Booking Deniece Williams

Deniece Williams Biography

The Grammy Award-winning singer Deniece Williams was born in 1950 in Gary, Indiana. William’s rose to fame in the 1980’s for such hits as “Let’s Hear it for the Boy” and “It’s Gonna Take a Miracle,” but long before she entered the music industry she attended Morgan State University in Maryland with aspirations to enter the medical field instead. During her time in college, Deniece performed locally and made some of her earliest recordings, although it wasn’t until the early 1970’s that she garnered her first gig as a backup vocalist for Stevie Wonder.

After leaving Wonder, Williams garnered the attention of Columbia Records and signed her first record deal. Her debut album, This is Niecy, arrived in 1976, and spawned the hit single “Free,” in addition to the songs “That’s What Friends Are For” and “Cause You Love Me Baby.” Shortly after the release of her album, she also recorded “Too Much, Too Little, Too Late,” a duet with Johnny Mathis which reached the top of the charts. Most notably during this time, she and Mathis recorded “Without Us,” the theme to the hit television series, Family Ties.

In the decades following, Deniece Williams released a number of highly successful albums, including: Let’s Hear It For the Boy (1984), So Glad I know (1986), Water Under the Bridge (1987), As Good as It Gets (1988), This is My Song (1998), and Love, Niecy Style (2007.) Notable singles include: “It’s Gonna Take a Miracle,” “Love Won’t Let Me Wait,” “Next Love,” “Black Butterfly,” “Never Say Never,” “I Can’t Wait,” and her biggest hit, “Let’s Hear it for the Boy,” which was featured on the soundtrack for the film Footloose in 1984.

Throughout her career, Deniece Williams has been nominated for twelve Grammy Awards, with four wins in the categories of:  Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, Best Female Gospel Performance, and Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group. Williams continues to perform and record, and has in recent years focused more heavily on gospel as her genre of choice.