Vesta Williams

Vesta stood out for her commanding, full-throated presence among R&B vocalists. Born Mary Vesta Williams, she grew up after her family relocated from Ohio to Los Angeles during the 1960s, prompted by her father’s work as a disc jockey. She and her sisters performed on the television program Jack and Jill under the name The Williams Sisters. In 1977 she moved back to Ohio and joined her cousin’s band in Dayton, yet soon returned to Los Angeles to pursue a solo path. Ron Townsend, once of the Fifth Dimension, brought her into the group Wild Honey, while her session and touring credits accumulated with Bobby Womack, Chaka Khan, Commodores, Jermaine Jackson, Ray Parker, Jr., Anita Baker, Stephanie Mills, and others. She contributed to the original recording of Joe Sample’s “The Survivor” and encountered producer David Crawford during her time with his ensemble Klique. Crawford submitted her recordings to A&M, which offered her a solo deal. Her 1986 single “Once Bitten Twice Shy” reached the Top Ten on the R&B chart. She stayed with the label until 1993 and logged four more Top Ten R&B entries: “Sweet, Sweet Love,” “4 U,” “Congratulations,” and “Special.” Afterward she released music only occasionally on her own, served as host of a morning radio program in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, and kept performing live. An enlarged heart led to her death on September 22, 2011.