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| Lenny Williams |
| Lenny Williams |
| As with many of secular music's greatest singers they often have a deeply religious background. Usually it's the disco divas that are born in the church musically, every now and then a male artist will emerge from the church to have a profound impact on secular music, Leonard Charles Williams is one of those. Born in Little Rock Arkansas on February 6, 1945 he escaped the racially charged south at the age of one to be brought up in the diverse Oakland California area. Lenny's uncle was Bishop Charles Harrison Mason, founder of the Church of God in Christ (America's leading black Pentecostal church), so naturally church was an important part of his life from the beginning. In fact Williams studied to become a minister, while also singing in the church choir. Upon graduation from high school Lenny took on a series of odd jobs while at the same time discovering the wonderful world of secular music, particularly the emerging Motown sound. Between 1963 and 1968 he worked his odd jobs and honed his singing talent by entering a series of local talent contests, often winning them. In 1968 local Berkley record company Fantasy Records offered him a contract. Fantasy was on the cusp of success with Creedence Clearwater Revival and Lenny's singles, "Lisa's Gone" and "Feelin' Blue," did not have the benefit of proper promotion and only achieved marginal regional success. Williams was then signed to Atlantic Records by Jerry Wexler and recorded a version of the Thom Bell/Linda Creed gem "People Make The World Go Round." Williams' version might have been a hit, unfortunately the Stylistics' famous version came out as a single first and soared to the top of the charts before Atlantic had a chance to release Williams' version. Undaunted Lenny continued singing and took up songwriting with yet-to-be famous crooner Larry Graham. In 1972 he was hired as the new lead singer of Tower of Power. Because the band's previous lead singer, Rick Stevens had recently been convicted of murder, a replacement was needed and Lenny was the perfect candidate. Williams' years with Tower of Power established him as a big name in soul and funk and he became famous for his lead vocals on major hits like "What Is Hip?," "Don't Change Horses (In The Middle Of A Stream)," "This Time It's Real," and the ballad "So Very Hard To Go." But while Tower of Power was a big break for Williams, he only stuck around for three years. With a yearning for a solo career Warner Brothers allowed him to release a solo effort ("Lenny Williams") in 1974 but failed to promote it and it went largely unnoticed. The with his early rememberances of discovering secular music at the rise of Motown he signed with that label for a disasterous release. 1975's "Rise Sleeping Beauty" featured nine Williams co-penned tracks and only "Since I Met You" caused any action. Lenny and Motown soon parted ways and Lenny faultered for nearly two years. In 1977 his luck, fortunes and chart action changed when he signed with ABC Records. "Choosing You" was released in July of that year and immediately started selling. Radio picked up on "Shoo Doo Fu Fu Ooh!" while a 12" single of "Choosing You" shot up the club charts. A second issue of the 12" of "Choosing You" included "Please Don't Tempt Me" on it's b-side and helped the album sell nearly 500,000 copies. No doubt his talent was there but a large part of the success of the album goes to producer Frank Wilson, the man that had brought the Ross-less Supremes to the top of the charts a few years earlier. With his success on the R&B charts and in the clubs cemented, ABC issued his second album the following year. "Spark Of Love" was once again a Frank Wilson production but this time he would strike gold. Two industrial strength disco 12" singles powered the release. Both "You Got Me Running" and "Midnight Girl" have since become sought after classics, while the overlooked "Free Fall (Into Love)" could have easily been a third 12" single. Easily the best album he has ever done, fortunately it was re-issued on compact disc in 1995. ABC Records was going through financial problems and was sold to MCA Records in 1979. Lenny's next two albums, 1979's "Love Current" and 1980's "Let's Do It Today" would be released on MCA. Both albums were Frank Wilson productions but somehow the magic was gone. One 12" single, "Doing The Loop De Loop," made a few ripples but otherwise the albums came up hitless. MCA dropped him in 1980 and Williams took time off to tend to his real estate investments and contemplated giving up signing altogether. In 1984 he was coaxed back into the studio by Rocshire Records to record the album "Changing." The label had a 12" single hit the year earlier with Cee Farrow's "Should I Love You" but really didn't have the funds or contacts to promote any release properly. Another move two years later, to yet another tiny label, saw Williams release another great underated album, this time 1986's "New Episode" for Knobhill. The label was distributed by Fantasy and he managed a minor hit with "Ten Ways Of Loving You." In 1990 he signed with Krush Groove Records and recorded the album "Layin' In Wait" which produced the soul hit "Gotta Let Luv." Living a relaxed life that is puncuated with the occassional performance and the all too few releases he next appeared on the Bellmark label with a stunning collection of recordings in 1995. Among his stellar performances were his takes on the hits "Sara Smile," "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now" and "Drifting." The "Chillin' " disc shows a mature artist well in control of his talent and at his prime. In 2000 he signed with the rejuvenated Volt label and released "Love Therapy" to critical acclaim. His most recent release is 2004's "My Way." The quiet storm disc proves that Lenny can still sing his head off and heart out. Though he no longer tackles disco we still honor our man for his timeless contributions to the era and for remaining a top notch vocalist. |
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