Martha Reeves is a leading pioneer in soul music, having fronted her own group for Motown Records before the rise of that label's biggest girl group of all time - the Supremes. But Martha and the Vandellas (the name "Vandellas" was a reference to Van Dyke Street in Detroit and its most famous resident, Della Reese) were also a force to be reckoned with, with hits like "Heatwave," the epic "Dancing In the Street" (Van Halen's cover of this song is one of the few Motown covers that doesn't suck) and, my favorite, "Jimmy Mack."
Though Martha and the Vandellas broke up in 1972, Martha Reeves kept on keeping on, continuing to perform and make records, and she eventually formed a new Vandellas group. She is still active and is an indispensable stalwart in American popular music.
Fun fact: Martha Reeves served as a Detroit city councilwoman from 2005 to 2009. She was instrumental in getting West Grand Boulevard in Detroit, where Motown opened its first studio in 1958, alternatively named in honor of Motown founder Berry Gordy (Berry Gordy, Jr. Boulevard).
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