https: youtu.be Lmg7sUwi7WM?si=9lsY9IWQXH9nSvrv
I am sure that if you listen to music played on the radio from the 70’s through the 2000’s you have heard of this woman voice and probably may not recall her name. She has had her own group under two different names and she has sung with other groups. Her voice is distinct and powerful!! She has bend dubbed “The Most Famous Unknown Singer of the ‘90s.
Why would someone with a distinct and powerful voice not get the recognition, like other artists, she deserves? Because her name is Martha Wash and she is a full-figured woman. In fact her voice has been used and impacted on the songs she was on but not only was she not paid but also not given the credit that she deserves for her contribution to the song.
Marth Wash has a powerful voice that set the song on a different level if you want to dance and enjoy the vibe of the song. Not giving an artist, the credit that they deserve is totally wrong. They would use her voice and have a model or someone who was thinner to act like she was singing instead. These bands were basically stealing from her and try to pass it off as someone else’s work.
In November 1990, the C+C Music Factory released their debut single "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)", which featured Wash's uncredited vocals on the chorus. The song became an international hit, peaking at number one on Billboard's Hot 100, 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. On December 11, 1991, Wash filed a lawsuit in the Los Angeles Superior Court against C+C Music Factory's Robert Clivilles and David Cole, charging the producers and their record company, Sony Music Entertainment, with fraud, deceptive packaging and commercial appropriation. The case was eventually settled in 1994 and as a result of the settlement, Sony made an unprecedented request to MTV to add a disclaimer that credited Wash for vocals and Zelma Davis (who lip-synched Wash's vocals in the official music video) for "visualization" to the "Gonna Make You Sweat" music video.
Here are a few of the vids of her vocals
https youtu.be l5aZJBLAu1E?si=QkAGH1-o7bIRadSj
https youtu.be LaTGrV58wec?si=Ok8PGNnzgq7jE50y
https youtu.be 18N2k1TBBRE?si=Si4aS5cH3OGSqybL
https youtu.be Xo3kp5BLF6Q?si=lAaJw5xGfgPgsTcS
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5 comments
So sad that she did not get credit where credit was due at first. I love most of these songs and yes she has such a powerful voice. Thanks for sharing..xoxo
She ended up suing the record label. They eventually settled out of court. What they did was so wrong!!
Didn't know All that. Did ad do like 90s dance club music. C&c Song would be on top 20 Playlist from that tie
Her voice is powerful to say the least. Here vocals made those songs stand out more then without it.
OK... THAT, was an eye-opener. 😲
And rather sad that she had to do so much legwork to get the recognition and royalties she'd earned.
My band used to play "Gonna Make You..." on breaks between sets until we wore out the fricken grooves on that CD. All of those you listed were on our 'dance' playlist. I never questioned the images that came with those videos.
I guess better late than never, but it certainly points to how record companies marketed their products. Although, I might be a hypocrite with my condemnation: I wonder how I would have reacted to HER image in those vids. I'd like to think I wouldn't have cared. 😶
Power to that tube of U's and 'potsifY' and artists being able to speak for themselves these days.
I totally agree with you. I don't delve into making music because as much as I love it, I am not a musician as an art form. But I am a graphic artist and I believe that a person should be compensated for their art. Especially when others are benefitting from the money her voice on the tracks have made them. To then not give her the recognition and put someone else's face lip syncing to her voice, that would piss me off to no avail.