Fashion and celebrity photographer Francesco Scavullo is most known for his portraits of pop culture icons like Donna Summer, Madonna, Andy Warhol, Kate Moss, Mick Jagger and others. Scavullo often courted controversy as seen in his photographs of a young Brooke Shields or a nude Burt Reynolds. His work amped the sensuality of fashion photography, and over the course of Scavullo’s thirty-year relationship with ‘Cosmopolitan’ magazine, he created the hyper-sexual ‘Cosmo girl’ phenomenon.
Scavullo was born on January 16, 1921, in Staten Island but spent his childhood in Manhattan after his father bought a supper club. He spent much of younger years obsessing over fashion on Fifth Avenue in the pages of fashion magazines. He used his father’s camera to photograph his sisters, often transforming them into models through the glamorous style of Hollywood.
Jerry Hall by Francesco Scavullo
As a teen, Scavullo landed his professional job photographing cruise ship travellers, who happened to include movie star Carmen Miranda. He next helped photographer Louise Dahl-Wolfe in lighting Lauren Bacall’s first ever photo shoot, which made the cover for ‘Harper’s Bazaar’ in 1943.
In 1945, Scavullo worked in a studio producing fashion catalogues but soon moved onto Vogue. He worked under iconic fashion photographers Cecil Beaton and John Rawlings. As Horst P. Horst’s assistant, Scavullo closely studied the master photographer’s signature lighting techniques. Working as Horst P. Horst’s assistant for three years, Scavullo had his own photography studio by 1948.
Lena Horn by Francesco Scavullo
Under the guidance of Babs Simpson, editor of Vogue from 1947 to 1972, Scavullo landed a contract with ‘Seventeen’ magazine in 1948. As a young photographer, he learned to work with the industry’s notoriously temperamental talent. As he once explained, “I was a little kid in jeans with curly hair”. After model Meg Mundy refused to work with him, “I realised there are two kinds of models. Pretty nice models and bitchy pretty models”.
In 1965, editor Helen Gurley Brown brought Scavullo to ‘Cosmopolitan’, where he shot the magazine’s covers for 30 years. The ‘Cosmo girl’ emerged through his control over choosing models and styling. Scavullo’s 1969 photograph of singer Janis Joplin with a cigarette in her hand was exhibited at theAmon Carter Museum in Fort Worth, Texas. The museum poster refers to Joplin, who died in 1970, as having a ‘free-spirited fervor of the counterculture revolution’.
Burt Reynolds for Cosmopolitan
Shot in the early 1970s Scavullo work with Brooke Shields as a child, that some considered overly sexual, and his now iconic nude centrefold of Burt Reynolds for the ‘Cosmopolitan’ magazine rank as some of the photographer’s more controversial work. Beyond the pages of Cosmopolitan, Scavullo worked with many celebrities and high-profile artists. He collaborated often with Barbra Streisand and Cher. He also helped launch the career of actress and model Farrah Fawcett.
Burt Reynolds – the hairychested actor who starred in such classics as ‘Deliverance’ and ‘Smokey and theBandit’ – became an avatar for a very virile, very louche brand of ’70s masculinity when he became the first man ever to be photographed naked for a major magazine. The image ran in the April 1972 issue of ‘Cosmopolitan’, and it’s been widely imitated – and lampooned – ever since.
During these years, he also contributed to the rise of Gia Carangi, regarded by many as fashion’s first super model. He befriended the young teenager from Philadelphia, future supermodel whose career he was largely responsible for launching. When Carangi’s heroin addiction made it impossible for her to find work later, Scavullo continued to employ and support her until her eventual death from complications of AIDS.
Donna Summer, Once Upon A Time
Scavullo created shots for various movie posters, album covers and Broadway shows, including one for ‘A Star is Born’ (1976, featuring Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson), Judy Collins ‘Hard Times for Lovers’, a portrait of Julie Andrews for Black Edwards ‘Victor Victoria’ and photos of Donna Summer for her now iconic double-albums ‘Once Upon A Time’ and ‘Live and More’, for the cover of her smash-hit with Barbra Streisand ‘No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)’ and later ‘Summer: The Donna Summer Musical.In 1981, Scavullo was commissioned by Mikhail Baryshnikov to photograph the dancers of the American Ballet Theatre, which formed the basis of an exhibition that was later shown in a nationwide tour.
