Puff Johnson

Puff Johnson (born Ewayna Johnson on December 10, 1972 in Detroit, Michigan) was a female singer\songwriter from the mid-90's. She collaborated with artists such as Tupac Shakur and Somethin' For the People.
In May of 1996, Puff released her debut album, "Miracle" which peaked at #34 on Billboard's Heatseekers albums chart and #61 on Billboard's R&B albums chart.
The first single, "Forever More" became Puff's biggest hit to date, peaking at #63 on the Billboard Hot 100, #31 on Billboard's Hot R&B\Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, and #22 on Billboard's Rhythmic Top 40 chart.
Puff's second single, "All Over Your Face" peaked at #57 on Billboard's Hot R&B\Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, but failed to make any impact on the Billboard Hot 100.

Puff released the single, "Over & Over" which flopped on the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B charts. The song was featured on "The First Wives Club" movie soundtrack. Internationally, the song was moderately successful in the UK, Australia, and the Netherlands.

In 1997, Puff toured as an opening act for Michael Jackson and 3T in Europe. Puff was one of the co-writers on Leela James' 2005 debut album, "A Change is Gonna Come."

Since January of 2009, Puff resided in South Africa following her concert in Johannesburg, attributing the decision to relocate there to the friendly & warm people she had met throughout her journey in the country.

Sadly on June 24, 2013, Puff passed away from cervical cancer. She was 40 years old. Puff was a talented singer and will be missed dearly.

To see the music video for "Forever More," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11GA0zE2hLI

To see the music video for "Over & Over," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18x7rerlMNc

To see the music video for "All Over Your Face," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsCdAB8XVAk

(Updated on 01\05\14)

Pia Zadora

Pia Zadora (born Pia Alfreda Schipini on May 4, 1954 in Hoboken, New Jersey) may be well-known as an actress, but let's not forget about her moderately successful singing career in which she managed to score a few minor hits during the 80's.

As a child, Pia started acting and in 1964, she starred in the movie, "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians" as a young Martian girl. Pia was also well-known as the Dubonnet girl and in 1982 & 1983, she starred in low underrated movies such as "The Lonely Lady," "Butterfly," and "Fake Out." In the late 70's\early 80's, Pia released a few country music singles which were moderately successful.
In 1982, Pia released her debut album, "Pia" which didn't appear to chart at all on the Billboard 200 chart. The first single from the album, "I'm in Love Again" managed to peak at #45 on the Billboard Hot 100.
In 1983, Pia released her well-known and biggest hit to date, "The Clapping Song" peaked at #35 on the Billboard Hot 100.
A year later in 1984, Pia released her sophomore album, "Let's Dance Tonight" which also didn't chart at all on the Billboard 200 chart.
The follow-up single from the album, "When the Rain Begins to Fall" with singer Jermaine Jackson was also a hit, peaking at #54 on the Billboard Hot 100, #61 on Billboard's Hot R&B\Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, and #22 on Billboard's Hot Dance Music\Club Play chart. Internationally, the song topped the French, Dutch, German, and Swiss Singles chart.
The follow up singles from the album failed to chart at all on the Billboard charts, even though one of the singles, "Rock it Out" received a Grammy nomination for "Best Rock Vocal Female Performance."

In 1985, Pia released her third album, "Pia and Phil" which featured the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The album managed to chart at #113 on the Billboard 200. One single, "Come Rain, Come Shine" was released, but failed to chart.
In 1986, Pia released her fourth album, "I Am What I Am" which failed to chart on the Billboard 200 chart. The title song was released as a single, but didn't chart at all.
Two years later in 1988, Pia released her fifth album, "When the Lights Go Out" which once again failed to chart. Pia worked with producers Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis on the album. The album was released only in Europe.
The single from the album, "Dance Out of My Head" was released, but didn't chart despite top producers and remixes made by Shep Pettibone & Ben Liebrand.

In 1989, Pia released her sixth album, "Pia Z" which didn't chart at all. The first and only single, "Heartbeat of Love" peaked at #17 on Billboard's Hot Dance Music\Club Play chart in March of 1990. Another album, "Today" was recorded and released, but it only got a limited promotional release.
In 1993, Pia released a promo album, "Only For Romantics." It's unknown how well-received it was and it's very rare & hard to find. During that same year, a compliation album of Pia's music, "The Platinum Collection" was released. Pia continued acting, starring in the film "Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult" and guest-starring on an episode of "Frasier" in 1999.

Pia is twice-divorced with three children and lived in the Pickfair mansion in Beverly Hills until late 2005\early 2006. She is also a contributor to the Republic and Democratic political candidates. She won a Golden Globe Award for her role in the 1981 movie, "Butterfly" and received numerous Golden Raspberry awards and nominations.

