Deniece Williams | |
|---|---|
 Williams in 1982 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Niecy Williams |
| Born | June Deniece Chandler (1950-06-03)June 3, 1950 (age 75) Gary, Indiana, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Years active | 1968–present |
| Labels | |
Spouse(s) | |
June Deniece Williams (néeChandler; born June 3, 1950)[1][2][3] is an American singer. She has been described as "one of the greatsoul voices" by theBBC.[4]
She is best known for the songs "Free", "Silly", "It's Gonna Take a Miracle" and twoBillboard Hot 100 No.1 singles "Let's Hear It for the Boy" and "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late" (withJohnny Mathis).
Williams has won fourGrammys with twelve nominations altogether.[5][6] She (with Johnny Mathis) is also known for recording “Without Us”, the theme song ofFamily Ties.
June Deniece Chandler was born and raised inGary,Indiana, United States.[7]
She attendedMorgan State University inBaltimore,Maryland, in the hopes of becoming a registered nurse and an anesthetist, but she dropped out after a year and a half. She recalled, "You have to be a good student to be in college, and I wasn't."[8]
Williams started performing while a college student, "a part-time job singing at a club, Casino Royal, and I liked it. It was a lot of fun."[8] During those years, she also worked at a telephone company and as a ward clerk at theChicago Mercy Hospital.[8]
She recorded for The Toddlin' Town group of labels as Deniece Chandler. One of those early records, "I'm Walking Away", was released on Toddlin's subsidiary Lock Records in the late 1960s, is a favorite on England'sNorthern Soul scene. A brief spell in 1969 with Patti Hamilton'sthe Lovelites resulted in her lead on "I'm Not Like the Others", a track that was eventually released in 1999.[9]
She became abackup vocalist forStevie Wonder as part of "Wonderlove", lending her vocals on his albumsTalking Book,Fulfillingness' First Finale, andSongs in the Key of Life. Williams also appeared onSyreeta Wright's 1974 albumStevie Wonder Presents: Syreeta,Minnie Riperton's 1974 albumPerfect Angel andRoberta Flack's 1975 albumFeel Like Makin' Love and 1977 albumBlue Lights in the Basement.[6]
She left Wonder in 1975 to sign a deal withColumbia Records and Kalimba Productions. Kalimba was a production company started byMaurice White andCharles Stepney. Williams went on to work on her first studio album with both White and Stepney as its producers. Released in August 1976This Is Niecy rose to Nos. 3 and 33 on theTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums andBillboard 200 charts respectively.[10][11][12]This Is Niecy has also been certified Gold in the United States by theRIAA and silver in the UK by theBritish Phonographic Industry.[13][14] An album cut, "Free", got to Nos. 1, 2 & 25 on theUK Singles,Billboard Hot R&B Songs and Hot 100 charts respectively. Another single being "That's What Friends Are For" rose to No. 8 on the UK Singles chart.[15][16][17]
A few months before the release ofThis Is Niecy, Charles Stepney died. White went on to single-handedly produce Williams' second album,Song Bird, released in October 1977.[18] The album rose to No. 23 on theBillboardTop Soul Albums chart.[11] Simon Gage ofThe Daily Express found "Song Bird" "filled with gorgeous songs that showcase her four-octave range to full effect".[19]John Rockwell ofThe New York Times also wrote: "Deniece Williams's “Song Bird” is a most appealing album for anyone who likes varied, skillful and sophisticated singing in the black pop area. One can't be more stylistically precise than that because it is a characteristic of Maurice White's production and Miss Williams's virtuousically diverse singing that her disk ambles all over the stylistic map. But instead of sounding diffuse, it sounds refreshingly varied."[20] A tune from the album called "Baby, Baby My Love's All for You", reached No. 13 on theBillboard Hot Soul Songs chart and No. 32 UK Singles chart.[17][15]
