Vanessa Williams (born March 18, 1963) is an American actress and singer. In 1987, Williams released her debut album, The Right Stuff.[1] The first single, "The Right Stuff", found success on the R&B chart, while the second single, "He's Got the Look", found similar success on the same chart. The third single, "Dreamin'", was a pop hit, becoming Williams's first top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 8, and her first number one single on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The album reached gold status in the US and earned her an NAACP Image Award and three Grammy Award nominations, including one for Best New Artist.[1]
| Vanessa Williams discography | |
|---|---|
 Vanessa Williams on July 4, 2006 | |
| Studio albums | 9 |
| Live albums | 1 |
| Compilation albums | 4 |
| Singles | 31 |
| Music videos | 23 |
| Other appearances | 2 |
Her second album The Comfort Zone became the biggest success in her music career.[1] The lead single "Running Back to You" reached top twenty on the Hot 100, and the top position of Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart on October 5, 1991. Other singles included "The Comfort Zone" (#2 R&B), "Just for Tonight" (#26 Pop), a cover of The Isley Brothers' "Work to Do" (#3 R&B), and the club-only hit "Freedom Dance (Get Free!)". The most successful single from the album, as well as her biggest hit to date, is "Save the Best for Last". It reached No. 1 in the United States, where it remained for five weeks, as well as No. 1 in Australia, the Netherlands, and Canada, and was in the top 5 in Japan, Ireland and the United Kingdom. The album sold 2.2 million copies in the US at its time of release and has since been certified triple platinum in the United States by the RIAA, gold in Canada by the CRIA, and platinum in the United Kingdom by the BPI. The Comfort Zone earned Williams five Grammy Award nominations.[1]
The Sweetest Days, her third album, was released in 1994 to highly-favorable reviews.[1] The album saw Williams branch out and sample other styles of music that included jazz, hip hop, rock, and Latin-themed recordings such as "Betcha Never" and "You Can't Run", both written and produced by Babyface. Other singles from the album included the adult-contemporary and dance hit "The Way That You Love" and the title track "The Sweetest Days". The album was certified platinum in the US by the RIAA and earned her two Grammy Award nominations.[1]
Other releases include two Christmas albums, Star Bright, released in 1996, and Silver & Gold in 2004; Next in 1997, and Everlasting Love in 2005, along with a greatest-hits compilation released in 1998, and a host of other compilations released over the years.[1] Notable chart performances from subsequent albums, motion picture and television soundtracks have included the songs "Love Is", which was a duet with Brian McKnight, the Golden Globe- and Academy Award-winning "Colors of the Wind", "Where Do We Go from Here?", and "Oh How the Years Go By".[1]
On June 2, 2009, she released her eighth studio album on Concord Records titled The Real Thing. It features songs written and/or produced by Babyface, Stevie Wonder, Bill Withers, Bebel Gilberto, and Rex Rideout. Williams described the album as "a hybrid of samba, bossa nova, some salsa and also some pop and R&B". The title song "The Real Thing", the fourth single released from the album, peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart.[2]
She received a number of Grammy nominations for her work in the music industry, including hits such as "The Right Stuff", "Save the Best for Last", "Colors of the Wind", and "Oh How the Years Go By".
Albums
editStudio albums
edit| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | Sales | Certifications | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [3] |
US R&B [3] |
AUS [4] |
CAN [5] |
GER [6] |
NLD [7] |
UK [8] | ||||||||
| 1988 | The Right Stuff | 38 | 18 | — | — | — | 45 | — |
| |||||
| 1991 | The Comfort Zone
|
17 | 1 | 29 | 24 | 52 | 28 | 24 |
|
|||||
| 1994 | The Sweetest Days
|
57 | 25 | 72 | — | 74 | — | — |
| |||||
| 1996 | Star Bright
|
36 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — |
| |||||
| 1997 | Next
|
53 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — |
|
|||||
| 2004 | Silver & Gold [A] | 120 | 46 | — | — | — | — | — |
|
|||||
| 2005 | Everlasting Love
|
159 | 57 | — | — | — | — | — |
|
|||||
| 2009 | The Real Thing [B]
|
91 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — |
|
|||||
| 2024 | Survivor
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
- A Peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Gospel Albums chart and at No. 6 on the ARIA R&B Albums chart.
- B Peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart and at No. 2 on the Billboard Top Jazz Albums chart.
Live albums
edit| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [3] |
AUT [15] |
GER [6] | ||
| 2001 | Our Favorite Things (with Tony Bennett, Charlotte Church, & Plácido Domingo) [C]
|
102 | 48 | 79 |
- C Peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Top Classical Crossover chart and at No. 25 on the Billboard Top Internet Albums chart.
