Viola Wills
Encyclopedia
Viola Wills was an American
pop
singer, best known for the 1979 UK Singles Chart
#8 and U.S. Hot Dance Club Play
#52 hit
, "Gonna Get Along Without You Now
". Other hits included further covers of the song
s, "Both Sides Now
" (#35 UK) (1986), and "If You Could Read My Mind
" (#2 U.S. Hot Dance Club Play) (1980).
district of South Los Angeles
, Wills was already married from her teens and was the mother of six children before the age of 21 when, in 1965, she was discovered by Barry White
who signed her to Bronco Records and renamed her with the shorter stage surname
of Wills. She started her career at the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music and, over the following years, in addition to working with White, also performed with Joe Cocker
, Smokey Robinson
and many other established recording artists of the era. It was while working in London
as one of Cocker's backing vocalists (dubbed the "Sanctified Sisters") that she worked on and released her solo debut album
of self-penned originals titled Soft Centers, backed by Cocker's session players.
of "Gonna Get Along Without You Now" (the song's release date was May 14, 1979) which started a string of dance
hits
and Wills' subsequent title of a "disco
diva
". Determined to have a career writing and singing her own songs, Wills recorded and charted
her first original hit "Dare To Dream", followed by her version of "Both Sides Now" in London. All three of the songs would land Wills in the Guinness Book of Records. In 1982 her cover of "Stormy Weather" hit #4 in the U.S.
Hot Dance Club Play chart.
Eventually Wills took a break and returned to America
to work on a college degree in music therapy
. During this period she wrote and produced her one-woman show 'Willspower'. Also, by this time she had divorced her first husband and, around 1982, married Robert Ashmun with whom, in 1983, she formed the record label RVA (Robert Viola Ashmun) and used it to release a number of songs, including "Wall", "Space" and "If These Walls Could Speak".
A demand for 1980s music brought Wills back to Europe. With this new commitment she formed a new band and created her own unique style of music
"Jazzspel", a mix of jazz
and gospel
. Most of the band members were graduates of Brighton University. Some of the UK
venues Wills has appeared on, or at, were Top of The Pops
(October 11, 1979), Pebble Mill, Soul Train
(October 30, 1971 [Season 1, Episode 5] where she performed the song "Sweetback"), Later... with Jools Holland, Ronnie Scott
's, Never Mind the Buzzcocks
(February 17, 2003 [Season 12, Episode 7]) and a residency at Joogleberry Playhouse in Brighton
.
Although Wills did not have a mainstream U.S. hit, she was popular among the nation's gay
community and her singles
are popular in dance clubs
and a number of her recordings
are found in various compilations
, including "No News Is News", "A House Is Not a Home
", "If You Could Read My Mind", "Up On The Roof", "Love Pains
", "Let's Love Now", "Take One Step Forward" (by Wills and Noel McCalla
), and "Always Something There to Remind Me". Her vocals also featured on My Friend Sam's 1992 house
track "It's My Pleasure" which later appeared on the seminal Renaissance: The Mix Collection album.
Wills died of cancer
on May 6, 2009 in Phoenix, Arizona
. Her funeral was held at the Macedonia Abbey Baptist Church in Los Angeles on May 15, 2009.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
singer, best known for the 1979 UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
#8 and U.S. Hot Dance Club Play
Hot Dance Club Play
The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...
#52 hit
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
, "Gonna Get Along Without You Now
Gonna Get Along without Ya Now
"Gonna Get Along Without Ya Now" is a popular song written by Milton Kellem, and published in 1951. Originally written in English, has been done in several styles and tempos....
". Other hits included further covers of the song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
s, "Both Sides Now
Both Sides Now (song)
"Both Sides, Now" is a single by Joni Mitchell. Her recording first appeared on the album Clouds, released in 1969. She re-recorded the song in a jazz style for the album of the same name, released in 2000....
" (#35 UK) (1986), and "If You Could Read My Mind
If You Could Read My Mind (song)
"If You Could Read My Mind" is a song by Canadian singer/songwriter Gordon Lightfoot. It reached number one on Canadian music charts and was his first recording to appear on the American music charts, reaching number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in January 1971. Later in the year, it...
" (#2 U.S. Hot Dance Club Play) (1980).
Early career
Born Viola Mae Wilkerson in the WattsWatts, Los Angeles, California
Watts is a mostly residential neighborhood in South Los Angeles, California.-History:The area now known as Watts is located on the Rancho La Tajauta Mexican land grant...
district of South Los Angeles
South Los Angeles
South Los Angeles, often abbreviated as South L.A. and formerly South Central Los Angeles, is the official name for a large geographic and cultural portion lying to the southwest and southeast of downtown Los Angeles, California. The area was formerly called South Central, and is still widely known...
