Nancy Martinez

Nancy Martinez earned recognition chiefly through her Latin-infused 1986 club success "For Tonight," yet she never rose to major pop prominence stateside even while achieving solid traction in 1980s dance venues. Born in the United States, this powerful-voiced dance performer lived most of her youth in Montreal, where childhood classical-piano lessons preceded high-school training in acting and vocals. Her first album, Lay It Down, appeared in Canada during 1983, with "Excited" serving as its opening single. One year later the single "Sunshine Reggae" scored a substantial Canadian success; its flip side offered a reading of Edith Piaf's "La Vie en Rose." In 1986 the bilingual artist, fluent in English and French, cut "For Tonight" for Canada's Sizzle imprint, after which Atlantic licensed the track for American release. That same year Atlantic issued her album Not Just The Girl Next Door, helmed by producer Teneen Ali and steeped in Latin-tinged dance rhythms. Club DJs embraced the project enthusiastically, although Martinez issued no further recordings on the Atlantic roster.