The artist is Martha Wash (the voice of C&C Music Factory,
Blackbox, Seduction, and the The Weather Girls). She sang lead
on the hits "Everybody Dance Now (Gonna
Make You Sweat)", "Everybody, Everybody",
"It's Raining Men", "Your My One and Only True
Love", "Strike It Up". She is known in the
nightclub scene as the "Queen of The Clubs".
"I stand alone in the eye of the storm. Pressures all
around, tryin' to wear me down. But it's alright, I won't give
up the fight. I said, 'Lord, lift me up!' Let me rise above.
Nobody's gonna take my pride, I won't stop, I will not be
denied". True words from the legendary Martha Wash.
Like many artists, Martha Wash has felt the ups and downs of the
rollercoaster like industry called music. From performing the
unaccredited powerhouse vocals behind C+C Music Factory's
classic "Gonna Make You Sweat
(Everybody Dance Now)" to seeing her debut solo
single "Carry On" reach
the #1 spot - in her own name - Martha has unquestionably made
her mark in music history.
Beginning her musical journey in the late 70's as one half of
the disco group Two Tons of Fun, Martha found herself singing
with the incomparable Sylvester. Twenty-some years later, fans
still speak of how extravagant and over the top their shows
were! Sylvester's strong, high-piercing voice rang loud and
clear over the massive band sound while swooping through the
horns and guitar sounds, Two Tons added the icing on the cake
with their booming vocal harmonies.
In the early 80's Two Tons of Fun proudly declared, "Hi,
we're your Weather Girls" and a new talent emerged onto the
scene. As part of the Weather Girls, Martha scored a Grammy
Nomination for a song that was destined to become a cult
classic. Yes, “It's Raining Men”
– the original song that confirmed it was time to leave your
umbrellas at home, rip off the roof and stay in bed. Martha
continued to sing with the Weather Girls until the late 80's
when she felt it was time to move on to the next tenure of her
career.
Over the next few years, into the early 90's, Martha became one
of the most sought after session singers and soon found herself
recording for numerous acts - Seduction and C+C Music Factory to
name a few. From "You're My One and
Only (True Love)" to the already mentioned
"Everybody Dance Now", Martha was all over
radio airwaves and had club-goers moving to her distinct vocal
styling. However, riding high on the charts soon found turmoil
for Martha. As a new era of dance music set in, she saw herself
being replaced in music videos and promotional pictures by a
“more marketable image”. Her stint with the house music act
Black Box lead to her performance on lead vocals on five of the
groups' singles and put Black Box on the music map. "Everybody
Everybody", "I Don't Know Anybody Else" and
"Strike It Up" were among
their biggest hits – all of which still receive airplay some
10 years later. Martha eventually received the recognition that
was way overdue. Nevertheless, many wondered if she could really
make it on her own. She was about to prove that she was destined
to be a solo success!
The year was 1993 when Martha took control of her voice with her
first solo CD release, which produced three #1 dance singles. "Carry
On", "Give It To You", and "Runaround"
all skyrocketed to the top of the charts. There was no longer
any doubt that it wasn't the “more marketable image” that
made earlier groups so successful, but rather Martha's
incredible sound.
DJ Todd "The God" Terry knew from day one that the way
to have a number one single was to have a good melody, good
lyrics, and a great voice. He immediately called upon Martha and
teamed her up with Jocelyn Brown to have their immense talents
on his "Keep On Jumpin"
and "Something's Goin' On"
singles. Seeing both songs hit number one with her own name
attached was something that Martha was now beginning to grow
accustomed to and it wasn't going to stop there.
Triumph continued to follow Martha with her second solo CD in
1997. “The Collection” featured highlights from her twenty
year long career as well as the new singles, "Come",
"Catch The Light", and "It's
Raining Men...The Sequel" which featured Martha
singing alongside Rupaul.
Martha then collaborated in 2000 with Small Voices Calling on
their “Sounds Of A Better World” compilation CD. A project
that would benefit a variety of charities which find innovative
ways of supporting children in their environment. "Listen
To The People" saw Martha riding high on the charts
once again and captured audiences worldwide with its' positive
message of hope and inspiration.
It's been a long and bumpy road for Martha, one that's lead her
to pain and heartache as well as love and joy. One thing for
sure is that her music continues to spread a positive message to
unite people worldwide. Whether she is belting out a house
groove or delivering a church-inspired gospel piece, her music
captures our hearts and flows through our souls.
MARTHA WASH
