The quintessential club diva, Martha performed a short but inspiring set at The Pier Club located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on a sultry hot South Florida evening on Labor Day this past summer, and NAJM was there front row to see her! The best part was that she performed at a Tea Dance and took the stage shortly after 8pm (as opposed to the typical 2 am).

There's no doubt that even if you don't know her by name (and most of you do by now), you do know this gentle woman is a distinctive vocal powerhouse who's voice has graced some of the best dance music ever made. As a former backup singer to Sylvester, Martha later went on to form The Weather Girls who's biggest hit "It's Raining Men" still gets huge play even today. From Black Box and C+C Music Factory to her own solo album, Martha's songs are well known.

Martha then performed a slower ballad that she said was written for her (but we didn't recognize it). It was a smooth intro into her next piece "Carry On" from her solo Album. The song has a great message and Martha delivered it with much inspiration while touching the hands of the fans in the front row.

Martha left the stage but returned for her wonderful encore of "Its Raining Men"- particularly lively in a gay club setting! Everyone was singing along with the chorus!

A missing song from the evening was "Come" which is a great tribal sounding club anthem that's currently catching on here in the states. While her performance was excellent, Martha was at a bit of a disadvantage in that she wasn't promoting a new album or single for that matter. She was up there singing her ass off for the pure enjoyment of the audience!

Martha exemplifies the kind of performers that NAJM is proud to cover. Thank you for all you've given us Martha!