Where Is...MARTHA REEVES?

Martha Reeves is still "dancing in the street". The Motown star, who won international fame as lead singer of Martha Reeves and the Vandellas with the pop-soul hits "Come and Get These Memories", "Heat Wave", "Nowhere to Run", "Jimmy Mack" and "Dancing In the Street", continues to tour widely and is on the Motown 50th Anniversary tour.

"The Motown music will last for eternity because we put love in it", Reeves says. "The beat, the lyrics about love bridged the gap between young Blacks and Whites in the '60s. We sang songs from the heart, songs that fit the times."

"Dancing in the Street", co-written by Marvin Gaye, was about everybody around the world coming together, she says. "Think Rio de Janeiro carnival or New Orleans' Mardi Gras", she says. "The song was about come on let's dance... It was a chance for folks to have a good time and forget about the prejudice." The song was viewed by some as an anthem for the 1960s riots, but that was never her intention. "I am a child of God. I never asked anybody to do anything mean or evil."

Reeves, who turns 69 on July 18, just ended a four-year term on the Detroit City Council, where she addressed the needs of senior citizens. "I was the voice for the seniors. I came back and changed things for them."

She shares the secret to her survival in show business and as a senior. "I am stronger than dirt. No matter what weapon is formed against me, it never prospers. That's my legacy of strength", she declares.

Reflecting on her recent career in politics and her ongoing appeal in music, she says, "I've had two careers and I have excelled in both of them. I'm just happy to be alive. God wants me to have joy and I got it. I am healthy and happy." -- Clarence Waldron