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  1. #1
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    That Hard-Working Martha Reeves!

    I had reported to you guys that I will be seeing Martha and the girls, on a bill with The Spinners, in Charles Town, WV on July 14th. Looking at her schedule, she will certainly be the world traveler between now and then!

    She was just in California for a gig last night [[Saturday the 30th) and she will have four shows in England between the 4th and the 7th. I hope she still has energy to perform for us on the 14th.

    Any other members on here planning to join me that night?

  2. #2
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    Mortgages are a bitch.

  3. #3
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    I regret I am not; have a great time with Dr. Reeves, a classic American treasure.

  4. #4
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    Martha is in demand plus she loves working and people.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by PeaceNHarmony View Post
    I regret I am not; have a great time with Dr. Reeves, a classic American treasure.
    Yes my dear. Dr Reeves is the greatest star to come out of Motowns Records and Motiowns freatest Ambassador IMO.

  6. #6
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    Love Martha Reeves. Have a great time.

  7. #7
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    Harry Balk called me into his office one day and told me he wanted me to revive Martha's career. WOW! Now What? I remember having one meeting with Martha, but can't recall what we talked about. At any rate I was never able to give this one a shot since Motown was about to make the big move to the West.

  8. #8
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    ^ I was impressed and hopeful with Black Magic.

  9. #9
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    Luckily I will be seeing her [[again) on Saturday. She always gives a really good show, and so much effort to make sure that we all enjoy it too.

    I forget how many times I've now seen her, but she must fly over to the UK several times a year to perform, and we always make her so welcome.

  10. #10
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    I saw Martha perform yesterday in Brighton. The venue was incredibly hot [[temperature) which Martha commented about during the set. She was amazing - for over an hour, she [[and the Vandellas) performed tracks including 'What's going on', 'Dancing in the street', 'My baby loves me' [[which Martha said was her favourite record of all time), 'Jimmy Mack', 'Come and get these memories' and a number of others, and she also sang my all time favourite of hers 'No one there'. That was such a stunning performance. Throughout the show, it was clear that she, her sisters and the band were really enjoying being there. What I also liked was that each of the tracks she sang were at the right speed - none of this speeded up 3 minutes into just over 90 seconds.

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  11. #11
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    Wink

    Great review, Gordy_Hunk, and many thanks!

    I always find it disappointing that many Motown fans are content to draw attention to how much they feel Martha's singing voice has changed since the '60s, and then do not commend her sufficiently for the quality of entertainment she [[and Lois and Delphine) offer their audiences.

    Martha always gives a great show, but then often will rise above even that, when the audience appreciation and response is sufficient to lift her spirit.

    To top that, she often meets and greets anyone who wishes to say hello after the show, signing autographs, and having photos taken.

    When I saw her in Salisbury in November, Martha, Lois and Delphine stayed nearly two hours after the show, until everyone waiting had been greeted. The theatre staff, mostly volunteers, were bowled over by the effort made, and were more than happy to stay on longer.

    And the lady herself will shortly be just three years away from being 80 years of age.

    It's a real achievement, and an inspiration for anyone of 'a certain age' to just keep on doing what they love, through good and bad times, and never give up....
    Last edited by westgrandboulevard; 07-08-2018 at 10:43 AM.

  12. #12
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    To meet and greet Martha Reeves would be a thrill of a lifetime, no less so than meeting any other Motown royalty.

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by westgrandboulevard View Post
    Great review, Gordy_Hunk, and many thanks!

    I always find it disappointing that many Motown fans are content to draw attention to how much they feel Martha's singing voice has changed since the '60s, and then do not commend her sufficiently for the quality of entertainment she [[and Lois and Delphine) offer their audiences.

    Martha always gives a great show, but then often will rise above even that, when the audience appreciation and response is sufficient to lift her spirit.

    To top that, she often meets and greets anyone who wishes to say hello after the show, signing autographs, and having photos taken.

    When I saw her in Salisbury in November, Martha, Lois and Delphine stayed nearly two hours after the show, until everyone waiting had been greeted. The theatre staff, mostly volunteers, were bowled over by the effort made, and were more than happy to stay on longer.

    And the lady herself will shortly be just three years away from being 80 years of age.

    It's a real achievement, and an inspiration for anyone of 'a certain age' to just keep on doing what they love, through good and bad times, and never give up....
    I'm pleased you like my review - because I totally agree with you. Martha [[and Loise and Delphine) really appreciate the audiences by meeting them, shaking hands, talking to them after the performances. There's none of this 'diva' nonsense that so many famous people exude. She's so appreciative of her audience. The effort, enjoyment that she has during the performance is so infectious too. I hope I have as much energy and joie de vivre when I'm 77 as she has.

    Incidentally, during last night's show, the venue was incredibly hot, and she made sure that bottles of water were handed out to the majority of the audience. I've never known that before.

    Martha [[and the Vandellas) are unique - and one of the finest exports that Detroit has ever had [[well, I know she's from Alabama, but musically she's from Detroit).

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by gordy_hunk View Post
    I'm pleased you like my review - because I totally agree with you. Martha [[and Loise and Delphine) really appreciate the audiences by meeting them, shaking hands, talking to them after the performances. There's none of this 'diva' nonsense that so many famous people exude. She's so appreciative of her audience. The effort, enjoyment that she has during the performance is so infectious too. I hope I have as much energy and joie de vivre when I'm 77 as she has.

    Incidentally, during last night's show, the venue was incredibly hot, and she made sure that bottles of water were handed out to the majority of the audience. I've never known that before.

