Black Women's Voices Are the Joyful Heartbeat of House Music That Took Us Higher
Black Women's Voices Are the Joyful Heartbeat of House Music That Took Us Higher
Queue Points discusses ABC's "Queens of 90s House Music" segment and honors the contributions of the Black women who made House music a global phenomenon.
House music, with its throbbing beats and soulful melodies, is a worldwide phenomenon, and at one time, was the biggest selling music in the world. At its heart, it’s the voices that give it its unique spirit, particularly the powerful and resonant contributions of Black women singers.
From the sultry undertones of divas in the underground scene to the chart-topping anthems that made us dance like no one was watching, Black women have been instrumental in shaping the trajectory of house music. Their voices, laden with raw emotion and unmatched depth and soul, have become the backbone of the genre.
ABC recently aired a segment on Good Morning America called “Queens of 90s House Music,” and on this episode, DJ Sir Dance and Jay Ray break the episode down. We discuss the impact and legacy of these divas, celebrate their contributions, and shed light on the industry's [mis]treatment of artists. We touch on powerful moments in iconic songs, the importance of representation, and how these women paved the way for future artists.
Some of the topics we cover in this episode include:
Why does "Show Me Love" by Robin S. have the longevity that it has?
DJ Sir Daniel’s love for Crystal Waters’ “Makin’ Happy”
What happened when "You Got Me Up" by Dajaé played in Atlanta's famed Loretta's nightclub?
What are some of your favorite songs by House divas? List them in the comments.
Jay Ray on Martha Wash’s Debut Album
Jay Ray kept it real on one of the ways we failed Martha Wash - not buying her debut album which is chock full of classics.
Wash got the deal following one of the lawsuits where her voice was being used, but she wasn’t credited or shown in the music videos.
The eponymous album was released in 1993. “Martha Wash peaked at number one-hundred-and-sixty-nine on the US Billboard 200, where it spent a total of 2 weeks. More successful on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, it spent a total of 10 weeks and peaked at number forty-two.”
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Listen to “Martha Wash” Today
Three Other Jams By Three Other House Divas That We Didn’t Discuss
Ralf Gum Featuring Monique Bingham - “Take Me To My Love”
Ultra Naté - “Free”
Petalpusher - “Breakin' It Down (Jay's Blue Vocal)”
For fun, without looking it up, can you comment below with the name of the well-known diva singing on this song?
Tune In For Our Next Queue Points Live!
We’re convinced that our next show will have to be broken into two parts. LOL Join us live this week as we discuss UK Soul and Hip-Hop from the 1980s - mid-1990s. We had to cap it, because there’s so much to cover.
We’ll be joined by our brother Jason Randall Smith of the podcast Radio BSOTS. Check out his show below!