Williams guested on Roberta Flack's 1977 album,Blue Lights in the Basement, and sang along with Maurice White onWeather Report's 1978 album,Mr. Gone.[21][22] Williams also recorded a duet withJohnny Mathis, called "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late" that reached No. 1 on theBillboard Hot 100,Hot Soul Songs andAdult Contemporary Songs charts.[23][16][15]
Williams went on to issue a duet album withJohnny Mathis dubbedThat's What Friends Are For in 1978 on Columbia for Kalimba Productions.[24] Paul Sexton ofRecord Mirror commented "their coupling is quite satisfactory from an artistic point of view."[25] Dennis Hunt of theLos Angeles Times said that "Mathis' duets with Williams have rescued him from the MOR graveyard and given him new life in the pop/R&B market. This album, far superior to the last featuring this pair, brims with romantic material. To make sure no one mistakes these songs for MOR, producer Jack Gold has tacked on sprightly rhythm tracks which turn some of them into gentle rockers."[26]
A cover from the album ofMarvin Gaye andTammi Terrell'sYou're All I Need to Get By peaked at No. 5 on theRPM Canadian Adult Contemporary Songs chart, No. 10 on the USBillboard Hot Soul Singles Chart and No. 16 on theBillboard Adult Contemporary songs chart.[15][23] The LP rose to No. 14 on theBillboard Top Soul Albums chart and No. 19 on theBillboard 200 chart.[12][11] That's What Friends Are For has also been certifiedGold in the US by theRIAA.[27]
William's fourth studio recording,When Love Comes Calling was issued in 1979 byARC Records (ARC), Maurice White'svanity label on Columbia.[28] Connie Johnson of theLos Angeles Times proclaimed "This album (coproduced byRaydio'sRay Parker Jr.), nicely showcases Williams' expressive voice, and those translucent high C's she's capable of reaching."[29] The album rose to No. 27 on theBillboard Top Soul Albums chart.[11] A single from the album, "I've Got the Next Dance", rose to No. 1 on theBillboard Dance/Club Play chart.[30]
Williams issued her follow-up album,My Melody, in 1981 on Columbia/ARC.[31]The Philadelphia Inquirer opined "Although her roots are R&B, Miss Williams transcends easy categorisation with this collection of material and her versatile presentation."Stephen Holden ofThe New York Times also found that "My Melody, Miss Williams's fourth solo album, is an inspired collaboration with Thom Bell, the Philadelphia songwriter and producer whose hits with theStylistics and theSpinners in the early 70's epitomized pop-soul elegance."[32][33] The album rose to No. 13 on theBillboardTop Soul Albums chart.[11] My Melody has been certifiedGold in the US by theRIAA.[34] The single, "Silly", reached No. 11 on theBillboard Hot Soul Songs chart.[15]
Williams issued her follow-up album,Niecy, in 1982 on Columbia/ARC.[35] The album reached No. 5 on theTop Soul Albums chart and No. 20 on theBillboard 200.[11][12] With a B+Robert Christgau of theVillage Voice found "Williams's exquisite clarity and thrilling range have always slotted her among the perfect angels for me, but there's a lot more to her work with Thom Bell, who finally challengesBurt Bacharach on his own turf, applying strings and woodwinds and amplifiers with a deft economy that textures rather than sweetens. And Williams's lyrics, while never startling, become increasingly personal as her professional confidence grows--she's wrinkling her brow more and her nose less." Crispin Cioe ofHigh Fidelity found "as a writer, Williams deals in the unabashedly romantic; as a singer she lends her lines an emotionalism that rings true. In Bell's sympathetically rich arranging/production context small sentiments take on grand proportions, and therein lies the album's charm."[36][37]
A cover ofthe Royalettes' "It's Gonna Take a Miracle" reached No. 1 on theBillboard Hot Soul Songs chart and No. 10 on theBillboard Hot 100 chart.[15][16] Williams and Mathis collaborated once again to record "Without Us" the theme song of the sitcomFamily Ties which debuted in September 1982.[38]
