Weather Girls
Encyclopedia
The Weather Girls, also known as Two Tons o' Fun (especially during the early portion of their career), are an American duo comprising two plus-size African-American women. The girl group
has charted several dance hits over the course of its career, with its peak in popularity having occurred in 1982, when the group released the hit song "It's Raining Men
." The group currently comprises Ingrid Arthur and Dynelle Rhodes, the daughters of founding member Izora Armstead, who died in 2004.
and Izora Armstead
. Though the mainstream pop market considers the team a one-hit wonder for "It's Raining Men" (even though the group technically does not qualify for the title, since the song did not make the Top 40, peaking at #46 on the Billboard Hot 100), they recorded three songs which peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play
chart under the "Two Tons o' Fun" name: "Earth Can Be Just Like Heaven" (1980); "Just Us" (1980 and also made #29 on the US R&B chart); and the Hi-NRG
song "I Got the Feeling" in 1981. They were brought together by Sylvester
as his backing group (from 1977 to 1981), who also gave them the name 'Two Tons O' Fun.' They also backed Aretha Franklin
(on "Freeway of Love
"), and Bob Seger
(1986). They are best known for their 1982 #1 club and pop hit, "It's Raining Men
", the recording of which music producer Paul Jabara
supervised and from which the name "The Weather Girls" was derived. After the success of "It's Raining Men", other hits with the original line-up (which adopted the Weather Girls moniker permanently after the hit) included "Dear Santa (Bring Me a Man this Christmas)", for which, as with "It's Raining Men", an accompanying music video was made, and "No One Can Love You More Than Me." The group disbanded in 1985, while Wash moved on to a solo career, one that continues into the present day.
In the 90's Izora Armstead
moved to Germany, where she and her daughter Dynelle Rhodes re-formed the group for touring in Europe, and in 2002 they joined the "Disco Brothers" for a participation in the German National Final for the Eurovision Song Contest
with the song "Get Up". In the end, the group only managed a 13th place out of 15. The current members of the group are sisters Dynelle Rhodes and Ingrid Arthur, who are the daughters of Armstead, who died in 2004. They released a new Weather Girls album, Totally Wild, in late 2005. It scored an underground club hit with "Wild Thang." Like the original Weather Girls, the duo has proven very successful with its gay male core audience.
In 2008, the Weather Girls were listed as featured artists on the song, "Break You" by Ralph Falcon of the bands Murk
and Funky Green Dogs. This song spent one week at #1 on the American dance chart in May 2008. http://www.discogs.com/viewimages?artist=Two+Tons+Of+Fun
Girl group
A girl group is a popular music act featuring several young female singers who generally harmonise together.Girl groups emerged in the late 1950s as groups of young singers teamed up with behind-the-scenes songwriters and music producers to create hit singles, often featuring glossy production...
has charted several dance hits over the course of its career, with its peak in popularity having occurred in 1982, when the group released the hit song "It's Raining Men
It's Raining Men
"It's Raining Men" is a song written by Paul Jabara and Paul Shaffer in 1979 originally for Dave Balfour's album Stars , and originally recorded by The Weather Girls in 1982...
." The group currently comprises Ingrid Arthur and Dynelle Rhodes, the daughters of founding member Izora Armstead, who died in 2004.
Known career
The original Two Tons were Martha WashMartha Wash
Martha Wash is an American R&B, Pop, Soul, House singer/songwriter known for her distinctive and powerful voice.-Early career:...
and Izora Armstead
Izora Armstead
Izora Rhodes Armstead was one half of the 1980s pop group Two Tons O' Fun, who would later be renamed The Weather Girls....
. Though the mainstream pop market considers the team a one-hit wonder for "It's Raining Men" (even though the group technically does not qualify for the title, since the song did not make the Top 40, peaking at #46 on the Billboard Hot 100), they recorded three songs which peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play
Hot Dance Club Play
The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...
chart under the "Two Tons o' Fun" name: "Earth Can Be Just Like Heaven" (1980); "Just Us" (1980 and also made #29 on the US R&B chart); and the Hi-NRG
Hi-NRG
Hi-NRG describes a form of high-tempo disco music as well as a genre of electronic dance music originating in the United States during the late 1970s...
song "I Got the Feeling" in 1981. They were brought together by Sylvester
Sylvester James
-Studio albums:-Live albums:-Compilation albums:* Mighty Real UK #62* 12 By 12 * Immortal -Singles:-Additional recordings:*Lights Out San Francisco...
as his backing group (from 1977 to 1981), who also gave them the name 'Two Tons O' Fun.' They also backed Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
(on "Freeway of Love
Freeway of Love
"Freeway of Love" is a Grammy Award-winning song released as the first single from Aretha Franklin's 1985 album Who's Zoomin' Who?. It was very successful in the United States, peaking at the #3 position of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and topping the Hot R&B Singles chart for five weeks . It went...
