Vanessa Williams Bio
Throughout her performing career, Vanessa Williams has maintained a reputation as one of the most respected and multi-faceted entertainers in the world, amassing accomplishments and accolades, one after another. She has conquered the musical charts, Broadway, music videos, television and motion pictures. She has sold over four million albums worldwide and her skills as an actress on stage, in film and on television have earned praise from the most seasoned of critics.
Music: Debut album, “The Right Stuff,” made an immediate impact on the pop and R&B charts with four hits: “Dreamin’,” “Darling I,” “He’s Got the Look” and a title track that became a dance/pop/R&B smash. Her debut went gold and she earned her first three Grammy nominations, including Best New Artist.
Second album, In 1991, her multi-million selling “The Comfort Zone” featured a tougher, stronger feel and produced such hits as the sizzling title track, “Running Back to You,” a remake of the Isley Brothers’ “Work To Do” and “Just For Tonight.” However, it was the unforgettable “Save the Best For Last” that earned her the true respect of the recording industry and captivated audiences around the world. The single knocked Michael Jackson’s “Remember the Time” out of the #1 spot, luxuriating at the top of the pop, R&B and adult contemporary charts for five straight weeks. Internationally, “Save the Best For Last” shot to #1 in
Third album, “The Sweetest Days” – released in 1994 – expanded Vanessa’s musical vocabulary, delving into jazz, rock, folk and soul and producing such hits as the title track and the pop/R&B-flavored “Betcha Never.” “The Sweetest Days” went platinum and yielded multiple Grammy Award nominations, including Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for “The Way That You Love.”
She was nominated for yet another Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for her hit single “Colors of the Wind,” the theme song from the blockbuster Disney animated feature Pocahontas. The single spent six weeks in the Top 5 of the Pop Hot 100 charts, propelling the soundtrack to multi-platinum status. “Colors of the Wind” went on to win an Academy Award, Golden Globe Award and a Grammy Award for Best Song in a Motion Picture.
Vanessa’s fourth album, “Next,” on which she served as executive producer, featured tracks created by such stellar songwriters and producers as Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, R. Kelly, Barry Eastmond and Vanessa’s longtime collaborator, Keith Thomas. On “Next,” Vanessa moved effortlessly between the funky “Happiness,” to the sultry hip-hop of “Surrender” to the breezy “Who Were You Thinkin’ About” to compelling, heartfelt ballads like “Oh, How the Years Go By” that have become her musical trademark.
Her new album, “Everlasting Love,” features sultry renditions of some of the 70’s most celebrated love songs including the album’s gorgeous first single and Regina Bell classic “You Are Everything.” It also features hits recorded by some of the biggest selling artists of the era, including The Jackson 5, Melissa Manchester and Stevie Wonder and such classic tracks as “One Less Bell To Answer” and “Never Can Say Goodbye.”
Theater: It was June, 1994, when Vanessa achieved a long-cherished goal...her starring debut on Broadway. She took the theatrical commuity by storm in Kiss of the Spider Woman, replacing Chita Rivera. Vanessa was credited with boosting ticket sales for the Tony Award-winning production. Her performance in the musical was so brilliant that a second cast album was recorded with Vanessa singing the starring role – the first time a new cast album has been recorded for the same production. The new Broadway cast album of Kiss of the Spider Woman starring Vanessa Williams was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Show Album.Vanessa recently starred in the Tony Award-winning revival of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Into the Woods, garnering rave reviews and sold-out houses in
Vanessa won the NAACP Image Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress for her starring role in the 20th Century Fox 1997 release, Soul Food, with Nia Long and Vivica A. Fox. She has also been featured in the movies Hoodlum, Dance With Me and Shaft and has filmed a starring role in the upcoming independent feature, My Brother.
