Martha Wash has been making fans sweat on the dance floor for five decades — and she intends to do it again when she headlines the main stage at this year’sSan Francisco Pridecelebration on Sunday, June 26.
这位68岁的旧金山本地人说：“我认为人们准备回到那里。”“他们已经准备好了。”
作为Disco Great Sylvester与Izora Rhodes的后备二人组的一部分，Wash突然出现在现场。She and Rhodes would later become known as Two Tons O’Fun before changing their name to the Weathers Girls in 1982, after their song “It’s Raining Men” hit No. 1 on the dance charts and became a favorite at gay clubs around the world.
By 1990, Wash’s uncredited vocals turned C+C Music Factory’s “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)” into another international hit. (Wash was later credited for the song as part of a legal settlement after suing the group and its label, Sony Entertainment.)
“I started singing when I was about 3 years old. My mother loved to sing, and she sang in the church choir. I had music classes after school, and that helped a lot,” she recalled.
在th编年史洗谈到表演e first in-person San Francisco Pride celebration since 2019, the 40th anniversary of “It’s Raining Men” and her memories of high school choir.
问：在旧金山表演仍然像是归乡吗？
A:我不经常去旧金山，但这确实感觉就像回家。我去了麦金利小学，然后是埃弗里特中学和理工高中。
I wound up going to Europe with my high school choir — we traveled to four countries. That was the first time really any urban high school in San Francisco had been able to accomplish something like that. We recorded four albums. Our teacher was very advanced. His name was Johnny Land, and he was a big, big supporter of us. We raised $25,000 for the trip to make it happen.
Q: When did you meetSylvester?
A:I auditioned for him and brought in Izora. We sang background for four more years. We recorded that “Living Proof” album at the War Memorial Opera House with him — that was a big. Before that, I think the only pop act who had been in there were the Pointer Sisters.
I’ve always said that he was way before his time. If he was still alive today and still at that age, then it wouldn’t be any problem with him being who he was. It just so happened that he was there in the ’70s and for somebody to be outright gay and proud of it wasn’t acceptable. He was the kind of person who didn’t care whether you liked him or not. He was going to be who he was. I always gave him props for that.
Q: When did you and Izora decide to make Two Tons O’Fun a separate act from Sylvester?
A:在（与西尔维斯特（Sylvester）一起唱歌）结束时，制片人哈维·富夸（Harvey Fuqua）建议伊佐拉（Izora）和我录制了一张专辑，我们制作了前两吨O'Fun专辑，在排行榜上表现出色。
Then we recorded a second album called “Backatcha,” which didn’t do as well as the first one. Then we started going out on our own and doing our own thing and kind of morphed into the Weather Girls with Paul Jabara.
Q: After 40 years of “It’s Raining Men” does it feel like the song has ever left the culture?
A:It really hasn’t, and that’s why it’s a classic now.
Q: Your music is such a staple in gay clubs. What do your LGBTQ fans mean to you?
A:Everything. They’ve been with me since the beginning, since Sylvester. They’ve supported me over these decades, and I always tell them, “If you’re looking at me and I’m looking at you, then it’s a blessing to still be here.”
问：您长期以来一直是艾滋病毒和艾滋病原因的拥护者。这种疾病如何影响您的圈子？
A:We lost so, so many family members and friends and artists, people that we knew in the business that lived here during the ’80s with AIDS. We lost Sylvester! Thankfully it’s gotten better, but you still have to protect yourself and be careful.
San Francisco Pride Parade and Celebration: Love Will Keep Us Together:Noon-6 p.m. Saturday, June 25; 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday, June 26. Free. Civic Center Plaza, S.F.www.sfpride.org