ViolaWills

Viola
Wills

   I would like to preface this bio with my personal side-note. I had the opportunity to work with Viola on several occasions, beginning in 1980. The first time we worked together she was just beginning to experience the success of "If You Could Read My Mind" she was charming and gracious. Our next encounter was during her "Stormy Weather" period and there was a marked difference in her demeanor and attitude, by the time of our last show together in 1984 I found her to be quite unpleasant. After originally writing this bio and posting it on the original site, Viola contacted me. We exchanged several e-mails and I found out that the charming and gracious Viola that I first met was still there. Seems that she, like all of us, went through some difficult things. I believe that her marriage to Robert Ashmun at the time was responsible for the marked difference in her demeanor. In any event the Viola Wills that audiences grew to love is alive and well and still a gracious and charming person.
     Viola Mae Wilkerson was born in the Watts section of Los Angeles, California. Mrs. Fannie Mae Smith, her church choir leader, was her first musical accompanist and teacher. Impressed by her singing skills, Mrs.Smith helped her to win a scholarship to the Los Angeles Conservatory of Music at the precocious age of eight. Her cousins Everett and Earl talked her into joining her first singing group while still in her teens.
     Viola married and had six children before embarking on a serious career. Her first gigs were under the moniker of Dwellyn O’Day. While working during the day at a snack bar in the L.A.X. airport, she would often ask for professional advice from stars like Milton Berle and Bing Crosby who would pass through. Changing her name she performed at night in and around the L.A. club scene. Until another cousin, Esther Ray Potts, introduced her to a fledgling musician.
     A pre-stardom Barry White began using Viola as a session vocalist on sides that he produced for Bob Keane's Bronco/Mustang labels. In 1965, A&R director White signed Wills to Bronco as a solo artist. She recorded several sides for the label; most notably “Lost Without The Love Of My Guy.” She used this minor success to land more personal appearances, appearing alongside newcomers like the “5th Dimension” at a local DJ, Hunter Hancock’s, “Record Hop.”
     A chance meeting with James Gadsen, of the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band, in 1969 leads to her recording a single for the A Bem Soul label, "Sweetback" that also failed to hit. It did get her started in songwriting and landed her a spot on Don Cornelius’s “Soul Train” in the middle of acts like Bill Withers and Al Green. With James’ help she learned to write more commercial songs and would eventually record one of them “Got To Be My Baby,” she then formed her own publishing company, Meam music.
     It was James' involvement that led to a meeting with Gloria Jones, a Motown artist and songwriter. Gloria invited Viola to join her singing group who were later to become the Sanctified Sisters. Their first tour was with Joe Cocker in 1974 with Viola replacing Claudia Linnear. After touring with Joe Cocker and the Sanctified Sisters, Viola was asked to do her first solo album, "Soft Centers," by Nigel Thomas, of Good Ear Records. The album consisted of only Viola's original songs.With her own solo album to promote, she left the Joe Cocker entourage and started doing promotion on her album in England and became immersed in the club scene and doing television in various parts of Europe.
     During this time she became a part of a local London band “Gonzales” and in 1975 she recorded one album with them, "Our Only Weapon Is Our Music," the group would later score a major disco hit of their own with "Haven't Stopped Dancin' Yet." She eventually formed her own band and worked in various London venues. She also recorded a one-shot album with a rock band, Snafu, "All Funked Up" which received a luke-warm reception.
     Still looking for a chart hit she managed to bring her now teenaged children, the Iveys, to London, set-up housekeeping, get married to her manager Stuart Lyon and form a family act with her boys. Stuart, a London promoter, managed to keep the family act working, opening for acts such as Johnny Nash, Smokey Robinson, George Benson, the Crusaders and others. While in London, her eldest son Vincent, who was in the Army, made Viola a grandmother.
     The work begins to slow and jobs are few and far between. Her marriage fell apart and one by one her children strike out on their own. Her remaining sons, Anthony, Christopher, and David eventually obtained a record deal with London producer George Hargreaves as The Iveys. Her daughter Regina got married and presented her with a second grandchild. While Christopher got married in London and a third grandchild was soon on the way.
     She began recording music with various producers, then she was introduced to Jerry McCabe, Dennis Bovil, Nick Straker, Phil Towner and John Kpiaye. She reluctantly agreeed to record a cover version of "Gonna Get Along Without You Now." One of the songs she recorded in France during this period was “Don’t Stop The Train” as part of an album for producer Yves Dessca.