Something in my head gets turned on by seeing a woman’s looks really come together with the right makeup, the right hair style, the right clothes. It’s exciting to see a woman metamorphosed into something extraordinary.
Francesco Scavullo
He also shot Cher and Diana for their album covers. Through the 1980s Scavullo photographed British band Duran Duran, with his work featured on various releases including the cover of ‘The Wild Boys’ single. He also appeared in the band’s tour documentary ‘Sing Blue Silver’. Other famous names Scavullo had in front of his lens are Sophia Loren, Lena Horn, Liza Minelli, Michael Jackson, Beverly Johnson, Jerry Hall, Biance Jagger, Grace Jones, and Divine, to name just a few.
Donna Summer and Barbra Streisand ‘No More Tears’ (Enough Is Enough)
Sean M. Byrne started assisting Scavullo’s shoots in 1972. The two became eventually became life partners. During these years, Scavullo suffered from mental breakdowns. When Scavullo was finally diagnosed as manic depressive in the 1980s, he advocated for people to learn more about the condition and its treatment.
Through the course of his career, Scavullo shot covers for Seventeen, Cosmopolitan, Interview and Rollingstone. He published six books: Scavullo on Beauty (1976), Scavullo on Men (1977), Scavullo Women (1982), Scavullo: Francesco Scavullo Photographs 1948-1984 (1984), Scavullo: Photographs 50 Years (1997), and Scavullo Nudes (2000).
On January 6, 2004, Francesco Scavullo died of heart failure. Working until the end of his life, he passed on the way to a photo shoot with CNN news anchor Anderson Cooper. He was survived by Byrne, his partner for 32 years.
Today, Scavullo’s works are held in the collections of the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester, NH, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, among others.
Cartier’s new ambassador Annabelle Walis incarnates unforgettable Panthère de Cartier. Appearances can be deceiving. Behind her luminous complexion, blue eyes and gentle manner, the French Maison discovered a great strength of character, a fearless spirit and a hunger for self-expression: the soul of a panther, driven and determined to turn convention on its head and get her teeth into something.
I found that Panthère de Cartier resonates with the forces and energy that drive me as a woman.
Annabelle Walis
The Panthère de Cartier watch owes its timelessness to the precision of its proportions. More than a timepiece, it is also a piece of jewelry. Faithful to the aesthetic of the original model, this iconic piece is as glamorous as ever, yet resolutely modern in its design.
Streamlined, authentic and sophisticated, it combines the very best of Cartier design. Tiny screws punctuate the bezel with style, while the flexible links of the gold bracelet coil around the wrist. The soft square shape, legendary octagonal sapphire winding crown, and Roman numerals are other signature features.
Nothing has altered in its lines, design or bracelet; the Panthère de Cartier watch exhibits that rare ability to stand the test of time. It is as contemporary and edgy as ever.
On the background of the new Panthère de Cartier video’s, featuring Annabelle Walis, you hear Donna Summer’s timeless dancetrack I Feel Love.
The Seventies and disco soul are HOT! Donna Summer, Sylvester, Amii Stewart, Chic, Martha Wash, Jeanie Tracy, Jody Watley… And now, after hosting together the Golden Globes, Tom Ford has been the first to feature Lady Gaga on both runway and soundtrack as he debuted his Spring/Summer 2016 Womenswear collection in a video that was inspired by the Seventies music TV show ‘Soul Train’ starring Lady Gaga. The American fashion designer has just unveiled a complementing campaign for the same collection. Captured by Nick Knight in Los Angeles, the campaign channels all the energy of Ford’s debut runway film.
While many designers and labels are going places to unveil their new collections, Tom Ford dares to go against the tide of hosting physical runway shows. The American fashion designer has debuted his Spring/Summer 2016 Womenswear collection in a video starring Lady Gaga. He the first to feature Lady Gaga on both runway and soundtrack.
Music: Lady Gaga – ‘I Want Your Love’ (feat. Nile Rodgers), Produced by Rene Arsenault and Billy Mohler for Riot City (weareriotcity.com), mixed by Matty Green
Released in conjunction with Paris Fashion Week, the disco music video features Lady Gaga alongside models Mica Arga, Lexi Bolling, Kayla Scott, Xaio Wen Ju, Valery Kaufman, Aymeline Valade, Lida Fox, Lucky Blue Smith, Alex Dunstan, David Agbodji and Tarun Nijjer. Dancing to the music of Nile Rodgers, the models were captured in a film by Nick Knight.
I have always loved ‘Soul Train’, which used to be on TV in 70s, as it was much about the clothes as the music. I asked Nile Rodgers to collaborate on a new version of one of his greatest hits from that time, ‘I want your love’, and worked with Gaga to record the vocals.
Tom Ford
Tom Ford is also glad about the recent opening of a flagship in his hometown of Houston, his seventh directly operated unit in the U.S. after New York, Las Vegas, Beverly Hills, Chicago, Dallas and Miami. “Texas is my birthplace, so there is a special significance in opening my second flagship there,” said the designer.
The campaign has launched on Tom Ford website and is also set to break internationally in the March issues of publications including Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, and Vanity Fair.
Today, twentythree years ago, Paul Jabara died. A name that doesn’t say anything maybe to our youngsters, but hearing songs as ‘It’s Raining Men’ ‘Last Dance’ and ‘No More Tear’s (Enough is Enough)’ would ring a bell…
He Paul Frederick Jabara, was born in Brooklyn, New York on Januari 31, 1948. He was an American actor, singer, and songwriter of Lebanese ancestry, born in Brooklyn, New York City. – Jabara’s cousin and close friend Jad Azkoul is also a Lebanese-American musician specialising in classical guitar.
Paul Jabara was the only son of Olga and Sam Jabara and was the youngest of three children and had two older sisters, Delores and Claudette. His love of music originated almost from birth, and he entertained his family and their friends as soon as he learned to talk. This multi-talented phenomenon began his career a teenager modeling for magazines and appearing in television commercials. As a teenager, he also auditioned for The Sound of Music and was offered a part in the road company, but his parents wouldn’t allow him to go. His first big break came when he was offered a feature role in the original cast of Hair.
Impressionist Paul Jabara cuddles Donald Sutherland as Karen Black and William Atherton are amused in a scene from the film ‘The Day Of The Locust’, 1974. (Photo by Paramount/Getty Images)
In the 1970’s, Jabara was in the Original cast of the stage musicals ‘Hair’ and ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’. He took over the role of Frank-N-Furter in the Los Angeles Production of ‘The Rocky Horror Show’ when Tim Curry left the production to film the movie version in England. He appeard in John Schlesinger’s 1969 film ‘Midnight Cowboy’, as one of the attendees at the counterculture party, and in Schlesinger’s 1975 film ‘The Day of The Locust, where he sang the song ‘Hot Voo-Doo’.
But it wasn’t only acting he did. Jabara released his first album, ‘Shut Out’ in 1977. Jabara’s solo albums on the legendary disco label Casablance Records include three duets with Donna Summer; ‘Shut Out’ (1977), ‘Something’s Missing (In My Life)’ (1978) and ‘Never Lose Your Sense Of Humor’ (1979).
Paul Jabara and Donna Summer ‘Something’s Missing (In My Life)’ This power ballad has also been recorded by Karen Carpenter, Freda Payne and Australian pop royalty Marcia Hines… It’s recorded in several versions, one of them with Summer is featured on Jabara’s CD ‘Greatest Hits and Misses’.
In the 1978 film ‘Thank God It’s Friday’ he played the role of Carl, the lovelorn and nearsighted disco goer, and he also contributed as a singer on two tracks on the original soundtrack album, with the songs ‘Disco Queen’ and ‘Trapped In A Stairway’.
Thank God It’s Friday album cover.
Donna Summer in ‘Thank God It’s Friday’.
Paul Jabara wrote Donna Summer’s ‘Last Dance’ from ‘Thank God It’s Friday'(1978) and Barbra Streisand’s song ‘The Main Event/Fight’ from the album ‘The Main Event’ (1979).
‘Last Dance’, featured in the film ‘Thank God Its Friday’, earned Jabara a Grammy Award and the 1978 Academy Award for Best Song. Clearly, his music defined an era and continues to keep us all dancing.
