Motown legend Martha Rose Reeves was given the opportunity to sing the National Anthem again following her viral appearance at the inaugural Women’s Pro Baseball League game.
The Motown legend was heavily criticized for her rendition of the “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield, Illinois on August 1.
Martha sang off-key, as attendees reactions to her performance went viral. Later, Martha blamed her background singers and the windy conditions for her anthem fail.
In an interview with TMZ, Martha said it was “an honor” to be invited to perform before the very first game of the Women’s Pro Baseball League “and to help celebrate such a historic moment for women in sports. I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”
She explained what went wrong: “The field conditions were wet and windy, and without stage monitors I wasn’t able to hear myself as I normally would. While it wasn’t the performance I had hoped for, I’m grateful to have been there in support of these remarkable athletes and this groundbreaking league.”
TMZ obtained video from the rehearsal, where Martha stopped one of the background singers to say she was singing out of tune. Then, before her live performance, Martha said about the background singers, “I don’t think I need them. I don’t need them.”
Martha sang the National Anthem again for Fox 2 News in Detroit – without the background singers to throw her off.
Martha Reeves tried to blame her horrible rendition of the National Anthem on her backup singers, and to prove her point, she tried to sing it live on air, and it sounded even worse! ? pic.twitter.com/oVNblecAkS
— Vince Langman (@LangmanVince) August 9, 2026
Martha is best known for being the lead singer of the Motown girl group Martha and the Vandellas, whose classic hits include “Nowhere to Run”, “Heat Wave”, “Jimmy Mack”, and “Dancing in the Street” among others.
Martha worked as a secretary for Motown and Hitsville Records in Detroit, Michigan, before getting her big break.
One day she volunteered to step in for singer Mary Wells who didn’t show up for a studio session. The rest, as they say, is history.
Martha Reeves and the Vandellas were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995.