Martha Elaine Wash (born December 28, 1953) is an American singer and songwriter. Known for her distinctive and powerful voice, Wash first achieved fame as half of the Two Tons O' Fun, along with Izora Armstead, as they sang backing vocals for the disco singer Sylvester including on his signature hit "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)". After gaining their own record deal, they released three consecutive commercially successful songs which all peaked at number two in the dance charts. The duo was renamed the Weather Girls in 1982 after they released the top-selling single "It's Raining Men", which brought them to mainstream pop attention. The duo released five albums and were heavily featured on Sylvester's albums.
After disbanding in 1988, Wash transitioned to house music as a featured artist on several successful songs. Her success on the Billboard dance chart has earned her the honorific title The Queen of Clubland, with a total of fifteen number-one songs on the chart to date.
Wash is also noted for sparking legislation in the early 1990s that made vocal credits mandatory on CDs and music videos. Starting in the late-1980s, her studio vocals were used in several successful dance songs without her permission or proper credit. Models lip-synched to her voice in music videos and during live performances, obscuring Wash's contributions and appearance. As a result, she was denied credit and royalties for many of the songs she recorded. This included multi platinum-selling song "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)". Subsequently, in Rolling Stone, music critic Jason Newman described Martha Wash as "The Most Famous Unknown Singer of the '90s".
Early life
Wash attended in McKinley Elementary and graduated from San Francisco Polytechnic High School, where she sang in the school choir. During her time in high school, the school choir traveled and performed throughout Europe for two weeks. Wash also appeared on four albums in the school choir. Wash also worked as a secretary for UC Hospital.
Career
1976–1988: Two Tons O' Fun and the Weather Girls
In February 1976, Wash auditioned as a backup singer before a singer-songwriter Sylvester and his manager Brent Thomson. Impressed with her vocal performance, Sylvester inquired if she had another large black friend who could sing, after which she introduced him to Izora Rhodes. Although he referred to them simply as "the girls", Wash and Rhodes formed a musical duo called Two Tons O' Fun (sometimes referred to as "The Two Tons"). Two Tons O' Fun debuted as Sylvester's backing vocalists on his self-titled third album Sylvester, released in 1977. The duo sang backup vocals on the album's singles "Down, Down, Down" and "Over and Over", which charted at number eighteen on the Billboard Dance chart. In an interview with Daily Xtra, Wash stated that working alongside Sylvester helped her hone her own vocal stylings. In 1978, Sylvester released his fourth album Step II, which also featured The Two Tons' background vocals throughout the album. "Dance (Disco Heat)", the album's lead single which prominently featured The Tons, peaked at number one on Billboard Dance chart and became their first number-one single on that chart. Their second album Backatcha was released later that year. The album spawned a single "I Depend On You" that peaked at number 72 on the Dance chart. Following the success of the song, Two Tons o' Fun changed their group name to the Weather Girls. On January 22, 1983, they released their third album Success. Wash's vocals can also be heard in parts of Rebbie Jackson's song, "Centipede".
1989–1991: Seduction, Black Box, and C+C Music Factory
In 1989, Wash recorded the song "(You're My One and Only) True Love" as a demo, produced by David Cole who would later form the C+C Music Factory. Cole later gave the song to then-upcoming female group Seduction. The song appeared on Seduction's debut album Nothing Matters Without Love, released in September 1989, retaining the use of Wash's lead vocals and added Seduction's background vocals to the song. In addition, she was only credited for her background vocals and Cole remixed and altered Wash's lead vocals of the song to make her voice less recognizable on the song. "(You're My One and Only) True Love" was released as Seduction's second single in July 1989. The single became an unexpected success when it peaked at number twenty-three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number three on the Dance chart. Wash would eventually file a lawsuit against the producers and A&M Records for unauthorized use of her voice. The case reached an out-of-court settlement in December 1990. The song, which featured Wash's vocals, became an international hit and peaked in the top-ten positions of many countries. The group followed up with release of another single "Everybody Everybody", also featuring Wash, which became another international success. and selling over a million copies in the United States. After discovering that the group was using model-turned-singer Zelma Davis in the music video, Wash attempted to negotiate with the producers of the C+C Music Factory for sleeve credits and royalties, which ultimately proved unsuccessful. Additionally, the song used an edited compilation of vocal parts that Wash recorded in June 1990 for an unrelated demonstration tape. The album's lead single, "Carry On", released on October 30, 1992, became Wash's fifth number-one dance single as a solo artist in the US.
