Are You Ready For a Brand New Beat?

Martha and the Vandellas may have been "the Supremes' feral cousins" (thank you, Peenee), but what they lacked in grace they made up for in guts. "Heat Wave," "Dancing in the Streets," "Nowhere to Run" - all those hits, and most of the misses, absolutely explode from your speakers. Founding member Rosalind Ashford (center, above) was born on this day in 1949; we offer respect and gratitude. Thanks for the wax, Roz, especially our personal favorite, "You've Been in Love Too Long."

Youve Been In Love Too Long - Martha Reeves & The Vandellas

It's Sunday!!!

Start a heat wave.

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As has been duly noted: Martha and her girls could cut a bitch. You don't mess with a Vandella.

Dreamgirls

We regularly dream that we are members of a Motown girl group. Most usually, we dream that we are in The Supremes -- graceful, demure, elegant.



Occasionally, we dream that we belong to the somewhat earthier, yet girlishly innocent Marvelettes.



Last night, for the first time, we had a disturbing dream that we were down-and-dirty Vandellas. As Muscato pointed out recently, them girls were one stocking-run away from being Ikettes.



Moving further down the Motown food chain, could we wind up a member of The Velvelettes?



Or, perhaps, even The Andantes?



It's a long way from The Copacabana back to the chitlin' circuit.