First Ladies of Disco - Show Some Love

Martha Wash, Linda Clifford, and Evelyn "Champaign" King.

(Via JMG reader Jonathan)

Martha Wash Tops Billboard's Dance Chart

Gay favorite Martha Wash first topped Billboard's dance chart way back in 1978 as Sylvester's backing vocalist and since then she's landed a dozen dance chart #1 singles as one-half of the Weather Girls, as a solo artist, and as the uncredited vocalist for Black Box and C+C Music Factory. This week she returns to the pinnacle position in a collaboration with prolific two-time Grammy-nominated gay DJ/producer Tony Moran. The duo also hit #1 in 2007 with Keep Your Body Working. With a title like Free People, expect to hear this a LOT at post-SCOTUS pride celebrations.

First Ladies Of Disco - Show Some Love

First Ladies Of Disco are Martha Wash, Linda Clifford, and Evelyn "Champagne" King. This is the remix of their first single, which I posted last month. Both versions are now available on iTunes.

First Ladies Of Disco - Show Some Love

Every gay man of a certain vintage is very familiar with these ladies. Via Eurweb:

In case you haven’t heard, Disco queens Evelyn “Champagne” King, Martha Wash and Linda Clifford have come together as the “First Ladies of Disco.” Look for the ladies to soon be out and about promoting their new single “Show Some Love” which is is set for its worldwide release on March 25 via Purple Rose Records. The First Ladies of Disco Show is inspired by author/speaker/host James Arena’s tribute book “First Ladies of Disco: 32 Stars Discuss the Era and Their Singing Careers,” a best seller in the United States, Canada and Europe. These legendary vocalists come together to bring you one of the most talked about shows in dance music history. This collective of fiery songs, dynamic vocal delivery and non-stop energy makes the First Ladies of DiscoTM Show not only a historic phenomenon, but a uniquely personal and one-of-a-kind experience.

So far their website shows two tour dates: Palm Springs (May 3rd) and Lincoln Center (July 3rd). The first single, interestingly, is straight-ahead pop rock. There will surely be remixes.

(Tipped by JMG reader Wayne)

Martha Wash - I'm Not Coming Down

(Tipped by JMG reader Wayne)

New Duet From RuPaul & Martha Wash

RuPaul's new album Born Naked is out today and the first track we're hearing is a sparse and lovely duet with Martha Wash, Can I Get An Amen. The lyrics are from one of RuPaul's most famous quotes: "If you can't love yourself, how the hell are you gonna love somebody else?" The album's title itself references another RuPaul gem: "You're born naked and the rest is drag." This isn't what we're used to hearing from either ladies, but I think you'll like it.

UPDATE: The clip has been yanked. Of course.

RELATED: Today RuPaul will ring the closing bell at the NASDAQ Stock Market in celebration of the sixth season of RuPaul's Drag Race, which premieres tonight. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that a drag queen has never been granted that honor.

UK: It's Raining Men Re-Enters Pop Chart

Earlier this month a member of Britain's far-right UKIP party declared that God was flooding the country in anger over the legalization of same-sex marriage. That prompted a Facebook campaign to push It's Raining Men to #1 on the singles chart more than 30 years after its release. The Guardian reports that might happen:

Three decades after its original release, It's Raining Men sits at No 21 on the midweek singles chart, now less than 40 copies from entering No 20, according to the Official Charts Company. This is a meteoric rise for a campaign launched just over a week ago, and around 15,000 supporters have registered on the crusade's Facebook page. Yesterday, Jeremy Joseph, owner of the London nightclub G-A-Y, pledged a £1,000 donation to the Elton John Aids Foundation if the song cracks the end-of-week Top 20. This month's It's Raining Men campaign has the full support of Martha Wash, the sole surviving member of the original Weather Girls, who has been promoting the cause on Twitter. While Geri Halliwell's version of the song debuted at No 1 in 2001, the disco original only ever reached No 2.

(Tipped by JMG reader Wayne)

British Headline Of The Day

When Margaret Thatcher died last year, a social media campaign succeeded in pushing Ding Dong, The Witch Is Dead to #2 on the British single charts. This week there's a similar campaign after a now-suspended member of Britain's far-right UKIP party declared that God was sending floods because of gay marriage.

A Facebook campaign has been launched to get 80s classic ‘It’s Raining Men’ to number one in the UK charts after a UKIP councillor claimed the recent floods were a result of legalising same-sex marriage. Thousands of people have joined the social media campaign following UKIP party member David Silvester’s controversial remarks. "We believe that that show of strength to get a song to Number 1 will create a huge spotlight on our campaign for equality as a whole," explains the Facebook group. For decades now, this song has been used as a gay anthem, we thought it fitted all the better based on UKIP’s comments regarding storms and floods being caused by LGBT people and gay marriage. Let’s get It’s Raining Men to Number 1 to show the power and community of gay people pulling together is stronger than his idiotic views of us, as well as also celebrating the new laws being passed on equal marriage in the UK very soon."

According to the Facebook group, online oddsmakers are giving It's Raining Men a 5/1 shot at being number one in Britain next week. Former Weather Girls vocalist Martha Wash finds the flap rather amusing. From an email passed along by JMG reader Wayne:

First of all I don't know anything about David Silvester, but I did read the article about him and his comments and concluded that as a straight woman who supports the LGBT community, he is totally Daft (as the British would say). While he is entitled to his opinion, I feel he is out of touch with reality. To say that "storms and floods were caused by LGBT people and gay marriage".....Really? He sounds like someone living in the 80's when it was said HIV/Aids was caused by "gay people". I think some people need to buy a clue and realize that everything wrong or bad or catastrophic is not caused by gay people. I support same-sex unions or marriages (depending on where you live) and feel it should be equality for ALL!!! BTW I'm a Christian also and the God I serve is ALL LOVE for ALL People. HE knows who he created. In regards to using It's Raining Men to support this campaign, I have no problem with it. I'm flattered that after all these years, the song is still relevant (even if it is for "storms and floods")!! Lol XO Martha Wash

Martha Wash - It's My Time

I've been streaming this track all summer and finally there's a video. A dance remix EP has also just gone live on iTunes.

Martha Wash At AIDS Walk New York

JMG reader Wayne sends us his video of Martha Wash performing You'll Never Walk Alone at yesterday's AIDS Walk New York. The second clip is Alex Newell's stirring rendition of I Know Where I'm Going. Newell plays Unique on Glee.