Motown Review of 1962 . . . no more buses.''
{KEYWORDS} PORTSMOUTH SEAWALL FESTIVAL
by CNB