The Weather Girls - Dynelle Rhodes and Izora Armstead

When the WEATHER GIRLS enter a room it is almost impossible not to fall under the spell of their charm Frankness and joie de vivre. Izora Armstead and her daughter Dynelle Rhodes are two extremely self-confident personalities who complement one another. Their energy and powerful soul voices were found combined on their last CD "Think Big", whose title should be understood in quite a programmatical way, for "we now think in greater dimensions, our music is very varied and intended for people between two and ninety-two.

Quite different from their former CD "Double Tons Of Fun", the WEATHER GIRLS focus exclusively on opulent dance music, the style of which belongs somewhere between soul-pop, hip hop, house-techno and the disco sound of the seventies. They are supported by such renowned producer teams as The Rapino Brothers (Take That, Kylie Minogue), the successful Scatman Duo, Tony Nunzio Catania/Ingo Kays and Dee Dee Halligan / Junior Torello (Haddaway). "These people produced high-class sounds and various musical facets which were ideal for our voices" enthuses Izora Armstead. The thirteen "Think Big" songs were recorded in places like London, Berlin, Hamburg and others...

The first single "Oh What A Night" was a tremendous dance floor clearer which was underlaid with a pulsating techno-loop. The very relaxed hip-hop beat of "The Sound Of Sex (Ooh gitchie Olala) invites to swing, I wrote this text with my daughter and Marc Hatwood. Although subliminally offensive, it is not really dirty Izora says with the tongue in her cheek. Izora, born in Texas, was also involved both as author, or co-author, in the texts of "I Just Want You (To Dance To The Music)", "Moovin' and Groovin", "I Need your Love" and "We Can Stand Together". Especially the last title, a soul-pop hymn dedicated to a sense of community, holds a special importance for the Duo, as for Dynelle and Izora, who care for no less than 11 children and 23 grand-children, the holding-together of the family is the most important aspect of their lives.

A highlight of the WEATHER GIRLS album "Think Big" is the title "Star", song together with Jimmy Somerville (Bronsky Beat, Communards), which in its original form was recorded by Sylvester. In the late sixties and during the seventies this disco-gospel protagonist together with Izora Armstead, recorded such genre classics as "Disco Heat" or "Mighty Real".

What the music of the seventies really means tho the WEATHER GIRLS is shown by another two cover versions: "Boogie Night", played by the Heatwave Band and representing the epitome of disco hit, and the Rod Stewart top hit " Do You Think I'm Sexy". Izora explains this remake, saying "Rod Stewart is one of my favourite singers and I was most pleased, when he offered us this song. Apart from this, I interpret this song because I attach some importance to the question "Do You Think I'm Sexy"? Smiling Dynelle adds: "This is true, my mother sings this song with real abandon". Both fight the tyranny of tailor-made beauty. Their creed is "Every being is, in its own way, sexy and beautiful".

Already at the age of four Izora Armstead was a musical prodigy. Her teachers and especially her mother, expected her to be "the next great concert pianist of classical music". Later on she studied music at the San Francisco Conservatory where her musical education also comprised the singing of arias. In her songs and live presentations today this solid basis can be felt at each note sung. In this her physical emphasis proves to be the ideal sounding-board for her voluminous soul voice. "Anybody who, like me, belongs to the old school, will again and again practice basics to improve all-round mastery - no matter whether this applies to playing the piano or to singing. We therefore practice two or three times per week putting in eight hours each time. Perfection can only be reached through practising".

Discipline and energy have always been the outstanding characteristics of the WEATHER GIRLS - qualities that were recognized very early on the music scene. Even before her WEATHER GIRLS hit debut "It's Raining Man" (1982) Izora Armstead sang together with the Hoodoo Rhythm Devils and Sylvester. Her work together with her ex-partner Martha Walsh - initially with Two tons Of fun and later on as WEATHER GIRLS paved her way to success. The important figures in the rock and pop among these were George Michael, The Thompson Twins, Bob Seger and Michael Jackson.

At the end of the eighties, however, Martha Walsh opted for a career as a soloist. Izora Armstead, a graduate from the San Francisco Conservatory, however, did not want to continue on her own especially in view of the fact that the WEATHER GIRLS were only known as a Duo. Finally her husband and manager Frank Armstead, came up with the idea to found a family concern. Dynelle Rhodes remembers: "My mother called me up asking whether I would like to sing together with her". "At first I thought she was pulling my leg", but she sounded serious and said: "I am at a studio working on a new disc, you will have to make up your mind on the spot". I left my employment and together with my son Anthony, who is four years old now, we moved to New York and a dream came true for me.

In 1993 the family debut "Double Tons Of Fun" was an instant radio success with "Can U Feel It", to be followed by others ("We Shall All Be Free", "Party"). Always on the go even, during the recordings for "Think Big", the WEATHER GIRLS still found time for live performance on stage interlinking dance music, jazz, blues, soul and gospel. "Our audiences exept our music to be gay and positive. Reality anyway for many people is grim and depressing and for this reason we want to pass on our energy and drive, and to bring pleasure to people through our music.

The WEATHER GIRLS recorded a radiant album "Puttin’ on the hits" with spectacular classics like "m so excited" which is also the name of the first single from the CD. Excitment is definitly guaranteed with this great song collection. Their fans have seen that THE WEATHER GIRLS know how to fascinate the audience with their "Weather - touch" in their own songs, so it was time to show the fans that THE WEATHER GIRLS are alot more versatile, which has definitly been achieved with this powerful CD.

The legendary hit of the Pointer Sisters is only one of the many highlights: So Izora and Dynelle also celebrate songs like "We are family", "Carwash", "Hit the road Jack", "Hold on I’m coming", Donnie Hathaways famous "The Ghetto", and many other tracks that are combined by class - and timeless significance which was verified by their cooperation with the Temptation - star Dennis Edwards by rerecording his hit "Don’t look any further" togther with him.

15 tracks are evidence enough for the appropriate album titel "Puttin’ on the hits" which isn’t just pure WEATHER GIRLS but also the essence of a epoch. At the same time it is also the ultimate party album. So just go ahead and see for yourself, live or in the studio, the WEATHER GIRLS rock the dancefloor like dynamite...

(From: Pasion Turca)

On October 11th 2004 a new single "Wild Thang" will be released. A new album "Totally Wild" will be released at the end of October.

At the time Izora has decided to say „Good Bye“ to the stressful tour life and wanted to retire bit and bit, she did another call. This time it was her other daughter Ingrid Arthur who was on the other end of the line. It was easy to convince Ingrid. With commitment she followed in her mom’s footsteps.

Now a new studio album of the WEATHER GIRLS will be released and after „Puttin’ On The Hits“ the motto is: „Nomen est Omen“: TOTALLY WILD! Headed by the single „Wild Thang“, an extremely danceable uptempo disco tune of the finest Hi-NRG sound style was made. It was recorded in the “Coconut Studios” in Hennef (Germany) for the in-house label and is a choicest collage out of danceable disco hits and soulful vocal trax, in which Dynelle (better known as „Dee“) and Ingrid are showing, what great voices they have.

Besides many new compositions, TOTALLY WILD also contains a fabulous collection of the best disco hit cover songs. With the re-recording of the hit „Can U Feel It“ as well as with their interpretations of, for example, „Born To Be Alive“, „Don’t Leave Me This Way“ or „Muscles“, the WEATHER GIRLS prove, that they still are an inherent part of the scene: powerful, dynamic and