In the Netherlands the album track "It's Your Conscience" had been released as a single. It climbed to No. 15 on theDutch Top 40 charts.[39]
During 1983 she released her seventh studio album,I'm So Proud, which got to No. 10 on theBillboard Top R&B Albums chart. Connie Johnson of theLos Angeles Times wrote: "The album works due to fresh-sounding, quality material. This is black pop at its most enterprising." I'm So Proud was also nominated for a Grammy in theBest R&B Vocal Performance, Female category.[40][5][12] During 1984, Williams released her follow up albumLet's Hear It for the Boy. This album reached No. 26 on the USBillboard 200 Albums chart and No. 10 on the USBillboard Top R&B/Hop-Hop Albums chart.[11][12] The title track reached No. 1 on theBillboard Hot 100, Hot Soul Songs and Dance Club Play Songs charts.[15][30][16] The hit single was eventually certified Platinum in the US by the RIAA, Gold in Canada by Music Canada and Gold the UK by the BPI.[41][42] Additionally, the song was featured on the soundtrack to the feature filmFootloose. She later guested onJohnny Mathis' 1984 albumA Special Part of Me, Stevie Wonder's 1985 LP,In Square Circle andJames Taylor's 1985 albumThat's Why I'm Here.[6]
Although Williams had recorded one inspirational song on almost each of her mainstream albums, it was in 1980 that her musical career path began to change favoring Gospel music. Williams joined with friendsPhilip Bailey ofEarth, Wind & Fire fame,Billy Davis andMarilyn McCoo to present a gospel show atThe Roxy, a popular Los Angeles club: "Jesus at the Roxy". Williams later reported that "God did something miraculous. Over three hundred people were saved."[43] In 1985, at the27th Annual Grammy Awards, Williams sang ana cappella version of her 1977 composition "God Is Amazing", a Gospel song, rather than her No. 1 song "Let's Hear It for the Boy", much to her record company's disdain.[44]
During 1986, her first gospel studio album,So Glad I Know, was released onSparrow Records,[7] and got to No. 6 on theBillboard Top Christian Albums chart and was nominated forBest Gospel Performance, Female Grammy. "They Say", a duet withSandi Patti, Williams won theGrammy Award for Best Gospel Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group, Choir or Chorus and for "I Surrender All", she won theGrammy Award for Best Soul Gospel Performance, Female.[45][44][5]
During 1987 she released her tenth studio album,Water Under the Bridge, which rose to No. 39 on theBillboard Top R&B Albums chart. "Never Say Never" reached No. 6 on theBillboard Hot R&B Songs chart and No. 23 on theBillboardDance Club Songs chart.[6][11][15][30]
A year later she released her follow-up studio album,As Good As It Gets, which rose to No. 48 on theBillboard Top R&B Albums chart. "I Can't Wait" charted at No. 8 on theBillboard Hot R&B Songs chart. Another single, "This Is as Good as It Gets", rose to No. 29 on theBillboard Hot R&B Songs chart.[6][11][15]
During 1989, she issued her second Gospel albumSpecial Love.[46]That album reached No. 11 on theBillboard Top Christian Albums chart.[45]
Williams went on to appear onNancy Wilson's 1990 LPA Lady with a Song,George Duke's 1992 albumSnapshot,Stevie Wonder's 1995 LPConversation Peace, andSpyro Gyra's 1995 albumLove & Other Obsessions. During 1999 she released another Gospel album,This Is My Song, onHarmony Records. The album rose to No. 14 on theBillboardTop Gospel Albums chart.This Is My Song also won aGrammy Award for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album.[6][47][5]
In April 2007 she later released another studio album entitledLove, Niecy Style, produced by Philly Soul veteranBobby Eli, on Shanachie Records.[8][48] Love, Niecy Style rose to No. 41 on theBillboard R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart.[11] On October 13, 2007, Williams performed in her hometown of Gary, Indiana at the re-opening of the historic Glen Theater.[49] Williams was thereafter recognized by Indiana State RepresentativeVernon G. Smith as an Outstanding Hoosier.[50]