"), and Bob Seger
Bob Seger
Robert Clark "Bob" Seger is an American rock and roll singer-songwriter, guitarist and pianist.As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded as Bob Seger and the Last Heard and Bob Seger System throughout the 1960s...
(1986). They are best known for their 1982 #1 club and pop hit, "It's Raining Men
It's Raining Men
"It's Raining Men" is a song written by Paul Jabara and Paul Shaffer in 1979 originally for Dave Balfour's album Stars , and originally recorded by The Weather Girls in 1982...
", the recording of which music producer Paul Jabara
Paul Jabara
Paul Jabara was an American actor, singer, and songwriter of Lebanese ancestry. He wrote Donna Summer's "Last Dance" from Thank God It's Friday and Barbra Streisand's song "The Main Event/Fight" from The Main Event...
supervised and from which the name "The Weather Girls" was derived. After the success of "It's Raining Men", other hits with the original line-up (which adopted the Weather Girls moniker permanently after the hit) included "Dear Santa (Bring Me a Man this Christmas)", for which, as with "It's Raining Men", an accompanying music video was made, and "No One Can Love You More Than Me." The group disbanded in 1985, while Wash moved on to a solo career, one that continues into the present day.
In the 90's Izora Armstead
Izora Armstead
Izora Rhodes Armstead was one half of the 1980s pop group Two Tons O' Fun, who would later be renamed The Weather Girls....
moved to Germany, where she and her daughter Dynelle Rhodes re-formed the group for touring in Europe, and in 2002 they joined the "Disco Brothers" for a participation in the German National Final for the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
with the song "Get Up". In the end, the group only managed a 13th place out of 15. The current members of the group are sisters Dynelle Rhodes and Ingrid Arthur, who are the daughters of Armstead, who died in 2004. They released a new Weather Girls album, Totally Wild, in late 2005. It scored an underground club hit with "Wild Thang." Like the original Weather Girls, the duo has proven very successful with its gay male core audience.
In 2008, the Weather Girls were listed as featured artists on the song, "Break You" by Ralph Falcon of the bands Murk
Murk (band)
Murk is a house music production team composed of Ralph Falcón and Oscar Gaetan). They formed in Miami in 1991...
and Funky Green Dogs. This song spent one week at #1 on the American dance chart in May 2008. http://www.discogs.com/viewimages?artist=Two+Tons+Of+Fun
Albums
| Year | Album Album An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album... |
|---|---|
| 1980 | Two Tons of Fun |
| 1980 | Backatcha (as The Two Tons) |
| 1983 | Success |
| 1985 | Big Girls Don't Cry |
| 1985 | Megatonnage, The best of The Two Tons (Aka The Weather Girls) |
| 1988 | Weather Girls |
| 1993 | Double Tons Of Fun |
| 1995 | Think Big |
| 1999 | Puttin' On The Hits |
| 2005 | Totally Wild |
Partial singles chart success
| Year | Single Single (music) In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear... |
US Dance | US Pop Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US R&B |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | "Earth Can Be Just Like Heaven" | 2 | - | - |
| "I Got the Feeling" | 2 | - | - | |
| "Just Us" | 2 | - | 29 | |
| 1982 | "It's Raining Men It's Raining Men "It's Raining Men" is a song written by Paul Jabara and Paul Shaffer in 1979 originally for Dave Balfour's album Stars , and originally recorded by The Weather Girls in 1982... " |
1 | 46 | 34 |
| 1985 | "No One Can Love You More Than Me" | 26 | - | - |
| "Well-A-Wiggy" | - | - | 76 (airplay) | |
| 1993 | "Can You Feel It" | 2 | - | - |
Other singles by the Weather Girls
- "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My HairI'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair"I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair" is a song from the musical South Pacific, sung by Nellie Forbush, the female lead, originally played by Mary Martin beginning in 1949. Her character, fed up with a man and singing in the shower, claims she will forget about him...
" - "Success"
- "Dear Santa (Bring Me a Man This Christmas)"
- "Big Girls Don't CryBig Girls Don't CryBig Girls Don't Cry is a 2002 film. It is written and directed by Maria von Heland.The movie is about two best friends, Kati and Steffi....
" - "Love You Like a Train"
- "Land of the Believer"
- "Laughter in the RainLaughter in the Rain"Laughter in the Rain" is a song recorded by Neil Sedaka and composed by Sedaka with lyrics by Phil Cody. It hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on February 1, 1975. The song also spent two weeks atop the adult contemporary chart.-Covers:...
" - "Sounds of Sex"
- "Wild Thang"
- "Girl You And Me"
- "We Shall All Be Free"
- "Party"
- "Star (feat. Jimmy SomervilleJimmy SomervilleJames William Somerville is a Scottish pop singer and songwriter. He had considerable success in the 1980s with the pop groups Bronski Beat and The Communards, and has also had a successful solo career. He is known in particular for his falsetto singing voice...
)"
See also
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart