Vesta Williams | |
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 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Mary Vesta Williams[1] (1957-12-01)December 1, 1957 Coshocton, Ohio, U.S.[1] |
| Died | September 22, 2011(2011-09-22) (aged 53) |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 1985–2011 |
| Labels | |
Mary Vesta Williams (December 1, 1957 – September 22, 2011)[2] was an American singer-songwriter, who performed across genres such assoul,funk,R&B,Quiet storm, jazz soul andUrban Contemporary. Originally credited asVesta Williams, she was simply known asVesta beginning in the 1990s.[3] She was known for her four–octave vocal range.[4][5] She once sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" for theLos Angeles Lakers game opener using all four of those octaves.
Although Williams never had any albums certified gold nor any top 40 hits on theBillboard Hot 100, she scored six top 10 hits on the United StatesBillboardR&Bchart from the mid–1980s to the early–1990s that included "Once Bitten, Twice Shy"[3] (1986), "Sweet Sweet Love" (1988), "Special" (1991), and her 1989 single andsignature song,[6] "Congratulations".[7]
Born inCoshocton, Ohio, United States,[1][3] Williams' father was adisc jockey. Her family moved fromOhio to Los Angeles in the 1960s. While there, Williams and her three sisters, Margaret, Marte and Marlena, appeared on the television showJack and Jill as "The Williams Sisters".<[3] Later, she returned to Ohio but decided to go back to Los Angeles in order to launch a solo career.[3] FormerFifth Dimension memberRon Townson put Williams in his band Wild Honey.[3]
Following that stint, Williams found work as abackup singer, working with artists such asChaka Khan,Gladys Knight,Sting,Stephanie Mills,Anita Baker andGordon Lightfoot. Williams sang on the original version ofJoe Sample's "The Survivor",[3] and met producer David Crawford while working with his groupKlique. After doing session work, she landed arecording contract withA&M Records and her debut album,Vesta, was released in 1986.[3] The album featured her firsttop 10R&B hit "Once Bitten, Twice Shy", which became her only UK hit and performed modestly on the US R&B charts.[3]
Her 1988 release,Vesta 4 U, produced the top 10 R&B hits "Sweet Sweet Love", "4 U", and "Congratulations", with the latter peaking at #55 on the Hot 100 chart and #5 on the R&B chart.[8] "Congratulations" was Vesta's only single to enter the Hot 100 chart. Her only album to appear on the USBillboard 200, peaking at No. 131. There were persistent rumors that the song was inspired by the dissolution of her long-time relationship withBruce Willis and thatDemi Moore was directly responsible for ending it. In 1991, Williams released her third album entitledSpecial, with the title track as a single. "Special" became her highest-charting song on the R&B chart at #2, but sales of the album were less than that ofVesta 4 U. Her next album, 1993'sEverything-N-More, produced only a minor R&B hit, "Always".[9]
In 1989,Polygram Records purchased A&M Records. Williams' 1998 albumRelationships was released under the Polygram name, and it became a modest seller, appearing on the R&B charts. Following the release ofRelationships, A&M/Polygram did not renew her contract. Williams continued to work as a session singer, landing spots on albums by such artists asPhil Perry,Howard Hewett, andGeorge Duke. Her voice could be heard by radio listeners in jingles for advertisers that includedMcDonald's,Nike,Baskin-Robbins,Diet Coke,Revlon andExxon.[10] That same year, she performed the opening theme to theABCminiseries,The Women of Brewster Place.[11]
Williams portrayed a saloon singer in the 1993 filmPosse, directed byMario Van Peebles.[12] During this time period she had a R&B minor hit "Always" in 1993.[13] Williams had a recurring role as "Monica",Jackée Harry's best friend, in the television seriesSister, Sister in the 1998–99 season. Her singing voice is featured in the theme song ofUPN'sMalcolm & Eddie starringMalcolm-Jamal Warner andEddie Griffin.[14]
In 2000, Polygram released acompilation album, featuring songs from Williams and former A&M artistCeCe Peniston. In 2007, Williams released an album of R&B songs onShanachie Records entitledDistant Lover. Produced by Chris "Big Dog" Davis,Distant Lover was a cover album featuring songs originally recorded byBill Withers,Stevie Wonder,Smokey Robinson,Marvin Gaye,Sade, andDeniece Williams.Her last recording was the song "Dedicated," released on 7 December 2010 on Stimuli Music.[15]
