DENIECE WILLIAMS: I'VE GOT THE NEXT DANCE [ESP 1979] 7” EN GIRONA

DENIECE WILLIAMS: I'VE GOT THE NEXT DANCE [ESP 1979] 7” DENIECE WILLIAMS: I'VE GOT THE NEXT DANCE [ESP 1979] 7” Deniece Williams  "I've Got The Next Dance"  single 7" (CBS)  1979  made in Spain cat. num.  CBS 7399 #disco  #soul  #funk   a. I've got the next dance b. when love comes calling   One of the most distinctive vocalists who arrived during the soul era,  Deniece Williams  is known for soaring, four-octave soprano voice, late-'70s and early-'80s R&B classics such as "Free" and "Silly," and the 1984 number one pop hit "Let's Hear It for the Boy." Born  June Deniece Chandler  in Gary, Indiana, she grew up singing in a Pentecostal church, which forbid the congregation to listen to anything but gospel music. Outside of wanting a 1959 Thunderbird, she had no serious ambitions but was deeply interested in music. Her favorite singers were  Carmen McRae  (for her diction) and  Nancy Wilson, who, for  Williams, exemplified class and elegance. However, her she also looked up to her parents, both of whom sang. From 1968 through 1970,  Williams  recorded a handful of singles for the Chicago-based Lock and Toddlin' Town labels as  Deniece  (or Denise)  Chandler. None of them charted, but "I'm Walking Away" and "Mama, I Wish I Stayed Home" became Northern soul cult classics.  In need of employment and with college on the back burner, the fledgling singer was introduced to personal hero  Stevie Wonder  by John Harris, her cousin from Detroit, who happened to be on tour as a valet for  Wonder  (and was also his childhood friend). Her cousin arranged for  Williams  to meet  Wonder  backstage at a concert. Six months later,  Williams  was flown into Detroit by  Wonder  for an audition. Among the 26 who auditioned,  Williams, who sang "Teach Me Tonight," was one of three hired by  Wonder. The three became known as  Wonderlove. Her touring with  Wonder lasted for several years, a period in which she recorded background vocals for  Talking Book,  Fulfillingness' First Finale, and  Songs in the Key of Life,  Wonder -produced  Syreeta  and  Minnie Riperton  sessions, and other releases by the likes of  Esther Phillips  and  Roberta Flack.