To see the music video for "The Clapping Song," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BH6bGsjQ6Mo

To see a video of Pia performing "I'm in Love Again," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYIgUxyi_Ls

To see the music video for "Rock it Out," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ek-EWNSdkM8

To see the music video for "Dance Out of My Head," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4h13AibLgk0

1 of the Girls

1 of the Girls was a female R&B group from Cleveland, Ohio from the early 90's who has discovered by the late Gerald Levert.

The group consisted of members Nina Creque (daughter of jazz pianist, Neal Creque), LaShawn Sykes, Marvelous Miles, and Rae-Deon Kirkland.

In 1993, the group released their self-titled debut album on EastWest Records America which didn't chart at all on the Billboard 200.

Their first single and biggest hit to date, "Do Da What" peaked at #74 on the Billboard Hot 100, #31 on Billboard's Rhythmic Top 40 chart and #38 on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles chart, staying on the chart for 13 weeks.

The follow-up single "Handle With Care" was released, but didn't chart. After that, it seemed as if the group faded into obscurity.

These days, Nina Creque has moved to Atlanta where she is the assistant studio manager at Dirty South Studios.

Rae-Deon Kirkland is a gospel singer. Marvelous Miles has released an independent album, "Heavily Influenced" in 2006. LaShawn Sykes' whereabouts are currently unknown.

To see Nina Creque's MySpace page, go to:
http://www.myspace.com/ninacreque

To see Nina Creque's Twitter, go to:
http://twitter.com/ninacreque

To see Rae-Deon Kirkland's MySpace page, go to:
www.myspace.com/radeonkirkland

To see Marvelous Miles' MySpace page, go to:
www.myspace.com/marvelousmiles

To see the music video for "Do Da What," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_HvoNlppkE

To see the music video for "Handle With Care," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnLHewPEoro

S.O.A.P.

S.O.A.P. were a female pop duo from Denmark consisting of sisters Heidi (born on October 18, 1979 in Kamplar, Malaysia) and Saseline "Line" Sorensen (born on July 26, 1982 in Perak, Malaysia).

Heidi met music producer Remee when she interviewed him for the youth magazine that she worked for. Her father (who accompanied her to the interview) mentioned to Remee that his daughter was a singer.

Remee asked Heidi to sing on a solo album with him, but Heidi stated that she wouldn't do anything without her sister, Saseline and Remee ended up withdrawing his offer. A year later, he approached the girls, wanting to produce an album with both of them.

Heidi and Saseline came up with the name "S.O.A.P." because they thought it was fun, even though it didn't stand for anything.
In March of 1998, the sisters released their debut album "Not Like Other Girls" on Sony Music. It was released in the United States in May as a self-titled album on Mariah Carey's short-lived record label, Crave Records.

The album peaked at #2 in Finland, #3 in Denmark, #32 in New Zealand, #40 in Sweden, but didn't appear to chart in the United States.
Their first single, "This is How We Party" became one of their biggest hit to date, topping the chart in Sweden, becoming moderately successful internationally, and in the US, it managed to chart at #51 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #21 on Billboard's Top 40 Mainstream chart.
S.O.A.P.'s follow-up single, "Ladidi Ladida" peaked at #15 in Australia, #28 in France, #8 in New Zealand and #58 in Sweden.
The last single from the album, the title song failed to chart at all in the US or internationally. In 2000, S.O.A.P. were picked by Australian music duo Savage Garden to be the opening act for their European Tour and they also toured with the Backstreet Boys.
During that same year, S.O.A.P. released their sophomore album, "Miracle" which peaked at #20 in Denmark.
The first single from the album, "Mr. DJ" failed to chart and the last single, "S.O.A.P. is In the Air" only managed to peak at #25 in Sweden. In 2002, the duo disbanded.

These days, the Sorensen sisters continue to have active careers in the entertainment business; Saseline worked as a television host and in 2010, she released her solo album "Restart." She is also the mother of two sons.

After S.O.A.P. broke up, Heidi took a break from the music business and trained to become a tattoo artist while learning to write her own music. She has recorded music as a solo artist under the name Suriya. In 2012, her song "Forever I B Young" was chosen as a wildcard entry for the Dansk Melodi Grand Prix

To see the music video for "This is How We Party," go to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRh73puFxnE

To see the music video for "Ladidi Ladida," go to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcEuHsyPxLg

To see a music video for "Not Like Other Girls," go to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2AtJh0IQoE

To see a fan-made music video for "Mr DJ," go to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3p-pXl4jfk

To see the music video for "S.O.A.P. Is In the Air," go to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xULdvBegaQQ


[updated on 04\12\16]

The Weather Girls

The Weather Girls are a female R&B\dance group that formed in the early 80's. The original members consisted of Martha Wash (born on December 28, 1953 in San Francisco, California) and Izora Rhodes Armstead (born July 6, 1942 in San Leandro, California).