In 1979, Jabara won both Grammy Award for Best R&B Song and the Academy Award for Best Original Song for the song performed by Donna Summer, ‘Last Dance’.
Paul Jabara ‘The Third’ album contains the duet with Donna Summer ‘Never Lose Your Sense Of Humor’, a great song with the typical Jabara/Summer sound!
Paul Jabara and Donna Summer ‘Never Lose Your Sense of Humor’.
Donna Summer and Barbra Streisand ‘No More Tears Enough Is Enough’ another monster hit for Paul Jabara (Photo’s by Francesco Scavullo).
1979 was an amazing year for Jabara and Summer. Disco’s big finish in 1979, who could ask for a bigger finish of the greatest era of dance music? The ‘Disco Queen’ and Barbara Streisand together working Paul Jabara’s magic together. This cut was a power house, anyone who experienced the energy that this cut created when it was released will never question it’s reign. Casablanca Records has definitely made a place in music history with this on. The song was a hùge Platinum-certified, #1 Billboard hit.
At right, songwriter Paul Jabara, at the premiere of Bette Midler’s movie, ‘The Rose’, 1979
1981 Jabara starred in yet another John Schlesinger film, the comedy ‘Honky Tonky Freeway’ as truck driver/songwriter T. J. Tupus, hauling lions and a rhino.
Composing myriad hit songs, his credits include many platinum and gold records. He is also known for: ‘Jinxed’ (1981), written for Bette Midler and her movie of the same name, but it was never commercially released. ‘Work That Body’ (1982) a modest hit for Diana Ross. The hit single is included on her Platinum album ‘Why Do Fools Fall In Love’.
He co-wrote The Weather Girls (Sylvester’s former background girls, the Two Tons of Fun: Martha Wash and Izora Rhodes) monster hit ‘It’s Raining Men’ together with Paul Shaffer, which was also recorded by Geri Halliwell and a worldwide hit for the second time in 2001.
The former Two Tons of Fun: The Weather Girls (Matha Wash and Izora Rhodes) with their monster hit ‘It’s Raining Men’ (1984).
Jabara’s album ‘Paul Jabara & Friends’, released in 1983, features guest vocals by a then 20-year-old Whitney Houston on Eternal Love. It also includes the song ‘It’s Raining Men’. An other song Jabara wrote to perform include ‘ Two Lovers’ for Julio Iglesias (1984).
Jabara received many awards for his work throughout his lifetime. Jabara had been honored for creativity and excellence winning numerous awards including The Oscar; Grammy; Golden Globe; People’s Choice Award; Your Choice for the Oscar and many others giving him global recognition.
It has been reported that Jabara co-founded the Red Ribbon Project in 1991, and was credited with conceiving and distributing the first AIDS Red Ribbons. This highly recognized symbol spawned the use of different colored ribbons to quickly raise awareness to other causes and is widely used today.
Paul Jabara died of complications from Aids at the age of 44 in Los Angeles on September 29, 1992. He is buried at Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York. As a tribute at his memorial service, his friends and collaborators got together and performed a song he wrote entitled, We’re Gonna Win. Later recorded by long-time friend Donna Summer.
Martha Wash, one of the original members of The Weather Girls, re-recorded several years later, together with drag supermodel RuPaul the It’s Raining Men. Again, it became a huge hit! Like it also was for ex-Spice Girl, Geri Halliwell.
‘A Hot Jabara Summer Night’ 2012
In 2005, a workshop of a musical entitled Last Dance played New York City. It was a musical assembled from Jabara’s well known disco songs and told the story of a modern day teenager who goes back in time to spend one night at Studio 54.
Paul Jabara’s music lives on. Not only ‘the big names’ in the industry still performing his songs. Every season of Idols or .. Got Talent, we can here some of his songs performed by the ‘new’ artist. We hear his music still in films, and in clubs, and sometimes in the most fantastic long versions or remixes. Yes, it’s still a Hot Jabara Summer Night then. And it will always be……
For over 40 years, Martha Wash has kept people on their feet as the Queen of dance music, dominating the genre with a gospel-infused voice that fueled a string of Top 10 hits.
