Episode 111 of A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs delves into the infectious energy of “Heat Wave” by Martha and the Vandellas, a track that not only defined a summer feeling but also marked a pivotal moment in music history. This song heralded the ascent of Holland-Dozier-Holland, the songwriting and production trio that would become synonymous with the iconic Motown Sound.
Martha and the Vandellas
Martha Reeves’ journey to Motown stardom was paved with years of dedication in Detroit’s vibrant music scene. Her early groups, including The Fascinations, provided valuable experience, even if mainstream success remained elusive. Although her time with The Fascinations was brief, the group found later recognition with Curtis Mayfield after her departure, highlighting the rich talent pool Reeves emerged from.
[Excerpt: The Fascinations, “Girls Are Out To Get You”]
Beyond her group experiences, Reeves’ musical foundation was solidified by her high school choir training under Abraham Silver. This mentorship connected her to other future Motown luminaries like Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard (The Supremes), Bobby Rogers and Claudette Robinson (The Miracles), and Little Joe Harris (The Undisputed Truth), showcasing the profound impact of music education in Detroit.
She later joined The Del-Phis, alongside Gloria Williams (or Williamson), Annette Beard, and Rosalind Ashford. Despite personality clashes, their vocal harmony was undeniable, leading them to local talent shows where they frequently competed with The Primes (later The Temptations) and The Primettes (later The Supremes). This competitive environment fostered their growth and stage presence. The Del-Phis even secured a single release on Checkmate Records, a Chess subsidiary, with Gloria as lead vocalist, demonstrating their early potential.
[Excerpt: The Del-Phis, “I’ll Let You Know”]
The Del-Phis also contributed backing vocals to tracks like Mike Hanks’ “When True Love Comes to Be,” further honing their studio skills. Lineup changes within the Del-Phis remain somewhat unclear, a common occurrence in the evolving music landscape of the era, where recognition and credit were often contested.
[Excerpt: Mike Hanks, “When True Love Comes to Be”]
Despite their efforts, The Del-Phis struggled to break through beyond the local scene. Simultaneously, Martha pursued a solo career as Martha LaVelle. A pivotal moment arrived when Mickey Stevenson, impressed by her solo performance, invited her to audition at Hitsville USA, Motown’s headquarters.
An initial misunderstanding almost derailed her Motown opportunity. Martha arrived for an audition without realizing they were scheduled only once a month. Stevenson, initially frustrated, left Martha in his office with phone duties. Her initiative in answering phones and managing office tasks impressed Stevenson. This unexpected secretarial stint became her entry point into Motown, initially as Stevenson’s secretary.
Martha’s secretarial role proved to be a strategic entry into Motown. She quickly integrated herself into recording sessions, contributing backing vocals, handclaps, and foot stomps for a small session fee. This hands-on experience immersed her in the Motown production process.
When The Andantes, Motown’s primary backing vocal group, were unavailable, Martha seized the opportunity. She proposed using the Del-Phis, who by this time may have been inactive as a group. Berry Gordy approved after an audition, signing them to Motown primarily as backing vocalists, but with the prospect of recording their own singles.
A new name was needed due to potential contractual issues with “The Del-Phis” and Checkmate Records. Initially named The Dominettes, they soon transitioned to The Vandellas. The origin of the name “Vandellas” is debated, with Martha Reeves often credited with suggesting it, inspired by Van Dyke Street and Della Reese, her favorite singer. Della Reese was known for hits like “Don’t You Know?”.
[Excerpt: Della Reese, “Don’t You Know?”]
The group officially became Martha and the Vandellas, although some accounts suggest they initially performed simply as The Vandellas, especially as Gloria remained the lead singer at this stage.
Under Mickey Stevenson’s production, The Vandellas began their Motown journey. Their first recording credit was on Saundra Mallett’s “Camel Walk,” a Berry Gordy-penned song aiming for a “Loco-Motion” vibe. However, this initial track was credited to Saundra Mallett and the Vandellas, not Martha and the Vandellas directly.
[Excerpt: Saundra Mallett and the Vandellas, “Camel Walk”]
Despite “Camel Walk” preceding it, Marvin Gaye’s “Stubborn Kind of Fellow” is often cited as The Vandellas’ true debut. This track became Gaye’s breakthrough hit and prominently featured The Vandellas on backing vocals, raising their profile within Motown.
[Excerpt: Marvin Gaye, “Stubborn Kind of Fellow”]
Beyond studio work, The Vandellas became integral to Marvin Gaye’s live performances, including the Motortown Revue shows. They also performed independently and alongside other artists, exposing them to diverse musical styles. Martha Reeves notably admired The Beach Boys, developing a lasting appreciation for Mike Love.
