Martha Reeves & The Vandellas Tribute

[marv2]

Here's something I thought was really special when it aired a few years back:

[westgrandboulevard]

I have never before seen this..... so, thank you Marv, it's great!

[marv2]

I have never before seen this so, thank you Marv, it's great!

You are most welcome. It was from around 1993. It made me a bit sad to hear Martha say that this was their first award! Unbelievable!!!

[westgrandboulevard]

They did come close to a national number one seller for 'Heat Wave', even closer for 'Dancing In The Street'...and so close to a Grammy Award for 'Heat Wave'.....

[marv2]

They did come close to a national number one seller for 'Heat Wave', even closer for 'Dancing In The Street'...and so close to a Grammy Award for 'Heat Wave'.....

But if you just consider the decades [[even by the time of this clip) of high quality entertainment they provided the World, they should have had statues erected to honor them and checks for $1 million a piece!

[westgrandboulevard]

Marv, and everyone else who appreciates and loves Martha and her music [[with a special mention to Roberta! ).....

The following article appears in today's 'Daily Mail' [[UK - Tuesday May 5th 2015) :

UNDER THE MICROSCOPE

Motown legend Martha Reeves, 73, answers our health quiz....

CAN YOU RUN UPSTAIRS?

Martha: "I'm in pretty good shape for a 73-year-old spinster. I do go to the gym, but not regularly. I travel frequently for work, so the airport is enough of a treadmill at my age. I've been practising yoga for years, and never skip a day of breathing exercises"

GET YOUR FIVE A DAY?

Martha: "I eat healthily. If I cook my veg, I make sure they don't go soft. so there's still plenty of goodness in them - a cooked veg salad is one of my favourite meals. I love turkey, too. I try to avoid pork or beef, and I don't eat lamb"

ANY VICES?

Martha: "Cornbread and Guinness. I started drinking Guinness in 1964 when I came over for my first British tour and one of the paparazzi gave me a half-pint when he saw I was flagging at the press junket. I became the life and soul of the party. I always have some in the house"

WORST ILLNESS?

Martha: "As a toddler, I suffered from pleurisy, an inflammation of the lining of the lungs. I remember getting a shot, with a very long needle, through my ribs into my lungs. As a child, I was put into a special part of the school called the Fresh Air, where I spent three years.

There was one teacher and a lot of other children who weren't well - some had rheumatic fever or polio, others had autism. We had lots of naps and rest time and we were fed special breakfasts, lunches and plenty of apples because of the belief that malnutrition was a contributing factor"

POP ANY PILLS?

Martha :" Daily Vitamin C because it keeps congestion down. My Mum started giving it to me after I had pleurisy"

ANY FAMILY AILMENTS?

Martha : "Mum passed away in her early 60s - she had emphysema [[a progressive lung disease) after smoking all her life. Dad died of colon and liver cancer from drinking too much. Their deaths had a big impact on me - I stopped smoking in 2005."

COPE WELL WITH PAIN?

Martha : "I have arthritis in my right leg because of a cheerleading injury when I was 16. I put up with it. I wouldn't want to go through childbirth again, though. After giving birth to my pride and joy, Eric, now 44, I asked God never to do that to me again"

ARE YOU A WORRIER?

Martha: "I stopped worrying after I had a spiritual rebirth when I was 36 and rediscovered God. I aim all my thoughts at God and if I'm all right with Him, I'm all right with everything."

COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY?

Martha : "I did once try acupuncture, but all those little pricky needles - no Ma'am, that was not for me."

HANGOVER CURE?

Martha: "Not with the amount I drink - I can have four or five pints of Guinness and be fine."

ARE YOU A GOOD SLEEPER?

Martha: "I sleep like a rock! Even though I don't have a set bedtime. As long as I get five hours, I can function the next day"

LIKE TO LIVE FOREVER?

Martha : "No. I want to live this life right, so when I come back, it'll be a little easier"


Martha Reeves is appearing at the Nozstock Festival, Herefordshire, July 24-26; nozstock.com

Interview : SARAH EWING

[luke]

Great interview. Thanks. So good to hear something different!