Compilation albums
edit| Year | Album details |
|---|---|
| 1998 | Greatest Hits: The First Ten Years
|
| 2003 | 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Vanessa Williams
|
| 2004 | Love Songs
|
| 2021 | The Best
|
Singles
edit| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [3] |
US Dan [3] |
US A/C [3] |
AUS [4] |
CAN [5] |
GER [6] |
IRE [16] |
NLD [7] |
NZ [17] |
UK [8] | ||||||||
| 1988 | "The Right Stuff" [F] | 44 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 21 | — | 71 | The Right Stuff | |||||
| "(He's Got) The Look" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| "Dreamin'" | 8 | — | 2 | 108 | 16 | — | — | 40 | 19 | 74 | |||||||
| 1989 | "Darlin' I" | 88 | — | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| 1991 | "Running Back to You" | 18 | 2 | — | 102 | 86 | — | — | — | — | 82 | The Comfort Zone | |||||
| "The Comfort Zone" | 62 | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| 1992 | "Save the Best for Last" | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 2 | 4 | 15 | 3 | ||||||
| "Just for Tonight" | 26 | — | 2 | — | 10 | — | — | 46 | 45 | 83 | |||||||
| "Work to Do" | 52 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| 1993 | "Love Is" (with Brian McKnight) |
3 | — | 1 | 49 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | Beverly Hills 90210: The Soundtrack | |||||
| 1994 | "The Sweetest Days" | 18 | — | 3 | 47 | 6 | — | — | — | — | 41 | The Sweetest Days | |||||
| 1995 | "The Way That You Love" | 67 | 6 | — | — | 39 | — | — | — | — | 52 | ||||||
| "Colors of the Wind" | 4 | — | 2 | 16 | 11 | — | 16 | 8 | 25 | 21 |
|
Pocahontas: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack | |||||
| "You Can't Run" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | The Sweetest Days | ||||||
| 1996 | "Where Do We Go from Here?" | 71 | — | 5 | — | 29 | 87 | — | — | — | — | Greatest Hits: The First Ten Years | |||||
| "Do You Hear What I Hear?" | — | — | 15 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Star Bright | ||||||
| 1997 | "Happiness" | — | — | — | — | 70 | — | — | — | 49 | — | Next | |||||
| "First Thing on Your Mind" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| "Oh How the Years Go By" | — | — | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| 1998 | "Who Were You Thinkin' 'Bout?" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||
| "Refugio de Amor (You Are My Home)" (with Chayanne) [G] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Dance with Me: Music from the Motion Picture | ||||||
| 2004 | "Silver and Gold" | — | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Silver & Gold | |||||
| "Merry Christmas Darling" | — | — | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| 2005 | "You Are Everything" | — | 5 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Everlasting Love | |||||
| 2009 | "Breathless" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | The Real Thing | |||||
| "Just Friends" [H] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| "Close to You" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| "The Real Thing" | — | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| 2024 | "Legs (Keep Dancing)"[19] | — | 3[I] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | [A] | Survivor | |||||
| "Bop!" (with Trixie Mattel and Lion Babe) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| "iLike Moonlight" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| "Survivor" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||||||
- F A 1989 remix of the song charted at number 62 in the UK.
- G Peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks chart and at No. 5 on the Billboard Tropical/Salsa Songs chart.
- H Peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard Smooth Jazz Songs chart.
- I Peaked at No. 3 on the Dance/Electronic Digital Songs Sales chart. The Dance Club Songs chart is no longer published.[21]
- The title track ”survivor” has been used as a promotional single for the album, including a lyrics video release.