While in-demand backing vocalists, The Vandellas aspired to solo success. They recorded “You’ll Never Cherish A Love So True (‘Til You Lose It)” with Gloria on lead vocals. However, by the time of its release, Martha’s role in the group was becoming more central, and the single was released under the name The Vells, not The Vandellas.
[Excerpt: The Vells, “You’ll Never Cherish A Love So True (‘Til You Lose It)”]
The pivotal session that shifted Martha into the lead happened unexpectedly. While still working as Mickey Stevenson’s secretary, Martha was present during a Mary Wells recording session when a Musicians’ Union inspection occurred. Union rules at the time required vocalists to be present during instrumental tracking. With Mary Wells absent, Stevenson quickly put Martha in front of the microphone to record vocals for “I’ll Have to Let Him Go.”
Impressed by Martha’s impromptu performance, Stevenson decided to give her the song. At the same session where The Vandellas recorded tracks with Gloria, they also recorded Martha’s vocals for “I’ll Have to Let Him Go.”
[Excerpt: Martha and the Vandellas, “I’ll Have to Let Him Go”]
“I’ll Have to Let Him Go” was released under the Martha and the Vandellas name. Around this time, Gloria left the group. Reasons for her departure vary, ranging from discomfort with Martha’s leadership to prioritizing her city job security over a full-time music career. Shortly after, “You’ll Never Cherish A Love So True (‘Til You Lose It)” was released as The Vells.
Neither single achieved chart success, but their next release would be a game-changer. Released five months later, it marked the true emergence of the “Motown Sound” that would dominate the charts for the remainder of the decade, largely thanks to the songwriting and production powerhouse team of Holland-Dozier-Holland.
Before their collective impact, each member of Holland-Dozier-Holland had their own journey within the music industry. Eddie Holland began working with Berry Gordy before Motown’s inception. His vocal similarity to Jackie Wilson led Gordy to initially use him as a demo singer and later attempt to mold him into a Jackie Wilson-esque performer, starting with Eddie’s debut single, “You.”
[Excerpt: Eddie Holland, “You”]
Eddie Holland discovered a preference for studio work over live performance. While he loved singing, the stage held little appeal. However, he persevered, waiting for a better opportunity. Prior to his professional singing career, Eddie sang in doo-wop groups with his younger brother, Brian.
Brian Holland, unlike Eddie, wasn’t a strong vocalist but possessed exceptional musical talent. He could instantly arrange harmonies and had a gift for musical arrangement. Eddie championed Brian’s talent to Gordy, who initially doubted the young Brian’s abilities. Eventually, Gordy recognized Brian’s potential, pairing him with Janie Bradford for songwriting and training him in audio engineering. Brian Holland’s early engineering work included a song recorded by Eddie, originally a wine jingle but released as “Briant Holland,” leading to misinterpretations about Brian being the vocalist.
[Excerpt: Briant Holland, “(Where’s the Joy) in Nature Boy?”]
Brian Holland became an early Motown staff member, claiming to be the first permanent employee. While Eddie toured, Brian wrote, produced, and sang backing vocals on numerous tracks. He co-wrote and produced The Marvelettes’ “Please Mr. Postman,” a massive hit and Motown’s first number one, but remained one of many contributors at Motown, not yet a central figure like Gordy, Smokey Robinson, or Mickey Stevenson.
[Excerpt: The Marvelettes, “Please Mr. Postman”]
Eddie Holland achieved a minor hit with “Jamie,” co-written by Barrett Strong and Mickey Stevenson. Originally recorded by Strong, the track was given to Holland after Strong left Motown, using the original backing track.
[Excerpt: Eddie Holland, “Jamie”]
“Jamie” reached the top thirty, ironically achieving more success for Holland than Strong experienced at Motown. The pivotal shift for the Holland brothers occurred when Brian Holland befriended Anne Dozier, a Motown record packer, whose husband was Lamont Dozier, a singer.
Lamont Dozier’s musical upbringing was rich and varied. He attended Hutchins Junior High School, a couple of grades below Marv Johnson, Motown’s first star. He knew Freda Payne, and Otis Williams of The Temptations was a classmate. However, it was another classmate that ignited his musical ambition: Aretha Franklin.
[Excerpt: Aretha Franklin, “There Is a Fountain Filled With Blood”]
Witnessing Aretha Franklin’s extraordinary talent firsthand inspired Lamont Dozier to pursue his own musical path. He formed a doo-wop group, The Romeos, releasing their first single, both sides written by Lamont, at just sixteen years old.
[Excerpt: The Romeos, “Gone Gone Get Away”]
The Romeos’ third single, “Fine Fine Fine,” was picked up by Atlantic Records for distribution and gained traction. Atlantic requested a follow-up, but sixteen-year-old Dozier, overconfident, proposed an album instead of a single. Jerry Wexler of Atlantic declined, releasing The Romeos from their contract, ending their brief run.