In 1994, the C+C Music Factory, who had just reached an agreement with Wash and her lawsuit, asked Wash to join the group and record on their album. On August 9, 1994, the group released their second album Anything Goes!. The album's lead single "Do You Wanna Get Funky" featured a collaboration of Wash, C+C Music Factory, Zelma Davis, and Trilogy. "Do You Wanna Get Funky" peaked at number forty on the Hot 100 and number one on the Dance chart. The song peaked on at number one on the Dance charts and reached the top-ten on the UK Singles chart. On June 9, 1997, they released a follow-up single "Something Goin' On (In Your Soul)". The song topped the Dance charts and peaked at number five on the UK Singles chart.
In January 1998, Wash released a compilation album The Collection, on Logic Records. The lead single "It's Raining Men...The Sequel", which featured RuPaul, peaked at number twenty-two on the Dance chart. In March 2013, she was a special guest for the New York City Gay Men's Chorus during their spring production "Big Gay Sing 6: Club Night Out". The second single "It's My Time" was released on September 22, 2013. In the same year, Wash also made an appearance in the documentary film "20 Feet from Stardom". which peaked at number six on the Dance charts. In December 2015, Wash released a single "N2U", produced by Showtek and Eva Shaw on Spinnin' Records. In November 2017, Wash collaborated with Turkish singer Serhat, releasing a single with multi-versions of his Eurovision 2016 entry I Didn't Know.
2018–present: Love & Conflict
In March 2018, Wash began her YouTube web series called "10 Minutes with Martha Wash". In April 2018, Wash released a single "Come into the Light". The song was featured on the musical film "Wholly Broken" for which Wash plays the role of a woman named "Rose". In September 2018, Wash joined the cast of WaistWatchers: The Musical.
In March 2019, First Ladies of Disco (now composed of Wash, Clifford, and Norma Jean Wright) released their second single "Don't Stop Me Now". On August 10, 2019, Wash released a single "Like Fire". The song served as the lead single from her third album Love & Conflict. Love & Conflict was released on January 6, 2020.
Legacy
As of 2014, songs featuring Wash's voice have earned fifteen number-one dance singles, placing her among the top singers with the most number-one hits on the U.S. Dance Club Songs chart. Her success as one of the leading singers in the genre of house music would garner her honorific title The Queen of Clubland. She has also been referred to as The Voice. Her single with the C+C Music Factory, "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)" was included in the top-ten VH1's "100 Greatest Dance Songs", while "It's Raining Men" ranked at number thirty-five.
On September 14, 2014, Mighty Real: A Fabulous Sylvester Musical, a Broadway musical about Sylvester, debuted in New York City. Wash's likeness was featured in the production and she was portrayed by actress Jacqueline B. Arnold.
Business and ventures
Purple Rose Records
In 2004, Wash launched her own independent recording label called Purple Rose Records. Intended to be a platform for emerging talent and for artists who may be overlooked by major record labels, Purple Rose Records was established in New York City. The group has since toured throughout the United States of America on the First Ladies of Disco Tour. The song was later remixed and released as a maxi-single of six tracks.
On March 25, 2019, First Ladies of Disco released their second single "Don't Stop Me Now" on Purple Rose Records. has been involved in LGBT rights and she remains an outspoken advocate for the gay community. Wash also stated "It means the world to me when fans tell me they've followed me through the Sylvester years, or they came out to my music, or someone decided not to take their life. These are the people I sing for. So to all you beautiful people out there I say: stand strong, don't give in and carry on."
Philanthropy
Wash is a spokesperson for Quality Services for the Autism Community (QSAC Inc.). In 2012, Wash became a supporter of the You Can Play Project.
Discography
Albums
- 1993: Martha Wash
- 2013: Something Good
- 2020: Love & Conflict
Filmography
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+ List of acting performances in film and television
|-
! scope="col" | Title
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Role
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Ref.
|-
! scope="row" | Wholly Broken
| 2018
| Rose
| Supporting role
|
|-
! scope="row" | If Only We Knew How We Got Here
| 2019
| Hanna
| Supporting role
|
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+ List of acting performances in theatre
|-
! scope="col" | Title
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Role
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Ref.
|-
! scope="row" | Love on Layaway
| 2003
| Willanetta
| Supporting role
|