Martha Wash began her music career as a backing singer for Sylvester. With fellow backing singer Izora Rhodes, she was half of Two Tons of Fun who would later be renamed The Weather Girls. As such, they were responsible for providing much of the firepower behind several of Sylvester’s earliest releases. Especially the voices of Martha and Sylvester fit perfect, and they where an amazing team.
Sylvester, ‘Stars’ with the hit’s ‘Can’t Stop Dancing’, gay anthem and tittle song ‘Stars’, and the Lieber and Stoller classic ‘I Who Have Nothing’ (Martha Wash recorded the song later together with Luther Vandross as a beautifull ballad).
After Sylvester’s hit album’s Step II, with the mega hits ‘You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real), ‘Dance (Disco Heat)’, and his album ‘Stars’ Sylvester wanted something different, something special.
With the San Francisco Symphony, his own band with Patrick Cowley, and Martha Wash, Izora Rhodes, Jeanie Tracy, Sharon Hymes and Eric Robinson as background singers, Sylvester gave a sold out, black tie concert at the San Francisco War Memorial Opera House, as the first ‘non-classic’ act ever held in an Opera House.
Sylvester, ‘Living Proof’, 1979 Live recorded at the San Francisco War Memorial Opera House, as first ‘non-classic’ act ever. Sylvester absolutely set the stage and paved the way for all the rest … in many many ways.
After singing some of his classics, they perfomed Thelma Houston’s beautiful ballad ‘Sharing Something Perfect Between Ourselves’ a song where Sylvester and Martha’s voices fits perfect together: Sharing something perfect! The song was followed by Patti Labelle’s classic, ‘You Are My Friend’! While singing this song, it was a good reason for Sylvester to introduce his girls: “Everything I èver needed, was here right all the time”. “You see..these girls: Martha and Izora. I met them three years ago”. “We had our first rehearsel in a Volkwagen on our way to Marin county. And these girls have stuck with me all through èverthing yah, and they are here right now, and I want you to know that! You see… I don’t know if you all have noticed or not, but these women could sing yahh! ….Honey, your ear has to bé in your foot! Tonight here these women could sing! They don’t need these dresses! They don’t need that juwellery! They don’t need that hair! These women could sing yah!! Now folks, seeing is believing… right? I told you everything I could tell yeah… now it’s them to entertain……”
And they did!! Three voices that fit sóo perfect! They blew of the roof. Especially Martha Wash showed the world what she could! Not only on record she sounds clear. But live even better!
Sylvester, on stage with the Two Tons of Fun. Martha Wash (left) and Izora Rhodes (right).
…and fun they had!
Friends forever: Martha Wash and Izora Rhodes as the Two Tons of Fun. Their first album, with the hits ‘Earth Can Be Like Heaven’ and ‘Get The Feeling’.
Typical Patrick Cowley sound ‘Get The Feeling’.
When they left to pursue a career on their own, they achieved success with a handful of disco-oriented tracks, like ‘Earth Can Be Like Heaven’ and ‘Get The Feeling’, both with Partick Cowley, culminating in the 1982 release ‘It’s Rainging Men’, Written and produced by Paul Jabara and who wrote a lot of great dance anthems like Donna Summer’s ‘Last Dance’ and Donna Summer and Barbra Streisand’s ‘No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)’.
‘It’s Raining Men’ a worldwide hit that peaked at No. 2 on the UK Single Chart, No. 1 in Australia, No. 1 on the Euro Hot 100, No. 46 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 34 on the U.S. R&B chart, and No. 1 on the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play chart. It reached the top ten in numerous other countries. ‘It’s Raining Men’ receives regular play in dance clubs and R&B radio to this day: it stands as one of the classic songs of the late-disco and Hi-NRG era. The Weather Girls scored moderate, lesser-known hits with ‘Dear Santa (Bring Me a Man for Christmas)’ and ‘No One Can Love You More Than Me’ in 1985.
The Weather Girls ‘Succes’, 1982
The former Two Tons of Fun: The Weather Girls (Matha Wash and Izora Rhodes) performing life at The Tube their monster hit ‘It’s Raining Men’ And fun they had! (1984).