Dozier joined The Voice Masters, the first group signed to Anna Records, singing on tracks like “Hope and Pray,” the inaugural release from a Gordy family label.
[Excerpt: The Voice Masters, “Hope and Pray”]
He continued with The Voice Masters while also doing odd jobs at Anna Records, including cleaning. His first solo record on Anna, under the name Lamont Anthony, featured notable musicians like Robert White, James Jamerson, Harvey Fuqua, and Marvin Gaye, and was based on the cartoon character “Popeye.”
[Excerpt: Lamont Anthony, “Popeye the Sailor Man”]
Just as “Popeye the Sailor Man” began gaining momentum, King Features Syndicate issued a cease and desist order due to copyright concerns. Dozier quickly re-recorded the vocals, changing the subject to “Benny the Skinny Man.”
[Excerpt: Lamont Anthony, “Benny the Skinny Man”]
However, without the Popeye hook, the song lost its appeal and flopped. Dozier joined Motown when it became the dominant Gordy family label, signing as a songwriter and producer. Robert Bateman had recently ended his production partnership with Brian Holland. Anne Dozier suggested Brian meet her husband, Lamont. Brian found Lamont at the piano, working on a song but stuck on the middle section. Brian offered a solution, creating the bridge. Their musical connection was immediate, almost telepathic. They brought in Freddie Gorman, Brian’s lyricist partner at the time, to complete the lyrics while Holland and Dozier generated more ideas.
This initial collaboration became “Forever,” a Marvelettes album track that later gained popularity as a B-side, reaching the top thirty on its own merits.
[Excerpt: The Marvelettes, “Forever”]
Holland and Dozier rapidly solidified their partnership. Dozier excelled at creating riffs, hooks, and rhythmic ideas, while Brian Holland contributed strong melodies and chord progressions. Both were musically versatile, but Brian focused on drums in the studio while Lamont worked with keyboardists and bass player James Jamerson. Their main weakness was lyric writing. While both could write lyrics and Lamont often conceived titles or hook phrases, it was a slower process. They primarily collaborated with Freddie Gorman and sometimes Janie Bradford for lyrics. This team produced tracks like “Contract on Love” for Little Stevie Wonder, foreshadowing their signature sound, even with its Four Seasons-esque style.
[Excerpt: Little Stevie Wonder, “Contract on Love”]
Both Little Stevie Wonder and the backing vocalists, The Temptations, would achieve greater success later, but “Contract on Love” remains a notable early work.
Eddie Holland’s realization about royalties changed Motown’s trajectory. Despite “Jamie” being a hit, he received no royalties, still owing Motown due to unrecouped production costs from earlier flops. His brother Brian, however, received a substantial royalty check from his songwriting. Eddie decided to shift his focus to songwriting, recognizing its financial and creative potential.
He dedicated nine months to studying songwriting, particularly Smokey Robinson’s techniques. He developed his own lyrical approach, emphasizing meaningful words and avoiding filler. He employed “repeat-formation,” paraphrasing key information to ensure the song’s message resonated even if some lines were missed.
When The Marvelettes’ album, The Marvellous Marvelettes, lacked a strong single, Brian Holland and Dozier were tasked with creating one quickly. Freddie Gorman was less available for songwriting, working primarily as a postman. Seeking a new lyricist, they turned to Eddie Holland, who had been writing independently. The trio wrote and produced “Locking Up My Heart,” the first single credited to Holland-Dozier-Holland.
[Excerpt: The Marvelettes, “Locking Up My Heart”]
“Locking Up My Heart” was a relative disappointment for The Marvelettes, contributing to their career downturn. However, their second Holland-Dozier-Holland collaboration, recorded ten days later, was transformative. This track, “Come and Get These Memories,” for Martha and the Vandellas, is widely considered the beginning of Motown’s Golden Age. Brian and Eddie Holland even named their autobiography after this song, signifying its importance.
The intro to “Come and Get These Memories” is unconventional, featuring the Vandellas singing the chorus. The Vandellas’ vocal blend, while powerful, isn’t traditionally harmonious; their strength lies in individual vocal lines rather than tight harmonies.
[Excerpt: Martha and the Vandellas, “Come and Get These Memories”]
The song quickly transitions into the signature Holland-Dozier-Holland sound, primarily shaped by Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier, with Eddie focusing on lyrics. It features a lightly swung rhythm with a strong backbeat emphasized by handclaps and tambourine—a rhythmic approach reminiscent of early rock and roll but at a more relaxed tempo. Simple piano and guitar parts reinforce the rhythm, while James Jamerson’s bass line provides melodic counterpoint.
[Excerpt: Martha and the Vandellas, “Come and Get These Memories”]
In most rock and roll, soul, and R&B up to this point, bass lines were often rudimentary, sticking to root notes or simple ostinato patterns. James Jamerson revolutionized bass playing by introducing melodic, improvised lines that interacted dynamically with the other instruments.