     In an effort to keep up an income she accepted a tour from Johnny Tabla, a New Zealand club owner. One day after a long night on stage she was awakened by a phone call from London. That phone call was the beginning of one of the biggest phases of her career. The news was that Viola had a hit (Finally!) on her hands. McCabe had sold the rights to "Gonna Get Along Without You Now" to the American-based Sugarhill Records. The 12" was racing up the club charts and demand for a follow-up was strong. Viola and the original team from that session rejoined to record an album's worth of material. Hansa/Ariola licensed the tracks to their American counterpart Ariola/America for release.
     "If You Could Read My Mind" was released in America in early 1980. The album's unusually short tracks proved to be a stumbling block to it's initial success. After a Disconet Remix is done on the title track, sales skyrocket for the album and the title track gives her the biggest hit of her career. The album consists of mainly covers and the second 12" single, "Up On The Roof" continues her blockbuster streak. The album is oddly missing "Gonna Get Along Without You Now" and the B-side of "If You Could Read My Mind," a late night classic in it's own right, "Somebody's Eyes."
     At this point a few bad luck things happen, first she is "robbed" of another hit when Yves Dessca replaces her vocals with those of Phyllis Nelson on the musical tracks to "Don't Stop The Train." Phyllis' reading of the lyrics are so close to Viola's that many speculate that it is indeed Viola. And secondly Ariola/America shuts it's doors while the album was still a hot item cancelling any further releases from it.
     Her next release was a cover of the Chicago (group) classic "If You Leave Me Now" in 1981 followed by a second 12" single of "The More I See You" in 1982, both for the soon-to-be defunct label Perfect. The summer of 1982 saw her once again on yet another small label, this time Sunergy, which released her all-time biggest hit, "Stormy Weather." An import remix of "Secret Love" on Hansa/Ariola found it's way to the U.S. in 1982 and a Unigram Records remix of "Always Something There To Remind Me" in 1983, both were from the "If You Could Read My Mind" album.
     By 1983 Viola had remarried, to Robert Ashmun, and had relocated to Minnetonka, Minnesota. Her next release was for her own label. RVA Records (Robert and Viola Ashmun) released the 12" single of "Space" to a shocked and unprepared audience, who were use to Viola and her splendid cover versions of classics. When the album was released they did wisely include "Maybe This Time" and "Climb Every Mountain" to appease her loyal fans. Ironically Viola was in a three-way race for the release of "Maybe This Time" along with Debbie Jacobs-Rock and Norma Lewis, Lewis won with the bigger hit version.
     Then, two singles from the album, "Walls" and "When Will It Be My Turn/Maybe This Time," were licensed to Wide Angle Records in 1984. Inspired by this new relationship, she wrote and produced her next album "Dare To Dream" for the label. "Dare To Dream" had two import remixes on Streetwave Records in 1985 and Touch Records released two newly recorded versions of "Gonna Get Along Without You Now" and "If You Could Read My Mind" the same year.
     1986 saw Sedition Records remix and release "Somebody's Eyes" as an import 12" single. Wide Angle Records pulled a remix of "Love Transfusion" from the album and followed it with a non-album cut of "These Things Happen."
     A move back to England in the late 1980's saw Viola working with DNA for yet another version of "Gonna Get Along Without You Now," this time on Well Dodgy Records (1987). A brief encounter with super-producer Ian Levine yielded a duet with Noel McCalla of "Take One Step Forward" in 1988. I'm not sure why that arrangement didn't pan out, Ian would have been the one to make Viola a superstar given his track record with female vocalists?
     Once again Viola was in a race for release, this time with Hazell Dean. Hazell's version of "Love Pains" beat her out, but Viola's 1989 version produced by Peter Bauwens & Phil Wilde and released on a Music Man Records 12" single was popular. 1990's "Think I'm Falling In Love" on Bite Records is without a doubt my second favorite Wills record. While the 1993 cover of "I Can See Clearly Now" for MFS Records is one of my least favorites. Her last 12" singles of note were for ZYX Records in 1994, "No News Is News" and "A House Is Not A Home" were well produced and her voice was impeccable as usual, but musical tastes had shifted and Viola was no longer the flavor of the month. Returning to the States in the 1990's Viola settled into Palm Springs, California. Where she had taken up jazz and pop, performing in lounges and restaurants.