Martha & The Vandellas

Martha & The Vandellas is an American Motown group who created the hit Dancing in the Street (1964). The song became an anthem of the Civil Rights Movement and was written by Marvin Gaye, William Mickey Stevenson and Ivy Jo Hunter. Martha Reeves used samples from Heat Wave by Martha & The Vandellas and Nowhere to Run by Martha & The Vandellas. The group had 26 Top 40 hits between 1963-1972, including Heat Wave, Quicksand and Jimmy Mack. They were the first female group to perform on Ed Sullivan Show in 1965. Their influence is felt in the work of The Supremes, The Marvelettes and Pointer Sisters.