Alyson Williams

An immensely gifted singer equally at home with new jack swing material and classic soul ballads, Alyson Williams hovered near the brink of major success for some time. Born to trumpeter and bandleader Bobby Booker, she supplied backing vocals for Curtis Hairston, Melba Moore, B.B. & Q., Ca$hflow, Unlimited Touch, Bobby Brown, and Barbara Mitchell, then became a member of High Fashion in 1982. After also performing with the Affair, Williams launched her solo career in 1986 via a version of the Pointer Sisters’ “Yes We Can Can.” Signing with Def Jam the following year, she solidified her standing among urban listeners through the intense collaboration “Make You Mine Tonight” alongside Chuck Stanley. Another duet, “How to Love Again,” paired her with Oran “Juice” Jones and appeared on his album G.T.O.: Gangsters Takin’ Over. Her first Def Jam project, Raw, arrived in 1989; that same year she recorded a further duet with Tashan, and the two subsequently toured England. In 1991 she issued a self-titled album on the OBR/Columbia imprint, after which no further releases followed.