Lenny Williams
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| Lenny Williams | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Leonard Charles Williams |
| Born | February 16, 1945 Little Rock, Arkansas, United States |
| Genres | Soul music R&B Jazz |
| Occupations | Singer, musician |
| Instruments | Vocals, trumpet |
| Years active | 1974–present |
| Labels | Fantasy LenTom ABC MCA Warner Bros., Expansion Records |
| Associated acts | Tower of Power |
| Website | LennyWilliams.com |
Leonard Charles "Lenny" Williams (born February 16, 1945, Little Rock, Arkansas)[1] is an American singer known for his work in the R&B and soul music genres. During the 1970s, he was the lead vocalist for Tower of Power. As a soloist, he made several hit recordings, including 1977's Choosing You and 1978's Cause I Love You.
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[edit] Early life and career
Williams moved to Oakland, California at a young age. Learning to play the trumpet in elementary school fueled his interest in music; his skills as a vocalist were first nurtured by singing in gospel choirs and groups around the Bay Area. He worked with several notable artists, such as Sly Stone, Andraé Crouch, Billy Preston and members of the Hawkins family, Edwin, Walter and Tramaine.
[edit] Professional recordings
After winning several local talent contests, Williams signed his first recording contract with Fantasy Records. He cut two singles for the label including "Lisa’s Gone" and "Feelin Blue", written by John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival. In 1972, Williams joined the emerging funk band Tower of Power. A string of hits followed, including "So Very Hard To Go", "Don't Change Horses (In The Middle Of The Stream)" and "Luvin You", written by Williams and Johnny "Guitar" Watson. During his two years with the group, Williams participated in three albums: Back To Oakland, Urban Renewal and the gold LP Tower Of Power. Williams and Tower of Power toured throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia.
[edit] Solo works
At the end of 1975, Williams returned to his solo projects. Initially signing with Motown Records in 1975, he later moved to ABC Records in 1977 (which was then purchased by MCA Records in 1979). Over the next four years. He scored ten chart hits, including “Shoo Doo FuFu Ooh”, "Choosing You”, “You Got Me Running”, “Love Hurt Me Love Healed Me”, and “Midnight Girl”. Williams recorded four more albums from 1977 to 1980: Choosing You, his first gold LP; Spark Of Love (contains Cause I Love You); Love Current; and Let’s Do It Today.
After leaving MCA, Williams recorded for the independent record labels, Rockshire and Knobhill. In 1986, he was invited to sing vocals on "Don't Make Me Wait For Love" a track from Duo Tones, a multi-platinum recording by Kenny G. The song became a Top 20 Billboard Hot 100 and R&B hit the following year.
His 1978 hit song "Cause I Love You" was sampled by Havoc of Mobb Deep for the track"Nothing Like Home", and by Kanye West for the songs "Overnight Celebrity" by Twista and "I Got A Love" by Jin. The track was sampled a fourth time in 2007 by Scarface for his single "Girl You Know" featuring Trey Songz and a fifth time by Young Jeezy for his single "I Do" featuring Jay-Z and Andre 3000
According to lennywilliams.com, over the past few years, Lenny has continued his solo career, touring the US, Europe and South Africa. He has recently shared stages with Aretha Franklin, The Whispers, Rick James, Boney James, Bobby Womack, Ohio Players, Al Green, Usher, K-Ci and JoJo, Alicia Keyes, Anthony Hamilton and Frankie Beverly and Maze. Lenny has also expanded his multi-dimensional career to include acting, starring in several stages plays "Love On Lay Away" starring Deborah Cox, actor Mel Jackson and Martha Wash. He also appeared in "What Men Don't Tell" starring Kenny Latimore, Shante Moore and Dottie Peoples the hit stage play "When A Woman's Fed Up". As an icon of the past and the present, Lenny Williams continues to expand his musical prowess and flex his newly found acting skills. He is sure to continue wowing his fans in the United States and beyond for decades to come. Lenny Williams is continuing to inspire the younger generation.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Studio albums
- 1974: Pray For The Lion (Warner Bros. Records)
- 1975: Rise Sleeping Beauty (Motown Records)
- 1977: Choosing You (ABC Records)
- 1978: Spark of Love (ABC Records)
- 1979: Love Current (MCA Records)
- 1980: Let's Do It Today (MCA Records)
- 1981: Taking Chances (MCA Records)
- 1984: Changing (Rocshire Records)
- 1986: New Episode (Knobhill Records)
- 1989: Layin' In Wait (K-Tel Records)
- 1996: Chill (Bellmark Records)
- 1996: Here's To The Lady (Universal Special Products)
- 2000: Love Therapy (Volt Records)
- 2004: My Way (Thump Records)
- 2007: It Must Be Love (LenTom Records)
- 2009: Unfinished Business (Lentom Records)
[edit] Compilation albums
- 1993: Ooh Child (MCA Special Products)
- 2002: Ten Ways of Lovin' You (Volt Records)
- 2008: You Won My Heart (Crush Records)
[edit] References
- ^ Williams, Lenny. "Lennywilliams.com". http://www.lennywilliams.com/biography.html. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