Featured singles
edit| Year | Single | Artist | Peak positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | ||||
| 1995 | "Freedom (Theme from Panther)" | Various artists | 45 | 18 | Panther |
| 2020 | Twerking 5 to 9: The Rusical[22] | As part of the Cast of RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race featuring Christina Bianco & April Malina | - | - | non-album single |
Other appearances
edit| Year | Song | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | "Save the Best for Last" (Live) |
|
| "You Would Be My Baby" |
|
Video releases
editVideo albums
edit| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1989 | The Right Stuff
|
| 1992 | The Comfort Zone Collection
|
Concert videos
edit| Year | Video details | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Vanessa Williams & Friends: Christmas in New York | |
| 1997 | Vanessa Williams live in Japan | |
| 1998 | Pavarotti & Friends for the Children of Liberia | |
| 2000 | Our Favorite Things: Christmas in Vienna | With Tony Bennett and Plácido Domingo |
| 2004 | Vanessa Williams Christmas: Live by Request |
Music videos
edit| Year | Title | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | "The Right Stuff" | Rebecca Blake |
| "(He's Got) The Look" | Alek Keshishian | |
| "Dreamin'" | ||
| 1989 | "Darlin' I" | |
| 1991 | "Running Back to You" | Ralph Ziman |
| "The Comfort Zone" | ||
| 1992 | "Save the Best for Last" | |
| "Just for Tonight" | David Cameron | |
| "Work to Do" | Pam Thomas | |
| "What Will I Tell My Heart" | Ralph Ziman | |
| "Save the Best for Last" (Holiday Version) | Kevin Bray | |
| "What Child Is This?" | ||
| 1993 | "Love Is" (with Brian McKnight) | Ralph Ziman |
| 1994 | "The Sweetest Days" | Kevin Bray |
| 1995 | "The Way That You Love" | Matthew Rolston |
| "Freedom (Theme from Panther)" (with Various Artists) | Antoine Fuqua | |
| "Colors of the Wind" | Dominic Orlando | |
| 1996 | "Where Do We Go from Here?" | Andy Morahan |
| 1997 | "Happiness" | Francis Lawrence |
| 1998 | "Refugio de Amor (You Are My Home)" (with Chayanne) | Gustavo Garzón |
| 2009 | "Breathless" | Mike Ruiz |
| "Just Friends" | ||
| "Close to You" | ||
| 2024 | "Legs (Keep Dancing)" | |
| "Bop!" (with Lion Babe) |
See also
editNotes
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h "Vanessa Williams Biography". biography.com. Retrieved 2015-09-15.
- ^ "Vanessa Williams". AllMusic. Retrieved May 2, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Vanessa Williams Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-05-23.
- ^ a b Australian (ARIA Chart) peaks:
- Top 50 peaks: "AUS Charts > Vanessa Williams". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2013-06-19.
- Top 100 peaks between January 1990 and December 2010: Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 303.
- "Dreamin'": "Response from ARIA re: chart inquiry, received May 2, 2017". Imgur.com. Retrieved 2017-05-02.
- "Running Back to You": "Response from ARIA re: chart inquiry, received September 12, 2016". Retrieved 2016-12-03 – via Imgur.com.
- ^ a b "CAN Charts > Vanessa Williams". RPM. Retrieved 2013-06-19.
- ^ a b c "GER Charts > Vanessa Williams". Media Control Charts.
Press the 117 Titel Von tab for singles peaks and 13 Alben Von tab for album peaks.
- ^ a b "NLD Charts > Vanessa Williams". MegaCharts. Retrieved 2013-06-19.
- ^ a b "UK Charts > Vanessa Williams". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2019-05-23.
- ^ a b c d e f "US Certifications > Vanessa Williams". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2013-06-19.
- ^ Donahue, Ann (16 May 2009). "Standard Bearer". Billboard. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
- ^ "CAN Certifications > Vanessa Williams". Music Canada. Retrieved 2013-06-19.
- ^ "Vanessa Williams Signs With Lava". Billboard. 3 September 2004. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
- ^ Caulfield, Keith (2 March 2007). "Ask Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
- ^ Donahue, Ann (16 May 2009). "Standard Bearer". Billboard. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
- ^ "AUT Charts > Vanessa Williams". Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 2013-06-20.
- ^ "IRE Charts Search > Vanessa Williams". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- ^ "NZ Charts > Vanessa Williams". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 2019-05-23.
- ^ "The ARIA Chart – Best of 1992". Imgur.com (original document published by ARIA). Retrieved 2016-07-25.
- ^ "Vanessa Williams struts back into the spotlight with spectacular new single Legs (Keep Dancing)". Retropop Magazine. April 26, 2024. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
- ^ "Official Singles Downloads Chart on 3/5/2024 3 May 2024 - 9 May 2024". Official Charts. 3 May 2024. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
- ^ "Vanessa Williams | Biography, Music & News". Billboard.
- ^ "Twerking 5 to 9: The Rusical (feat. Christina Bianco & April Malina) - Single". Apple Music. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
- ^ "Grammy's Greatest Moments Vol. 2: Various Artists". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2011-11-25.
External links
edit- Vanessa Williams interview with Marcus Jones - Journalist Marcus Jones 1988 interview
- "Miss America 1984 Vanessa Williams Interview with Bill Boggs" - Bill Boggs 1983 interview (includes music performance)