The 80’s, and 1990’s brought a lot of succes. But also a lot of sadness. In 1982, Patrick Cowley tragically died, during those very early days in the Age of AIDS, not long after he founded Megatone Records. But not only Patrick Cowley died, many friends and people in the industry, passed away in that time. Like singer Frank Loverde (Die Hard Lover) and Paul Jabara (1992). As the panic and reality around the pandemic gained steam-cutting down man after man (and woman!) in its prime during the eighties Martha Wash worked tirelessly on many AIDS benefits. She helps raise much needed funds and awareness about the disease.
Later, when the Weather Girls disbanded, Wash continued to lend her vocals to various dance and ‘house music’ tracks. Several of them became massive pop, R&B and dance hits. She sang lead vocals on all three of Black Box’s U.S. top-forty hits, including the top-ten smashes ‘Everybody Everybody’ and ‘I Don’t Know Anybody Else’ as well as ‘Strike It Up’. But when the music videos for these songs were released, Martha was nowhere to be found, as imposters lip-synched her greatest hits however, she was not featured in any of the music videos as it was customary for Katrin Quinol, a French model, to be used to lip-sync the lyrics. All three of these hit singles (still!) continued to receive regular club-play and mainstream radio airplay as of late April 2010. In addition, Wash sang lead vocals on the lesser-known Black Box tracks, ‘Fantasy’, which charted at No. 5 in Great Britain, ‘Open Your Eyes’, and ‘Hold On’. All six of these songs appear on the Black Box album ‘Dreamland’. Also, she performed uncredited lead vocals on Seduction’s ‘You’re My One And Only (True Love)’, and the lead vocals on C+C Music Factory’s ‘Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)’ which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1991.
C & C Music Factory and Martha Wash performing Do You Wanna Get Funky?
In reaction to her lack of credit on a number of successful dance songs, and exclusion from their accompanied music videos, Wash sued Black Box label RCA to receive proper credit and appropriate royalties as the vocalist on all of these songs. In an out-of-court settlement, made in December 1990, Martha Wash received financial compensation and a recording contract from RCA, as well as a guarantee to be properly credited for her work in recordings. Wash later sued Clivilles and Cole, the producers for C+C Music Factory, along with the C+C record label Sony for ‘fraud’, deceptive packaging and commercial appropriation’, with $500,000 in damages; all parties settled by 1994. As a result of the settlement, Sony made an unprecedented request to MTV to add a disclaimer that credited Wash for vocals and Davis for ‘visualization’ to the ‘Gonna Make You Sweat’ music video, and a performance in the the video clip ‘Do You Wanna Get Funky’.
Under RCA, Wash released her solo debut album in 1992, with a cover photo só beautiful. The album scored three top ten club/dance hits including ‘Carry On’ and ‘Give It to You’, both of which reached number one.
Martha Wash first solo album.
Martha Wash ‘Carry On’.
In 1994, Wash covered Jean Knight’s ‘Mr. Big Stuff” for the soundtrack of the film Disney’s ‘D2: The Mighty Ducks’. Two years later, in 1996, she recorded a cover version of Elton John’s ‘I’m Still Standing’ for the soundtrack of the film ‘The First Wives Club’. Also in 1996 she recorded with a duet with longtime friend Jocelyn Brown the single ‘Keep On Jumping’. And that was what they did in clubs worldwide. A year later there was an other Todd Terry single: ‘Ready For A New Day’ and ‘Somethin Going’ On’. And 1997 she gave us alo a great duet with RuPaul singing…. ‘It’s Raining Men’. It became, again, a mega hit.
Martha Wash and Jocelyn Brown
Always to be found for charity, she was asked for the ‘Small Voices, Sounds Of A Better World’ project, in 1999. The tittle of the song says it all: ‘Listen To The People (Listen To The Sound of a Better World). In 2011 the song was used for the Arabian Spring movement, for more freedom, human rights and democraty. The single contains some great versions of this timeless song.
