- Born
- Birth nameMartha Elaine Wash
- Martha Wash and Izora Rhodes-Armstead, started out in the gospel group NOW (News of the World) before becoming backup singers for disco artist Sylvester in the 1970s. They formed the duo Two Tons of Fun, later changing their name to 'the Weather Girls' after moving to CBS Records. Together they scored a big hit with "It's Raining Men" in 1982 that placed a spot just outside the top 50 on the Billboard pop charts and went to #1 on the Club Play singles. But it proved more successful on the dance floors and in the clubs, which played it on a heavy rotation basis across America. They enjoyed two more club hits with Well-A-Wiggy and No One Can Love You More Than Me, after parting ways in the late 1980s. Martha embarked into successful solo career, debuting in 1993 with her critically acclaimed self-titled dance album. She earned four more #1 singles on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play charts with "Carry On," "Give It To You," "Keep On Jumpin'," and "Catch The Light" and the top 10 "Runaround." She gained a second top 10 hit with "Come" and a club play remake of 'the Weather Girls' "It's Raining Men" now retitled to "It's Raining Men...The Sequel" and featuring Drag Queen phenomenon Rupaul from her greatest hits collection in 1997. But whatever hit Martha Wash will ever belt out from her energy and amazing vocals, the melody "It's Raining Men" will always be her trademark song with Izora Rhodes-Armstead. It has been featured in many movie soundtracks, TV shows, and Dance compilations and has been covered by numerous artist and became a hit for former member of Spice Girls Geri Horner in 2001.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Malena Minchell
- Distinctive and powerful soprano voice
- She was in the midst of a big scandal in the early '90s, as she claimed that the C+C Music Factory didn't credit her for vocals on their #1 hit "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)." It was Wash's rich, shattering voice that turned "Everybody Everybody" into a smash for Black Box, but she wasn't featured in the video. Wash, who is overweight, was invariably replaced in the songs and videos by lip-syncing models, and was forced to resort to legal action to get a proper share of the royalties for her work.
- Her The Weather Girls song "It's Raining Men" was ranked #35 on VH1's 100 Greatest Dance Songs while her controversial vocal lending to C+C Music Factory's "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)" landed on #9.
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