Deniece Williams (born June Deniece Chandler; June 3, 1950) is an American singer, songwriter and document producer who achieved success within the Seventies and Eighties. Williams is understood for hits similar to “Free” (1976), “Foolish” (1981), “It’s Gonna Take a Miracle” (1982), “Let’s Hear It for the Boy” (1984), and for her duets with Johnny Mathis.
Born in Gary, Indiana, Williams attended Morgan State College in Baltimore, Maryland, within the hopes of changing into a registered nurse and an anesthetist, however dropped out after a 12 months and a half. “It’s important to be a very good scholar to be in school, and I wasn’t.”[1] She additionally carried out on the facet throughout that point. (“I acquired a part-time job singing at a membership, On line casino Royal, and I appreciated it. It was loads of enjoyable.”) Throughout these years Williams labored additionally in a phone firm and as a ward clerk within the Chicago Mercy Hospital.
As Deniece Chandler, she recorded for The Toddlin’ City group of labels and a kind of early data, “I’m Strolling Away”, launched on Toddlin’ City’s Lock Data subsidiary within the late Nineteen Sixties, is a favourite on England’s Northern Soul scene. Within the Seventies she grew to become a backup vocalist for Stevie Surprise as a part of “Wonderlove”.
She left Surprise in 1975 and after signing to Columbia Data, she teamed up with two famed producers: Maurice White of Earth, Wind & Hearth, and his frequent collaborator, Charles Stepney. Her 1976 debut album entitled This Is Niecy was launched. The only “Free” reached No. 2 on the Black Singles chart, No. 25 on the Billboard Scorching 100, and No. 1 on the British Singles chart.
The album additionally featured “Trigger You Love Me Child” (which charted individually on the R&B chart because the flip facet of “Free”) and “That’s What Mates Are For”. She additionally shared a number-one hit on the Billboard Scorching 100 chart with pop singer Johnny Mathis in 1978 with the duet “Too A lot, Too Little, Too Late”.
The duet additionally topped the Black Singles and Grownup Modern charts. Williams additionally topped the dance charts together with her disco single “I’ve Bought the Subsequent Dance”. Mathis and Williams additionally recorded the favored theme to the Eighties sitcom Household Ties, “With out Us”.
Williams moved on to the American Recording Firm (ARC) within the early Eighties the place she scored the highest ten R&B smash hit “Foolish” in 1981. The next 12 months, yet one more famed producer, Thom Bell, helped Williams rating one other number-one R&B chart-topper together with her remake of The Royalettes’ “It’s Gonna Take a Miracle”, which grew to become a Prime 10 pop hit as effectively, reaching No. 10. Wiki
