The renowned Grammy and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, Martha Reeves, earned her place in Hollywood six decades ago when she first emerged on the music scene in Detroit.
At 82, she commemorated her achievement with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, surrounded by music legends including Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, and Motown founder Berry Gordy.
Reeves dazzled in a strapless white dress adorned with a metallic gold art deco print during the ceremony, according to Daily Mail. The music legend, adorned with layers of gold jewelry and a wide-brimmed hat resembling flower petals, accessorized elegantly for her Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony.
Following a nomination by her former manager, Reeves successfully crowd-funded over $50,000, just in time for the star ceremony.
She took to Facebook to express her gratitude to her fans last week, thanking them for their support. In her post, she wrote, “I want to thank everyone who donated and helped spread the word. It has meant so much.”
“A special thank you to my manager Chris Roe at Chris Roe Management for making it all happen,” she added. “Today is a beautiful day.”
Lead vocalist of Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, the group achieved success with Motown in the 1960s, producing hits like “Quicksand,” “Nowhere to Run,” and “Dancing in the Street.”
Gordy, 94, who signed the group to his Motown label in 1962, delivered a heartfelt speech at the ceremony, referencing their iconic hits.
“She’s raw, and she’s real. She may be sassy, but always classy. And when she did her thing, there was truly nowhere to run, nowhere to hide,” said Gordy.
He continued, “She and the Vandellas set off a heatwave felt around the world, and everybody was dancing in the street. I’m talking about the one and only Martha Reeves.”
At the Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony, Robinson, 84, also hailed Reeves as “one of our profound acts,” who helped put Motown on the global map through her work.
“I’m so happy and so proud to be here today and to see another one of our Motown family members have a star on the Walk of Fame,” he said.
“We had so many wonderful, talented people there, and many of them are on this walk. And Martha, it’s time you were here,’ added Robinson. “I wouldn’t have missed this for the world.”
Wonder, 73, drew the curtains on the moment when he shared a personal anecdote about his meeting with Reeves.
“We are living in serious times throughout the world, as were we then back in the 60s when I was 11 years old, coming to Motown,” he explained. “And one of the first people that I was able to meet was Martha.
“Martha would listen to the songs that were halfway written that I wrote. She would keep me out of eating too much candy from the candy machine,” added Wonder. “And she would encourage me to continue to write and to study.”
Wonder continued, “She motivated me in singing and just being kind to people.”