, Wills was already married from her teens and was the mother of six children before the age of 21 when, in 1965, she was discovered by Barry White
Barry White
Barry White, born Barry Eugene Carter , was an American composer and singer-songwriter.A five-time Grammy Award-winner known for his distinctive bass voice and romantic image, White's greatest success came in the 1970s as a solo singer and with the Love Unlimited Orchestra, crafting many enduring...
who signed her to Bronco Records and renamed her with the shorter stage surname
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
of Wills. She started her career at the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music and, over the following years, in addition to working with White, also performed with Joe Cocker
Joe Cocker
John Robert "Joe" Cocker, OBE is an English rock and blues musician, composer and actor, who came to popularity in the 1960s, and is most known for his gritty voice, his idiosyncratic arm movements while performing, and his cover versions of popular songs, particularly those of The Beatles...
, Smokey Robinson
Smokey Robinson
William "Smokey" Robinson, Jr. is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. Robinson is one of the primary figures associated with Motown, second only to the company's founder, Berry Gordy...
and many other established recording artists of the era. It was while working in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
as one of Cocker's backing vocalists (dubbed the "Sanctified Sisters") that she worked on and released her solo debut album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
of self-penned originals titled Soft Centers, backed by Cocker's session players.
Later career
Wills' first major break into the mainstream came in 1979 with her cover versionCover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of "Gonna Get Along Without You Now" (the song's release date was May 14, 1979) which started a string of dance
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
hits
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
and Wills' subsequent title of a "disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
diva
Diva
A diva is a celebrated female singer. The term is used to describe a woman of outstanding talent in the world of opera, and, by extension, in theatre, cinema and popular music. The meaning of diva is closely related to that of "prima donna"....
". Determined to have a career writing and singing her own songs, Wills recorded and charted
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
her first original hit "Dare To Dream", followed by her version of "Both Sides Now" in London. All three of the songs would land Wills in the Guinness Book of Records. In 1982 her cover of "Stormy Weather" hit #4 in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Hot Dance Club Play chart.
Eventually Wills took a break and returned to America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to work on a college degree in music therapy
Music therapy
Music therapy is an allied health profession and one of the expressive therapies, consisting of an interpersonal process in which a trained music therapist uses music and all of its facets—physical, emotional, mental, social, aesthetic, and spiritual—to help clients to improve or maintain their...
. During this period she wrote and produced her one-woman show 'Willspower'. Also, by this time she had divorced her first husband and, around 1982, married Robert Ashmun with whom, in 1983, she formed the record label RVA (Robert Viola Ashmun) and used it to release a number of songs, including "Wall", "Space" and "If These Walls Could Speak".
A demand for 1980s music brought Wills back to Europe. With this new commitment she formed a new band and created her own unique style of music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
"Jazzspel", a mix of jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
. Most of the band members were graduates of Brighton University. Some of the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
venues Wills has appeared on, or at, were Top of The Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
(October 11, 1979), Pebble Mill, Soul Train
Soul Train
Soul Train is an American musical variety show that aired in syndication from October 1971 to March 2006. In its 35-year history, the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists, although funk, jazz, disco, and gospel artists have also appeared.As a nod to Soul Trains...
(October 30, 1971 [Season 1, Episode 5] where she performed the song "Sweetback"), Later... with Jools Holland, Ronnie Scott
Ronnie Scott
Ronnie Scott was an English jazz tenor saxophonist and jazz club owner.-Life and career:Ronnie Scott was born in Aldgate, east London, into a family of Russian Jewish descent on his father's side, and Portuguese antecedents on his mother's. Scott began playing in small jazz clubs at the age of...
's, Never Mind the Buzzcocks
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
Never Mind the Buzzcocks is a comedy panel game television show with a pop music theme, currently without a permanent presenter. It stars Phill Jupitus and Noel Fielding as team captains. The show is produced by Talkback Thames for the BBC, and is usually aired on BBC Two...
(February 17, 2003 [Season 12, Episode 7]) and a residency at Joogleberry Playhouse in Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
.
Although Wills did not have a mainstream U.S. hit, she was popular among the nation's gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
community and her singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
are popular in dance clubs
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
and a number of her recordings
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
are found in various compilations
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
, including "No News Is News", "A House Is Not a Home
A House Is Not a Home
A House Is Not a Home may refer to:*A House Is Not a Home , a 1953 autobiography by Polly Adler*A House Is Not a Home , a 1964 American film...
", "If You Could Read My Mind", "Up On The Roof", "Love Pains
Love Pains
"Love Pains" is a dance song written by Michael Price, Dan Walsh, Steve Barri and originally recorded by Yvonne Elliman in 1979.-Yvonne Elliman version:...
", "Let's Love Now", "Take One Step Forward" (by Wills and Noel McCalla
Noel McCalla
Noel McCalla is a British rock singer. He was the lead vocalist for the rock group Manfred Mann's Earth Band from 1991 until September 2009, when his mutually accepted departure was announced...
), and "Always Something There to Remind Me". Her vocals also featured on My Friend Sam's 1992 house
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
track "It's My Pleasure" which later appeared on the seminal Renaissance: The Mix Collection album.
Wills died of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
on May 6, 2009 in Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
. Her funeral was held at the Macedonia Abbey Baptist Church in Los Angeles on May 15, 2009.
External links
- [ Viola Wills biography at Allmusic.com]
- Viola Wills discography at Discogs.com
- Nascent fan page for Viola Wills