Nancy Martinez

Biographyby Alex HendersonBest known for her Latin-flavored 1986 club hit "For Tonight," Nancy Martinez never became a major pop star in the U.S. but fared well in dance clubs in the 1980s. The big-voiced dance diva was born in the U.S. but spent most of her pre-adult life in Montreal, where she studied classical piano as a child before studying acting and singing in high school. Martinez's debut album, Lay It Down, was released in Canada in 1983, and "Excited" became the first single from that LP. The following year, Martinez's "Sunshine Reggae" single became a major hit in Canada -- its B-side was a cover of Edith Piaf's "La Vie en Rose." In 1986, the bilingual Martinez (who is fluent in both English and French) recorded "For Tonight" for the Canadian Sizzle label -- and the song came out in the U.S. when "Atlantic" picked it up. It was also in 1986 that "Atlantic" released "Martinez"'s Not Just The Girl Next Door, which was produced by Teneen Ali and was full of Latin-flavored dance grooves. The album enjoyed a lot of attention from club DJs, but unfortunately, Martinez didn't record any more albums for Atlantic.