Motown Girl Group Martha and the Vandellas Not Only Recorded an Anthem for The Civil Rights Era – they Fought For Fair Pay and Proudly Called Themselves Divas

Martha Reeves, born in Alabama in 1941 and raised in Detroit, rose from answering phones at Motown Records to becoming the lead singer of Martha and the Vandellas, one of the most influential girl groups of the 1960s. After initially joining Motown's A&R department, she got her big break filling in for Mary Wells in a 1962 recording session, which led to a recording contract and hits like "Dancing in the Street" and "Nowhere to Run. " The group's music, particularly "Dancing in the Street," became deeply intertwined with the Civil Rights Movement and captured the revolutionary spirit of Black Americans fighting for equality during the turbulent 1960s.