Martha and Izora started their music career in the gospel group, NOW and soon became backup singers for singer Sylvester.
They were originally known as "Two Tons O' Fun" and scored three dance hits, "Earth Can Be Just Like Heaven," "I Got the Feeling" and "Just Us".

They also released two albums in 1980. After that, the duo changed their name to the Weather Girls.
In 1982, the group released their first single "It's Raining Men" which became a hit, peaking at #46 on the Billboard Hot 100, topped Billboard's Hot Dance Music\Club Play Singles chart for 2 weeks and peaked at #34 on Billboard's Hot Soul Singles chart, staying on the chart for 18 weeks.

It was an international success, selling over six million copies worldwide. The song was written in 1979 by Paul Jabara & Paul Shaffer and it was offered to singers Diana Ross, Donna Summer, Barbra Streisand & Cher before being accepted by the Weather Girls.
A year later, the duo released their debut album "Success" which didn't chart at all on the Billboard 200 chart.
The second single "Dear Santa (Bring Me a Man this Christmas)" was released, but didn't chart even though a music video was made for the single.
The third single from the album "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Out of My Head" didn't appear to make the charts at all.
The last single from the album, the title song, peaked at #89 on Billboard's Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for only 3 weeks.
In 1985, the Weather Girls released their sophomore album "Big Girls Don't Cry" which didn't chart on the Billboard 200.
The first single from the album "No One Can Love You More Than Me" peaked at #26 on Billboard's Hot Dance Music\Club Play chart and #15 on Billboard's Hot Dance Music\Maxi-Singles Sales chart.
The second single, "Well-A-Wiggy" peaked at #76 on Billboard's Hot Black Singles chart, staying on the chart for only 4 weeks.
In 1988, the Weather Girls released their third self-titled album which failed to chart at all and only two singles "Love You Like a Train" and "Land of the Believer" were released.
Soon after, the Weather Girls went their separate ways. Martha Wash went on to provide vocals for dance and house music tracks.

She sang on tracks for Black Box, Seduction and most well-known for C+C Music Factory's #1 hit, "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)."

Disappointed that her plus-sized image wasn't included in the music videos for the songs she sang, Martha successfully sued for credit and royalities for her contributions to the songs she sang.
Martha released her self-titled debut album in 1993 which managed to score two successful dance hits.

She contributed two songs for the "D2: The Mighty Ducks" soundtrack and "The First Wives Club" soundtrack. She performed at numerous gay pride events and continues to be active in the music biz.

After the original Weather Girls split up, Izora moved to Germany and formed the German version of the Weather Girls with her daughter, Dynell.

In 2002, the group entered the German final to the 2002 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Get Up" and finished 13th out of 15.

Sadly on September 16, 2004, Izora passed away of heart failure at the age of 62 in San Leandro, Alameda County, California where she is also buried.

These days, the Weather Girls consist of Dynell and Ingrid Arthur. In late 2005, they released the album "Totally Wild" and scored an underground club hit with the song "Wild Thang."

In 2008, the duo was featured on the #1 American dance hit "Break You" by Ralph Franklin. In 2009, they released the album "The Woman I Am." They appear to continue reporting.

These days, Martha Wash continues to be active in the music business and a notable star in the gay community. In 2013, she released her sophomore album "Something Good."

To see the Weather Girls' website, go to:

http://www.the-weathergirls.de

To see Martha Wash's official website, go to:

http://www.marthawash.com

To see the music video for "It's Raining Men," go to:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ko3yBFoTm5c

To see the music video for "Dear Santa (Bring Me a Man This Christmas)," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CKRAPRAlNU

To see the music video for "Well-A-Wiggy," go to:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GKpW6nqJE8

[updated on 03\08\14]

Marietta

Marietta (born Marietta Waters) is a female singer from the 80's who is well-known for her appearance on the 1986 "Top Gun" movie soundtrack.

She has written & recorded music, and toured with musicians such as Stevie Wonder, Donna Summer, Cyndi Lauper, Mister Mister, Patrice Rushen, and Elton John. She was also a solo singer in Germany.
In 1986, she was featured on the "Top Gun" movie soundtrack with the song, "Destination Unknown." The soundtrack was a huge success, topping the Billboard 200 chart for several weeks.
During that same year, Marietta released the single, "Born to Dance." She also sang the title song for the movie, "Fire and Ice."

She has also recorded two albums with Sergio Mendes and Brazil '88 under the name "Marietta Araiza." She also contributed songs to the movies "Perfect" and "Fire, Ice And Dynamite" (the sequel to "Fire and Ice").
These days, Marietta lives in Van Nys, California and works as a voice teacher. In 2006, she released an album entitled "A Call from the Heart."

To see a fan-made video for "Destination Unknown," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tg1NXFChrk

To see a fan-made video for "Fire and Ice," go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkFLShrbAsE