Martha & The Vandellas

Martha Reeves & the Vandellas were an american music group. They were one of the most successful groups in the Motown roster during the 1960's performing primarily soul, but also pop and rock'n'roll. In 1967 the group's name was officially changed from Martha & The Vandellas to Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, to conform with the company's recent changes of The Supremes and The Miracles's names to reflect their featured lead singers. The group's string of hits included "(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave", "Nowhere to Run", "Jimmy Mack", "Bless You" and "Dancing in the Street", the latter song becoming their signature single. During their nine-year run on the charts from 1963 to 1972, Martha and the Vandellas charted over twenty-six hits and recorded in the styles of doo-wop, R&B, pop, blues, rock and roll and soul. Ten Vandellas songs reached the top ten of the Billboard R&B singles chart, including two R&B number ones.

Links To Peel
Peel's first appearance on BBC Radio One was on Top Gear on 01 October 1967, where on the first episode he co-presented the show with Tommy Vance. The first song broadcast on the show was Love Bug Leave My Heart Alone by Martha and the Vandellas. It was also the last song played when Top Gear finished on 25 September 1975. In an interview with John Walters on Peeling Back The Years in 1987, Peel mentioned that the Martha and the Vandellas track first played on Top Gear was not chosen by him, but by management, who wanted the show to look over the horizons of pop, to attract extra listeners. Although Peel was a fan of 60's/70's soul music, he rarely played any of Martha & The Vandellas track in later years, except when a record had some kind of connection to the band in the ways of a name or track.

Other Shows Played
1967 1975 1980
 * 01 October 1967: Love Bug Leave My Heart Alone (single) Tamla Motown TMG621
 * 25 September 1975: Lovebug, Leave My Heart Alone (LP- A Collection Of Big Hits, Volume 6)
 * 18 February 1980: Nowhere To Run (single, 1965) Tamla Motown