Martha Reeves, the Motown legend who fronted some of the 1960s’ biggest hits, is heading to Dearborn Music tomorrow to greet fans and sign advance copies of her first studio album in 22 years. The listening party and meet-and-greet runs from 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the record store’s longtime location at 22501 Michigan Avenue, giving fans a chance to get their hands on “Searching” weeks before it lands in stores nationwide.
The event, first detailed by The Detroit News, marks a rare early-access opportunity: co-producer Chris Roe said the event will be held in several cities before physical media reaches store shelves, and that Saturday’s stop offers fans a rare opportunity to obtain items before the album is commercially released. “Searching” is a collection of music recorded in New Orleans, co-produced by Roe alongside Delfeayo Marsalis, a member of the storied Marsalis musical family and the son of the late jazz pianist Ellis Louis Marsalis Jr.
Reeves described the record’s intent plainly, saying the new album was intentionally aimed at Motown versus the Big Easy — a blend she says is about sound, jazz, history and making beautiful music with accomplished instrumentalists. According to The Guardian, the record folds Motown soul together with jazz, gospel, and blues, including renditions of standards like “God Bless the Child” and “Summertime” alongside a previously unreleased Motown-era track titled “I’ve Got It Bad.”
A Milestone Release for a Motown Icon
The album’s official title track, “Searching,” marks Reeves’ first studio full-length since 2004, ending a 22-year recording hiatus, per the official Martha Reeves website. The record’s lead single is “To Know You Is to Love You.” Reeves was born July 18, 1941, in Eufaula, Alabama, before moving to Detroit as an infant, and the singer turned 85 in July, making “Searching” something of a milestone birthday release, according to Jazz Chill.
The Saturday event follows just days after Reeves made national headlines again — this time not for a new record, but for a viral performance. In August, her rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the opening game of the Women’s Pro Baseball League in Springfield, Illinois, went viral online, as reported by Country Rebel.
From Motown Hitmaker to Detroit City Council
Reeves is a Motown star and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, and her résumé backs up both titles. As lead singer of Martha and the Vandellas from 1962 to 1972, she fronted major Motown hits including “Dancing in the Street” (1964), “(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave” (1963), “Nowhere to Run” (1965), and “Jimmy Mack” (1967), according to the Motown Museum. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995, becoming only the second all-female group ever inducted into the institution.
She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, unveiled March 27, 2024, following a fan-funded grassroots campaign that raised more than $50,000 to cover installation and ceremony costs, per uDiscoverMusic. Beyond music, Reeves also built a career in Detroit politics, serving as an elected member of the Detroit City Council from 2005 to 2009, according to the Detroit Historical Society.
Where to Find the Album, and When
“Searching” arrives on digital platforms August 14, with the CD and vinyl editions following on September 4 — including a special-edition purple-wax release. The physical formats will be distributed through the independent label Deko Music, per Discogs.
Saturday’s gathering unfolds at a fitting local landmark: Dearborn Music was founded in 1956 and remains a family-owned independent record shop, co-owned by brothers Kevin and Rick LeAnnais, who expanded the business to a second Farmington location in 2021, according to Hour Detroit. Detroit News readers can also expect a full Q&A with Reeves about “Searching,” set to publish Sunday, August 9, offering a deeper look at the album ahead of its wider release.
