Martha and The Vandellas - Epilogue

Epilogue

After the Vandellas' split, Reeves' sister Lois sang with the group Quiet Elegance and also sang background for Al Green, while Tilley retired from show business in the late 1970s, suddenly dying of a brain aneurysm in 1981 at the age of thirty-nine. Original member Gloria Williams, who retired from show business when she left the group, died in 2000. In 1978, Reeves and original Vandellas Ashford and Beard-Sterling reunited at a Los Angeles benefit concert for actor Will Geer. In 1983, Reeves successfully sued for royalties from her Motown hits and the label agreed to have the songs credited as Martha Reeves and the Vandellas from then on. That year, Reeves performed solo at Motown 25, which alongside some of their songs being placed on the Big Chill soundtrack, helped Reeves and the Vandellas gain a new audience. In 1989, original members Ashford and Sterling also sued Motown for royalties. During this, the original trio were inspired to reunite both as a recording act and in performances. They were offered a recording contract with Bob Dylan at Motorcity Records and issued the group's first single since the Vandellas disbanded seventeen years before with "Step Into My Shoes". While Ashford, whose full name now is Rosalind Ashford Holmes, and Beard, whose full name now is Annette Beard-Helton, continue to perform with other singers. Reeves sang with her sisters Lois and Delphine, often performing as a solo artist under the bill, Martha Reeves of Martha Reeves and the Vandellas and still performs all over the world. From 2005 to 2009, Reeves held the eighth seat of Detroit's city council. In August, she lost her seat and told the press that she would continue on performing.

Although they are no longer singing together full-time, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas have occasionally reunited for various concerts since the turn of the century. On Friday 31 August 2012, they performed as a headline act on the main stage at Bingley Music Live in Bingley, UK.