In October 2007 Williams went on to issue a single called, "Grateful: The Rededication", with Wanda Vaughn ofThe Emotions and Sherree Brown. The single got to No. 40 on theBillboardAdult R&B Songs chart.[51]
On April 29, 2008, Williams announced that she was preparing a proposal to establish a program called KOP—Kids of Promise—in her hometown ofGary, Indiana. Williams said the program would include a center with classes and programs dedicated to education and the performing arts.[52] On June 27, 2010, Williams performed "Silly" withMonica at theBET Awards.[53] As well in June 2011, Williams featured onUnsung,TV One's musical biography show.[54]
She later guested onCliff Richard's 2011 albumSoulicious.[55]
In the fall of 2020 she released a new single called "When You Love Somebody".[56] This was followed by a new EP titledGemini, released in the fall of 2021.[57] On June 30, 2021, she was honored as one of the first ever inductees into the Women Songwriters Hall of Fame. Williams was, on May 16, 2023, also bestowed with the keys to the city ofKingston, Jamaica.[58][59][60]
In August 2025, Williams returned to Gary, Indiana, with her four sons for the dedication of a mural in her honor. Painted by Max Sansing and entitled "Songbird," it is at the corner of 25th Avenue and Broadway.[61]
Williams appeared in the 2004 holiday movieChristmas Child. During December 2005 she appeared on the reality-dating showElimidate as part of their "Celebrity Week".[50]
Deniece Williams has a four-octave range and distinctive soprano voice.[62] Her vocal range was also pointed out byThe New York Times, "Miss Williams mounted a spectacular vocal display in which her penetrating, felinesoprano soared effortlessly to E flat above high C, and she worked various vowel sounds into prolonged feats of vocal gymnastics."[63] In pointing to Williams's similar vocal ability as her former musical colleague (Minnie Riperton), Mark Anthony Neal, in referencingJill Scott's agility in displaying vocal acrobatics, states, "Scott draws on her upper register recalling the artistry of the late Minnie Riperton and "songbird" Deniece Williams."[64] According to Monica Haynes of thePittsburgh Post-Gazette, Williams "has the kind of range that would makeMariah Carey quiver".[65]
Williams has been married three times and has four sons. Williams was married to her middle school sweetheart Kendrick Williams from 1971 until 1975, before she relocated to California in the early 1970s. She has since continued to use her first husband's surname professionally. Together they had two sons, Kendrick Jr. (b. 1972) and Kevin (b. 1973). In May 1981, Williams married actor and minister Christipher Joy. Williams and Joy separated in August 1982,[66] divorcing later that year.[67] From 1986 until 1993, Williams was married to Brad Westering,[68] with whom she had two sons: Forrest (b. 1988)[69] and Logan.
TheGrammy Awards are awarded annually by theNational Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Williams has received four awards out of thirteen nominations.[5]
| Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Best Female R&B Vocal Performance | "It's Gonna Take a Miracle" | Nominated |
| 1984 | I'm So Proud | Nominated | |
| 1984 | Best Inspirational Performance | "Whiter Than Snow" | Nominated |
| 1985 | Best Female Pop Vocal Performance | "Let's Hear It for the Boy" | Nominated |
| Best Female R&B Vocal Performance | Let's Hear It for the Boy | Nominated | |
| 1987 | Best Female Gospel Performance | So Glad I Know | Nominated |
| Best Female Soul Gospel Performance | "I Surrender All" | Won | |
| Best Duo or Group Gospel Performance | "They Say"(withSandi Patti) | Won | |
| 1988 | Best Female Gospel Performance | "I Believe in You" | Won |
| 1989 | "Do You Hear What I Hear?" | Nominated | |
| 1990 | "Healing" | Nominated | |
| Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group | "We Sing Praises"(withNatalie Cole) | Nominated | |
| 1999 | Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album | This Is My Song | Won |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
