Martha Wash

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7 Feb 2024

Martha Wash

Martha Elaine Wash, born on December 28, 1953, is an American singer-songwriter, actress, and producer known for her distinctive and powerful voice. She first gained fame as part of the duo Two Tons O' Fun, providing backing vocals for the disco singer Sylvester, including on his hit "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)".

Following their own record deal, Two Tons O' Fun released three commercially successful songs that peaked at number two on the dance charts. In 1982, they rebranded as The Weather Girls and released the smash hit "It's Raining Men", which catapulted them to mainstream pop success. The Weather Girls went on to release five albums and were prominently featured on Sylvester's records.

After the group disbanded in 1988, Wash transitioned to house music, collaborating as a featured artist on several successful songs. Her achievements on the Billboard dance chart earned her the title "The Queen of Clubland", with an impressive fifteen number-one hits to her name.

Wash is also known for her advocacy in the early 1990s, which led to legislation requiring vocal credits on CDs and music videos. Her studio vocals were often used without permission or proper credit in dance songs, with models lip-syncing to her voice in music videos, which obscured her contributions and her identity as a full-figured woman. This issue notably affected her work on the multi-platinum hit "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)". As a result, Martha Wash was denied proper credit and royalties for many of her recordings, leading to her being described as "The Most Famous Unknown Singer of the '90s" by Rolling Stone magazine.
In December 2016, Billboard magazine recognized her as the 58th most successful dance artist of all time.

Martha Wash attended McKinley Elementary and graduated from San Francisco Polytechnic High School. During her high school years, she was actively involved in the school choir and participated in various performances, including a tour throughout Europe with the choir. Wash's talent was evident during her time in high school, as she appeared on four albums with the school choir.
After graduating, Wash became a member of a gospel group called NOW (News of the World), where she collaborated with Izora Rhodes. Additionally, Wash worked as a secretary at UC Hospital during this period.

Martha Wash's journey in the music industry began when she auditioned as a backup singer for Sylvester and his manager Brent Thomson in February 1976. Impressed by her vocal talent, Sylvester asked if she knew another talented singer, leading Wash to introduce him to Izora Rhodes. Together, they formed the musical duo known as Two Tons O' Fun, also referred to as "The Two Tons."
Two Tons O' Fun made their debut as backing vocalists for Sylvester on his self-titled third album, released in 1977. They contributed to singles like "Down, Down, Down" and "Over and Over." Their collaboration continued on Sylvester's fourth album, Step II, where their vocals were featured prominently on the hit single "Dance (Disco Heat)," which reached number one on the Billboard Dance chart.

In 1979, Two Tons O' Fun secured their own record deal with Fantasy Records and released their debut self-titled album. The album produced two top-five dance singles, "Earth Can Be Just Like Heaven" and "I Got the Feeling." They followed up with their second album, Backatcha, later that year.
Their breakthrough came in September 1982 with the release of "It's Raining Men," which became a massive hit, reaching number one on the Dance chart and number 46 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. Following the success of the song, the duo changed their name to the Weather Girls. They released their third album, Success, in 1983, featuring the title track as a single.
Wash also pursued a solo career and contributed as a session vocalist, including backing vocals on Aretha Franklin's single "Freeway of Love." In 1986, she released the solo song "Breakin' The Ice" on the soundtrack for the film Gung Ho.
The Weather Girls released their fourth and final album with Wash in 1988 before disbanding. Afterward, Wash embarked on a solo career and continued her work as a session vocalist, leaving an indelible mark on the music industry.

Martha Wash's career faced numerous challenges regarding proper credit and compensation for her vocal contributions to several songs in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
In 1989, Wash recorded "(You're My One and Only) True Love" as a demo, produced by David Cole for the upcoming female group Seduction. The song, featuring Wash's lead vocals, became a hit after its release as Seduction's second single. However, Wash was only credited for background vocals, and her lead vocals were altered to make her voice less recognizable. Wash filed a lawsuit against the producers and A&M Records, reaching an out-of-court settlement in December 1990.

Around the same time, Wash collaborated with Italian house music group Black Box, demoing six songs for their debut album "Dreamland." Wash's vocals were used on the album without proper credit. Black Box released successful singles like "I Don't Know Anybody Else" and "Everybody Everybody," featuring Wash's vocals. Wash sued RCA Records and Black Box, leading to an out-of-court settlement in December 1990, which included financial compensation and sleeve credits for Wash.

In November 1990, C+C Music Factory released "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)" with Wash's uncredited vocals. Despite its success, Wash was not properly credited or compensated. She filed a lawsuit against C+C Music Factory's producers and Sony Music Entertainment, resulting in a settlement in 1994. As part of the settlement, MTV added a disclaimer to the music video crediting Wash for vocals and Zelma Davis for "visualization."
These legal battles highlighted the importance of crediting and compensating vocalists properly in the music industry and led to significant changes in how artists' contributions are recognized.