[Bluebrock]

The Daily Mail picks a celebrity each week to answer these questions. It's never less than enjoyable but it was especially nice to see Martha given her chance!

[Methuselah2]

WGB - Thank you so much for that really interesting interview. Not just interesting--informative and revealing, too. Martha is a true breath of fresh air and always seems so open and honest about things, including herself. Thanks again.

[westgrandboulevard]

You're all very welcome! I wasn't near a scanner, so I just typed it out as fast as I could, 'to get it out there'.

Yes, Martha always has something interesting to say, and it is indeed good to hear her share some new and very personal information about herself. Martha seems to be a lady who continues to uphold very traditional values.

An interesting choice of word in that first sentence. It could just be Martha's dry humour but, instead of saying "I'm in pretty good shape for a 73-year-old" and then leaving it at that, Martha chose to add what I feel to be the now rather quaint word of 'spinster', instead of describing herself as, say,'a single lady'.

I believe Martha was once married - although perhaps separated/divorced when she gave birth to Eric?.

The description 'Spinster' would seem to be no longer appropriate on becoming a married woman, even if the marriage did not last for too long. Rather endearing, I think....

[Sharpmoves]

You're all very welcome! I wasn't near a scanner, so I just typed it out as fast as I could, 'to get it out there'.

Yes, Martha always has something interesting to say, and it is indeed good to hear her share some new and very personal information about herself. Martha seems to be a lady who continues to uphold very traditional values.

An interesting choice of word in that first sentence. It could just be Martha's dry humour but, instead of saying "I'm in pretty good shape for a 73-year-old" and then leaving it at that, Martha chose to add what I feel to be the now rather quaint word of 'spinster', instead of describing herself as, say,'a single lady'.

I believe Martha was once married - although perhaps separated/divorced when she gave birth to Eric?.

The description 'Spinster' would seem to be no longer appropriate on becoming a married woman, even if the marriage did not last for too long. Rather endearing, I think....

Here's the link to the on-line version of the article. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/ar...icroscope.html
Thanks for posting this. It is very personal and so very Martha! The Tribute is fantastic - and it is lovely to see Della Reese give her charming and very touching tribute - "It's been a long time coming - it's been too long" Amen, Della! Martha and the four Vandellas all look wonderful - Martha herself so slim and beautiful. A brilliant piece of history, but a pity it's not better quality. Martha says in her book that she was indeed briefly married, but when Eric was born, she became a single mum. Thanks again for posting this.

[reese]

I believe Martha was once married - although perhaps separated/divorced when she gave birth to Eric?.

The description 'Spinster' would seem to be no longer appropriate on becoming a married woman, even if the marriage did not last for too long. Rather endearing, I think....

Martha was married twice and both times it was annulled. When she appeared on the Joan Rivers show back in the 90s, she said that she married two bigamists.

[Roberta75]

Marv, and everyone else who appreciates and loves Martha and her music [[with a special mention to Roberta! ).....

The following article appears in today's 'Daily Mail' [[UK - Tuesday May 5th 2015) :

UNDER THE MICROSCOPE

Motown legend Martha Reeves, 73, answers our health quiz....

CAN YOU RUN UPSTAIRS?

Martha: "I'm in pretty good shape for a 73-year-old spinster. I do go to the gym, but not regularly. I travel frequently for work, so the airport is enough of a treadmill at my age. I've been practising yoga for years, and never skip a day of breathing exercises"

GET YOUR FIVE A DAY?

Martha: "I eat healthily. If I cook my veg, I make sure they don't go soft. so there's still plenty of goodness in them - a cooked veg salad is one of my favourite meals. I love turkey, too. I try to avoid pork or beef, and I don't eat lamb"

ANY VICES?

Martha: "Cornbread and Guinness. I started drinking Guinness in 1964 when I came over for my first British tour and one of the paparazzi gave me a half-pint when he saw I was flagging at the press junket. I became the life and soul of the party. I always have some in the house"

WORST ILLNESS?

Martha: "As a toddler, I suffered from pleurisy, an inflammation of the lining of the lungs. I remember getting a shot, with a very long needle, through my ribs into my lungs. As a child, I was put into a special part of the school called the Fresh Air, where I spent three years.

