Motown Singer Martha Reeves Is A Member of Sigma Gamma Rho

Did you know that Motown legend Martha Reeves, the voice behind “Dancing in the Street,” is a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.? The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer is proudly counted among the sorority’s notable Sorors.

Martha Rose Reeves was born on July 18, 1941, in Eufaula, Alabama, and moved with her family to Detroit before her first birthday. She grew up singing in her grandfather’s church, and as a young woman she found her way to Motown Records, where she took a job as a secretary and worked her way toward the microphone. When a scheduled singer missed a session, Reeves stepped in, and her group, the Del-Phis, was soon signed to the label and renamed Martha and the Vandellas.

Over the next several years, Reeves and the Vandellas became one of Motown’s defining acts. They delivered a string of classics, including “Come and Get These Memories,” “(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave,” “Nowhere to Run,” and “Jimmy Mack,” and their 1964 anthem “Dancing in the Street” became one of the most beloved records of the era, embraced as a soundtrack for a generation seeking change. “Heat Wave” earned Motown its very first Grammy nomination.

In 1995, Martha and the Vandellas were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, only the second all-female group to receive the honor, and Reeves was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame the same year. She also chronicled her journey in a 1994 autobiography, Dancing in the Street: Confessions of a Pop Diva.

Reeves’s service extended beyond the stage. From 2005 to 2009, she served her adopted hometown as an elected member of the Detroit City Council. She has continued to perform for audiences around the world well into her later years, carrying forward the spirit of Sigma Gamma Rho’s motto, “Greater Service, Greater Progress.”

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