R&B and pop vocalist Martha Rose Reeves was born in the United States on July 18, 1941. The first child of Elijah Joshua Reeves and Ruby Lee Gilmore Reeves, and the third of their 11 children, Martha Rose Reeves was born in Eufaula, Alabama.
Her grandpa, Reverend Elijah Reeves, was a pastor at Detroit’s Metropolitan Church when the family relocated from Eufaula to Detroit when she was a baby.
The family participated actively in the church choir. Ruby enjoyed singing, and Elijah enjoyed playing the guitar; their parents instilled a love of music in the kids.
Abraham Silver, a vocal instructor who also worked with Bobby Rogers, Mary Wilson (of the Supremes), and Florence Ballard, was her voice teacher at Detroit’s Northeastern High School (of the Miracles).
Reeves was raised on gospel music and developed an appreciation for R&B and doo-wop after being inspired by artists like Lena Horne and Della Reese. In 1959, she became a member of the Fascinations, but she departed the band before they started making records.
Did Martha Reeves have children?
Following a nine-month affair, Martha wed Wiley in Las Vegas in 1967. The couple got divorced very quickly.
In November 1970, Martha gave birth to a son named Eric following a brief relationship with a man by the name of Gerald.
Her second marriage to Willie Dee, which began in the early 1970s, ended in divorce not long after.
Unfortunately, our sources haven’t provided us with a lot of trustworthy information about him.
