Williams, Deniece

Williams, Deniece (originally, Chandler,Deniece), R&B chart topper of the mid-1970s and 1980s who has since converted to gospel music; (b. Gary, Ind., June 3, 1951). Like so many performers, Deniece Williams began singing in church but became aware of R&B and pop as a teenager. She took a job working part-time at a local record store during high school. Singing along with records impressed her boss, who invited people from Chicago’s Toddlin’ Town Records to hear her. They, too, were impressed and recorded “Love Is Tears” with her. The record became a local hit and started the high school student off as a singer.

When Williams graduated from high school she started to pursue a degree in nursing. However, Stevie Wonder had heard her singles and asked her if she would join his band as a backing vocalist. She worked with Wonder from 1972-76, appearing on four of his albums. When Wonder moved from Detroit to Los Angeles, Deniece moved, too. In addition to her work with Wonder, she sang with artists such as Minnie Ripperton and Roberta Flack.

Maurice White co-produced her Columbia debut, This Is Niecy and took her on the road with Earth Wind and Fire. The single from the album, “Free,” had moderate success in the U.S., reaching #2 on the R&B charts and hitting #25. The song was a huge hit in England. The album did go gold in the U.S., hitting #33. In England, Williams gave a royal command performance for Prince Charles. Two years later, she released That’s What Friends Are For,an album of duets with Johnny Mathis. It was a good match—it brought the youth and raw soul of Williams together with the class and cachet of Mathis, who had not had a chart single since 1974. “Too Much, Too Little, Too Late” topped the pop and R&B charts and went gold in the spring of 1978. They followed this with a version of Marvin Gaye and Tammy Terrell’s Motown classic “You’re All I Need to Get By,” which missed the pop Top 40 but went #10 R&B. The album rose to #19 and was certified gold just two weeks after it came out.

In 1981, Williams went into the studio with Thorn Bell recording My Melody. That album garnered the R&B hit “Silly.” Continuing to work with Bell on her next album, Neicy, she again topped the R&B charts with a version of the Royalettes’ hit “It’s Gonna Take a Miracle,” taking it to #10 pop. Neicy peaked at #20. Williams started to take a little more control of her career and music with 1983’s Tm So Proud, co-producing the record with Bill Neal. She continued to do this with her next album, Let’s Hear It for the Boy. The title track came from the hit movie Footloose, hitting the top of the charts and going platinum. The album topped out at #28. When her impact on the pop charts waned after this, Williams went back to gospel. Her 1986 duet, ’They Say” with Sandy Patti, won a Best Gospel Performance by a Duo or Group, Choir or Chorus. Her own “I Surrender All” won Best Soul Gospel Performance, Female. She also won that award in 1987 for “I Believe in You.” Since then, she has continued to record both sacred and secular music. She performed for the Pope in both 1991 and 1993.

Discography

Untitled (1972); This Is Niecy (1976); Song Bird (1977); That’s What Friends Are For (with Johnny Mathis; 1978); When Love Comes Calling (1979); My Melody (1981); Niecy (1982); I’m So Proud (1983); Let’s Hear It for the Boy (1984); Hot on the Trail (1986); From the Beginning (1986); Water under the Bridge (1987); As Good as It Gets (1988); So Glad I Know (1988); Special Love (1989); Lullabies to Dreamland (1991); Love Solves It All (1996); This Is My Song (1998).

—Hank Bordowitz