“Come and Get These Memories” was largely written before Eddie’s full involvement, with Lamont Dozier primarily responsible for the lyrics. Dozier cited country singers like Loretta Lynn as lyrical inspiration, evident in the song’s use of physical objects as metaphors for emotions, a common country music trope.
[Excerpt: Martha and the Vandellas, “Come and Get These Memories”]
“Come and Get These Memories” reached number twenty-nine on the pop charts and number six on the R&B charts. Martha and the Vandellas had achieved stardom.
Following Motown’s standard practice, the successful writing and production team, Holland-Dozier-Holland, were entrusted with the follow-up single. “Heat Wave”, born from another Lamont Dozier idea, marked a significant progression.
“Heat Wave Song” was more than a follow-up; it was a quantum leap. While “Come and Get These Memories” established the Motown Sound, “Heat Wave” defined the Martha and the Vandellas sound and the Holland-Dozier-Holland uptempo style that would influence numerous artists.
This subgenre of Motown became known as Northern Soul in Northern England and directly influenced Disco, Hi-NRG, electropop, the Stock-Aitken-Waterman production style of the 80s, gay culture, and much of dance music thereafter. “Heat Wave song,” unlike the mid-tempo “Come and Get These Memories,” was fast-paced and stomping. While “Come and Get These Memories” swung, “Heat Wave” was rhythmically direct. The drums and percussion emphasized the backbeat, with tambourine hitting every beat squarely, creating a driving four-on-the-floor rhythm, sharing some rhythmic similarities with contemporary Four Seasons hits, but less rigid. Pistol Allen’s drumming, initially strict, becomes more nuanced as the song progresses, subtly swinging behind the beat.
Describing the rhythmic impact of “heat wave song” is challenging. It’s music designed for dancing, an intuitive experience.
[Excerpt: Martha and the Vandellas, “Heat Wave”]
Martha Reeves’ powerful voice was perfectly suited for “Heat Wave song.” Unlike many Motown female singers with pop-oriented vocals, Reeves was a belter, drawing heavily from blues and gospel traditions, adding raw energy to the track.
“Heat Wave song” broke into the top ten, as did its sound-alike follow-up, “Quicksand.” However, the subsequent two Holland-Dozier-Holland singles underperformed, not even reaching the top forty. Annette Beard then left the group and was replaced by Betty Kelly. The new lineup was then assigned to Mickey Stevenson, resulting in “Dancing in the Street,” which became their signature song. While not as pivotal to the Motown Sound’s evolution as “Come and Get These Memories” or “Heat Wave song”, “Dancing in the Street” was a masterpiece. Written by Stevenson, Marvin Gaye, and Ivy Joe Hunter, it featured Gaye on drums, and Hunter’s distinctive percussion, reportedly created by striking a steel chain or tire iron.
Martha’s vocal performance on “Dancing in the Street” is remarkable, with a palpable edge. Legend has it this was the second take, capturing her slight annoyance at having perfectly nailed the first take which suffered a recording issue.
[Excerpt: Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, “Dancing in the Street”]
“Dancing in the Street” reached number two and became the group’s cultural and commercial peak. The song later gained controversy when, amidst civil rights protests interpreted as riots, it was misconstrued as a riot anthem rather than a dance invitation—an interpretation later echoed by The Rolling Stones with “Street Fighting Man,” a song influenced by the Vandellas’ classic.
Their next release, “Wild One,” closely resembled “Dancing in the Street,” leading to rumors of it being an alternate take. While not true, the sonic similarity is undeniable. Following this, they reunited with Holland-Dozier-Holland for another hit, “Nowhere to Run.”
[Excerpt: Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, “Nowhere to Run”]
Martha and the Vandellas continued releasing classic hits like “Jimmy Mack” and “Honey Chile” for several years. However, the rise of The Supremes shifted Motown’s focus, diminishing the Vandellas’ prominence. When Motown relocated to Los Angeles in the early 1970s, Martha Reeves stayed in Detroit, leading to the group’s disbandment. The original lineup occasionally reunited for special events and recorded for Ian Levine’s Motorcity label.
Currently, two Vandellas groups tour: Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, featuring Martha and her sisters (including late-era member Lois), and The Original Vandellas, featuring Rosalind Ashford and Annette Beard. Gloria Williams passed away in 2000, but Martha and the Vandellas are among the few 60s hit groups where classic lineup members are still alive and performing. Martha, Rosalind, Betty, Annette, and Lois were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995, becoming only the second all-female group honored.
Martha and the Vandellas remain one of Motown’s greatest acts and a premier girl group. Their biggest hits, including the iconic “heat wave song,” continue to resonate, capturing the energy and spirit of young America at the dawn of a musical revolution. Even sixty years later, their music embodies the vibrant sound of an era.
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