There was one teacher and a lot of other children who weren't well - some had rheumatic fever or polio, others had autism. We had lots of naps and rest time and we were fed special breakfasts, lunches and plenty of apples because of the belief that malnutrition was a contributing factor"

POP ANY PILLS?

Martha :" Daily Vitamin C because it keeps congestion down. My Mum started giving it to me after I had pleurisy"

ANY FAMILY AILMENTS?

Martha : "Mum passed away in her early 60s - she had emphysema [[a progressive lung disease) after smoking all her life. Dad died of colon and liver cancer from drinking too much. Their deaths had a big impact on me - I stopped smoking in 2005."

COPE WELL WITH PAIN?

Martha : "I have arthritis in my right leg because of a cheerleading injury when I was 16. I put up with it. I wouldn't want to go through childbirth again, though. After giving birth to my pride and joy, Eric, now 44, I asked God never to do that to me again"

ARE YOU A WORRIER?

Martha: "I stopped worrying after I had a spiritual rebirth when I was 36 and rediscovered God. I aim all my thoughts at God and if I'm all right with Him, I'm all right with everything."

COMPLEMENTARY THERAPY?

Martha : "I did once try acupuncture, but all those little pricky needles - no Ma'am, that was not for me."

HANGOVER CURE?

Martha: "Not with the amount I drink - I can have four or five pints of Guinness and be fine."

ARE YOU A GOOD SLEEPER?

Martha: "I sleep like a rock! Even though I don't have a set bedtime. As long as I get five hours, I can function the next day"

LIKE TO LIVE FOREVER?

Martha : "No. I want to live this life right, so when I come back, it'll be a little easier"


Martha Reeves is appearing at the Nozstock Festival, Herefordshire, July 24-26; nozstock.com

Interview : SARAH EWING

Thank you dear westgrandboulevard for such a great article. Thev First Lady of Motown Dr Martha reeves is a great great lady and a heck of a performer. Im going to strat drinking guiness so i can look and act as good as Miss reeves when im 73.

Thank you again.

Fondly,

Roberta

[kenneth]

Guinness? Blech, can't stand the stuff! Like cough syrup. Great article! Though I wonder at Martha's use of the word "Mum" instead of "Mom." I think the interviewer was transcribing it the way he would have said the term, not the way Martha said it.

[detmotownguy]

Westgrand you made my day! Thanks!

[westgrandboulevard]

Glad you all liked it, Sharpmoves, kenneth, Roberta and detmotownguy!

Going back to the clip Marv2 used to start this thread, yes, what a real pleasure it is to see Martha Reeves and Della Reese together, briefly, on a stage.

Two great Detroit ladies, two great artists, who clearly have a great deal of love and admiration for each other's talent.

[theboyfromxtown]

WGB

Thank you for taking the trouble to type it all out. I loved it.

I guess there are no prizes for guessing who you will be supporting in tomorrow's election! LOLOL

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Thank you, Marv. That was most enjoyable. It's high time that Martha Reeves & The Vandellas got some much-deserved recognition. It would have been equally great had Wanda Rogers & The Marvelettes received similar accolades. They deserved it, too, as did Martha.

[marv2]

Thank you, Marv. That was most enjoyable. It's high time that Martha Reeves & The Vandellas got some much-deserved recognition. It would have been equally great had Wanda Rogers & The Marvelettes received similar accolades. They deserved it, too, as did Martha.

You are welcome!

[theboyfromxtown]

Thank you, Marv. That was most enjoyable. It's high time that Martha Reeves & The Vandellas got some much-deserved recognition. It would have been equally great had Wanda Rogers & The Marvelettes received similar accolades. They deserved it, too, as did Martha.

And can I add the Velvelettes too please....

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Yes, you most certainly may, bfromxtown! Cal Gil & The Velvelettes may not have had as many hits as the Vandellas & Marvelettes, but what they had was hot! I still say that "A Bird In The Hand" was one of Norman Whitfield's [[and Motown's) finest. The girls should have shot to the top of the charts with that one. Bring on The Velvelettes' tribute!