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Deniece Williams (born Deniece Chandler on June 3, 1951 in Gary, Indiana) is an African-American singer and songwriter who acheived success in the 1970s and 1980s. Williams, whose music has been influenced by Pop, Soul, Gospel, R&B and dance, is most known for her coloratura, which frequently access the whistle register, and hits such as "Let's Hear It For The Boys" and "Silly". She is also the mother of R&B and rap producer Jazze Pha.

William's career began in the 1970s when she bacame a backup vocalist for Stevie Wonder, who was the opening act for The Rolling Stones at the time, and Minnie Riperton. She left Wonder in 1975 and teamed up with producer Maurice White, who was the leader of Earth, Wind & Fire. After signing to Columbia Records, her debut album entitled This Is Niecey was released. Hits included "Free", which reached number two on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. The album also featured "Cause You Love Me Baby" and "That's What Friends Are For." She also shared a #1 hit on the Billboard Pop Charts with Johnny Mathis in 1978 with "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late".

Williams moved on to the American Recording Company (ARC) in the early 1980s where she scored the top ten smash hit "Silly." In 1982, famed producer Thom Bell helped Williams to reach number one with "It's Gonna Take a Miracle." In 1984 Williams recorded the number one hit "Let's Hear It for the Boy", which is featured on the Footloose soundtrack. In 1984, Williams released the gospel album From the Beginning on Sparrow Records. It spawned the Grammy Award-winning single "They Say." That year, she also won a Grammy for "I Surrender".

Williams has continued releasing since the 1980s; Hot On The Trail, 1986, Water Under The Bridge (which featured her final hit song 'Never Say Never' in 1987, and As Good As It Gets, 1988. However, partly due to a lack of promotion from her record company, her mainstream popularity faded.

Reference

• Deniece Williams
• Biography

See also

• List of number-one hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (US)
• List of number-one dance hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart

• 1950 births
• Female singers
• R&B musicians
• African American musicians
• Whistle register singers