Background
Harvin grew up in Washington, District of Columbia, attending Roosevelt High School and singing in Trinity AME Zion Church.
Harvin grew up in Washington, District of Columbia, attending Roosevelt High School and singing in Trinity AME Zion Church.
She began singing in The Four Jewels (whose members attended the same church and school) after the departure of Carrie Mingo.
After Martha joined the group, they changed their name simply to The Jewels and released their best-known hit, "Opportunity". After a follow-up single, "But I Do" b/w "Smokey Joe", flopped, they were dropped from Dimension Records. The Jewels went on tour with James Brown in 1964, with a demanding nightly schedule.
They visited the studios of Motown Records on the Detroit leg of the tour, hoping to record, but the building was closed that day.
They did record two singles while they toured with Brown, but after a year and a half with Brown the group split up. Harvin adopted the stage name Martha High and continued singing with Brown for the next 30-plus years.
Among her appearances with Brown are on the track "Summertime" and on the Original Funky Divas album. High also recorded a self-titled disco album in 1979, released on Salsoul Records.
In January 2000, she stopped performing with Brown and went on tour with Maceo Parker.
In 2004, High teamed up with the Soulpower organization, which is also behind the comebacks of Soul artists like Marva Whitney, Lyn Collins, Bobby Byrd, Gwen McCrae and RAMP. During her collaboration with Soulpower, High performed all across Europe and even performed in Africa, backed by the Soulpower Allstars. Presenting… The James Brown Show (LP by various artists, 1967) Smash 27087 (mono) & 67087 (stereo) "This Is My Story" and "Something"s Got A Hold On Maine" by The Jewels James Brown"s Original Funky Divas (Civil Defense compilation, 1998) PolyGram 314 537 709-2 "This Is My Story" by The Jewels "Summertime" by Martha And James Love Over-Due (album by James Brown, 1991) Scotti Brothers 72392 75225-1 "Later Foreign Dancing" (duet with James Brown) Matha High (Civil Defense, 2014) on Octave-lav/Ultra-Vybe incorporated
5067) Reissue of Salsoul 8526 with 4 bonus-tracks.