    Martha [[and the Vandellas) are unique - and one of the finest exports that Detroit has ever had [[well, I know she's from Alabama, but musically she's from Detroit).

    Dr Martha Reeves is a peoples person ands cares more about her fans than any other living legend. Shes kind and caring and loving and real real sweet and her love of God shines through in everything she does.

    Fondly,

    Roberta

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    I am excited about the prospect of meeting her after the show coming up on Saturday in West Virginia. I am staying over that night so I will wait as long as necessary. I do wonder however, that the Spinners are the headline act this night and Martha presumably the opening act.

    So I assume that both will come together for a finale and THEN she will be available for autographs. Surely she will not sign her autographs, etc. after her performance while the Spinners are still on? Right?

  16. #16
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    daviddesper....looking forward to your review. Really wish I was going to be there....

    Normally, Martha is top billing here in the UK. There is very often an announcement made that she will be signing autographs after the show.

    Hoping very much for you that she, Lois and Delphine will do the same, perhaps with The Spinners, on Saturday. Hoping also that an announcement will be made, maybe even when Martha closes the first half.

    If you've not met Martha before, take some memorabilia like a favourite disc or CD along with you, for her to sign.

    I remember clutching her book while a crowd surrounded Martha, sitting in the foyer of a local theatre, signing memorabilia.

    Everyone was standing around her, and Martha kept squinting and shooting glances through them, over at me...and all heads turned smiling in my direction when she eventually exclaimed "He's got my BOOK!!".

    Martha loves personal anecdotes about her music, and I hadn't prepared anything much to say...but when the numbers had thinned, and it looked as if Martha wasn't in a hurry to leave, I went back and we had a lovely chat.

    When I was just starting to feel I shouldn't be keeping her any longer, Martha then put her head at a slight angle, with that amused expression she has when she's assessing the person in front of her.

    I said "lovely to meet you..." then, completely out of instinct, said "May I?", leaning forward to gently kiss her cheek.

    All I can say is, if you ever receive Martha's full beam smile at close quarters, it scores a direct hit LOL

    Martha sighed, and smilingly said "ohhhhhh, I really needed that....!"

    Have a great time on Saturday, and make absolutely sure you wish Martha a very Happy Birthday for Weds 18th, not only from yourself, but from everybody here on Soulful Detroit...

  17. #17
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    What a lovely post westgrand!

  18. #18
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    I used to run into Martha quite a bit in the Detroit renaissance Center during lunch. She always held my hand when we spoke all things Motown. Once she even had her driver wait till she was done speaking. Other Martha stories to follow! Great lady.

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by detmotownguy View Post
    I used to run into Martha quite a bit in the Detroit renaissance Center during lunch. She always held my hand when we spoke all things Motown. Once she even had her driver wait till she was done speaking. Other Martha stories to follow! Great lady.
    I have my own Martha stories, but I'll just say I love her for now and am always happy to see and talk with her.
    Last edited by marv2; 07-09-2018 at 08:25 PM.

  20. #20
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    I've seen Martha and her sister Vandellas three times, once with Dennis Edwards' Temptations, the other times just on their own.

    In my experiences, Martha has always made it a point to connect with her fans after the show.

    With Dennis Edwards, the venue was a bit funky so there wasn't much opportunity to say more than a quick hello, snap a pic, and get an autograph.

    The other two times, Martha had a little station set up, where you could actually sit with her and chat, she'd sign anything [[and everything) you brought, and take endless pictures. I never once saw her rush anyone, and stayed until the very last person said their hello. There's something to be said about class.

    I brought a compilation CD of MR&V. She opened up the booklet and on every page that there was a picture of her, she signed her name. She'd make comments on their outfits, give little stories about songs, and truthfully, was just just a joy to be around. She even remembered me from the year before. I thought that was pretty neat.

    I do recall one person just in front of me brought a STACK of CD's to sign. She joked that she better not see them on eBay, but still signed every one.

    I've always found her to be gracious, and yes, a true Ambassador of Motown.

  21. #21
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    replying to Roberta and Marybrewster - I totally agree with you. A comment she made during the performance was that one of the songs she was going to sing, she'll be singing it every day until she dies. What is extremely clear, is that she is so grateful for the public who have bought her records, go to see her, listen and dance with her. I suspect that's one of the reasons why she goes to meet people after the show, and remains there for a long time until the last one has gone. She loves performing and the people who are there. I totally agree Roberta with your comment "cares more about her fans than any other living legend". I've yet to see, meet, or witness someone who has been in the entertainment business even for 10 years, who shows the enthusiasm and commitment to the audience that Martha still does.

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    I once asked Martha where she gets all that energy from, especially at our [[ahem) advanced ages. She explained that, unlike the average non-performer, most if not all entertainers actually have a real psychological need for the applause, appreciation and love which they receive from their audiences, and without that, life wouldn’t have as much meaning. In a sense they’re actually needy in that regard, so she keeps pounding the boards because it’s what she loves, and the rewards are not entirely monetary for her by any means. More than once she’s suggested that we hang out until she’s done with her meet/greet and then we go out for a drink. We’re not buddies or anything like it by any means, mind you, and she really barely knows me, but she seems to have a sense of who really appreciates her and she returns that appreciation. So, in addition to being astonishingly talented, she’s sweet and lots of fun.

  23. #23
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    Exactly as Martha herself said, in a UK interview last year: "You don't think tired, you think excited".

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