Small Voices Calling – Feat. Martha Wash, Listen To The People (Listen To The Sound of a Better World), 1999
Martha Wash, considered a gay icon since The War Memorial Concert in 1979 a few months after the vey Harvey Milk, continues to record new music into the 21st century such as her first new single in more than 5 years, ‘You Lift Me Up’, a fusion of gospel and house, which is the first song produced on her own label, Purple Rose Records in 2005. Wash performed in the opening ceremony of the World’s first ‘Out Games’ in Montreal in July 2006 and she performed at numerous Human Rights Campaign events in the U.S. The gay-themed podcast Gay Pimin’ with Jonny McGovern dedicated an episode to Wash and she obliged them with an extended telephone interview.
In 2006 Wash appeared as a guest on GSN’s ‘I’ve Got A Secret’, and performed ‘It’s Raining Men’ for the all-gay panel.
DJ Tony Moran’s compilation CD ‘The Event’ featured a single featuring Martha entitled ‘Keep Your Body Working’. It reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Club Play chart for the week ending December 22, 2007.
Martha Wash ‘I’ve Got You’ (Click photo to enlarge).
Martha Wash ‘Ive Got You (Official Music Video), 2011
She was a performer at the annual Big Gay Day in Brisbane, Australia on March 9, 2008 and she also performed at the Chicago Gay Pride Street Fest on June 28, 2008, at the Nightingale as part of the Birmingham, England, Bank Holiday festival on August 23, 2008, at Washington, DC Capital Pride on June 14, 2009, and at the Opening Ceremony of the NAGAA Gay Softball World Series in Milwaukee, WI on August 31, 2009. In April 2011, the song and accompanying music video for the song ‘I’ve Got You’ were released. On Oct. 1, 2012, she was on ‘The Late Show with David Letterman’ celebrating the 30th anniversary of the release of ‘It’s Raining Men’, where she ‘blew of the roof’ this classic with Paul Schaffer, six back-up singers, three female dancers and three male acrobats descending from the sky.
In January 2013 Martha Wash released a solo album ‘Something Good’. The album, which has largely garnered very positive reviews, opens with the rock-oriented ‘Alright’, then moves on to the ballad, ‘Destiny’. There are a mere eight tracks on this album, which might put off some potential buyers, but every song is a winner. Quality, people! Pure timeless quality! Martha Wash is a two-time Grammy Nominee, known for her distinctive and powerful dramatic soprano voice. Ms. Wash has been dubbed ‘The Queen of Clubland’ due to her ongoing success in the dance music genre. Martha’s fame would have made her mentor, the late disco pioneer Sylvester, proud. Vèry proud!
Martha Wash ‘Something Good’.
For Martha Wash, it certainly is her time to shine!
The ballad ‘Proud’ is particularly heartbreaking and beautiful; the lyrics reminding me a bit of Bette Mider’s ‘To Deserve You’, Martha’s cover of Aerosmith’s ‘Dream On’ is a surprise, and wonderfully covered by old girl. Her second single ‘It’s My Time’ a power ballad, was written by Swedish singer and songwriter Helena Johansson. An amazing beautiful song, wich reflects Martha Wash powerful voice, has already been successfully remixed as a club number from ‘Something Good’. And the title tune, ‘Something Good’, with a light dance tempo, also seems ripe for the remixing.
In March 2013 she was the special guest for the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus in their spring production ‘Big Gay Sing 6: Club Night Out’. Like every year, we could find Martha performing at World Pride, last year summer 2014 she performed in Toronto, Canada.
First Ladies of Disco: Martha Wash, Evelyn ‘Champagne’ King and Linda Clifford launch new single ‘Show Some Love’ (Photo by Mike Ruiz).
2014, Martha Wash, Evelyn ‘Champagne’ King and Linda Clifford came together and created in 2015 the show ‘First Ladies of Disco’ inspired by James Arena’s book ‘First Ladies of Disco: 32 Stars Discuss the Era and Their Singing Careers’, a best seller in the United States, Canada and Europe.They paying tribute to some of the people that are not in the show, but were part of the disco era, like Donna Summer, and even Sylvester. These legendary vocalists are coming together to bring you what will be one of the most talked about shows in dance music history.
Martha Wash, not only one of the greatest voices in modern music. But also one of the most beautiful and loyal persons in the music business. Loyal to her friends, her colleagues, her fans, and countless ‘unknown’, Always working tirelessly on many benefits, and helps to raise much needed funds.
But now: it certainly is her time to shine! Honey, your ear has to bé in your foot!
Yakymour 