By 2002, Williams had become a radio personality, and was co-hosting a morning show onKRNB in Dallas/Fort Worth.[16] In recent years, Williams had lost 100 pounds, going from size 26 to size 6.[17] It was at this time that Williams became an advocate for the prevention of childhood obesity and juvenile diabetes.[18]
Her final performance occurred on September 17, 2011, inPortsmouth, Virginia, at the Autumn Jazz Explosion, just five days before her death.[14]
She was scheduled to perform at the 21st annual "DIVAS Simply Singing!" in Los Angeles on October 22, 2011. Shanice performed "Congratulations" during the show as a tribute to Williams. There was also a tribute to the late singerTeena Marie.[19] Williams was taping an episode ofTV One'sUnsung at the time of her death; it aired on January 2, 2012.[20]
On September 22, 2011, Williams was found dead in a hotel room inEl Segundo, California, a suburb of Los Angeles.[1][21] According to the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office, she was found dead at 6:15 p.m. (PDT), A spokesperson for the coroner's office stated that the autopsy did not say the cause of death. In late December 2011, the family released this statement through singer/producer Norwood Young, reporting her official cause of death: "Following three months of intensive coroner's autopsy and toxicology research, it has been definitively determined that the cause of death for our beloved Vesta was 'natural death' from 'hypertensive heart disease,'" adding: "An enlarged heart can remain undetected for many years."[22][23][24]
Vesta Williams was laid to rest atForest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) on October 4, 2011, following a memorial service atWest Angeles Church of God in Christ inLos Angeles, California.[25] Attendees includedWanda Dee, singerPeggi Blu,Freda Payne,Sheryl Lee Ralph,Loretta Devine,Kellita Smith, Norwood Young,Michael Collier,Miki Howard,Karel Bouley,Kiki Shepard,Jackée Harry,Luenell, and renowned blues singerLinda Hopkins. A private reception was held following the interment.[26]
She is survived by her mother, daughter, three sisters, a brother, and three grandchildren.[27]
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Record Label | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [28] | US R&B [28] | US Heat [29] | NLD [30] | |||||||||||
| 1986 | Vesta | — | 43 | — | 67 | A&M | ||||||||
| 1988 | Vesta 4 U | 131 | 26 | — | — | |||||||||
| 1991 | Special | — | 15 | — | — | |||||||||
| 1993 | Everything-N-More | — | 65 | — | — | |||||||||
| 1998 | Relationships | — | 55 | 26 | — | i.e. music | ||||||||
| 2007 | Distant Lover | — | — | — | — | Shanachie | ||||||||
| 2013 | Seven | — | — | — | — | Bronx Bridge | ||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [31] | US R&B [8] | US A. R&B [32] | US Dan [31] | IRE [33] | NLD [30] | NZ [34] | UK [35] | |||||||
| 1986 | "Once Bitten Twice Shy" | — | 8 | — | — | 21 | 20 | 42 | 14 | |||||
| 1987 | "Something About You" | — | 46 | — | 21 | — | — | — | — | |||||
| "Don't Blow a Good Thing" | — | 17 | — | 5 | — | — | — | 89 | ||||||
| "Suddenly It's Magic" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 88 | ||||||
| "You Make Me Want To (Love Again)" | — | 90 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| 1988 | "Sweet, Sweet Love" | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| 1989 | "4 U" | — | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| "Congratulations" | 55 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| "How You Feel" | — | 70 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| 1990 | "I'll Be Good to You"(withNajee) | — | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| 1991 | "Special" | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| "Do Ya" | — | 43 | — | — | — | — | — | 87 | ||||||
| 1993 | "Always" | — | 44 | 27 | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| 1998 | "You Still Do It" | — | — | 31 | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| "Somebody for Me" | — | — | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| 2010 | "Dedicated" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| 2013 | "Better Days" | — | — | 35 | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
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