Lenny Williams
(born Leonard Charles Williams
on February 6 1945, in Little Rock, Arkansas) is an American singer known for his work in the R&B and soul music genres.
During the 1970s, he was the lead vocalist for Tower of Power. As a soloist, he made several hit recordings, including “Cause I Love You” (recorded on his solo album) and “So Very Hard To Go’
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LENNY WILLIAMS TICKETS
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Background
Williams moved to
Oakland at a very young age. Learning to play the
trumpet in elementary school fueled his interest in music; his skills as a vocalist were first nurtured by singing in gospel choirs and groups around the Bay Area. He worked with several notable artists, such as
Sly Stone,
Andraé Crouch,
Billy Preston and members of the Hawkins family,
Edwin,
Walter and
Tremaine.
Professional recordings
After winning several local talent contests, Williams signed his first record deal with
Fantasy Records. He cut two singles for the label including "Lisa’s Gone" and "Feelin Blue", written by
John Fogerty of
Credence Clearwater Revival. In 1972, Williams' stint with
Atlantic Records was placed on hold, when he joined the emerging
funk band Tower of Power. A string of hits, including "So Very Hard To Go","Don’t Change Horses (In The Middle Of The Stream)" and Eric Jackson's "Luvin You", written by Williams and
Johnny "Guitar" Watson. During his two years with the group, Williams participated in three milestone albums, the gold LP
Tower Of Power
,
Back To Oakland
, and
Urban Renewal
, while touring throughout the
United States,
Europe, and
Asia.
Solo works
At the end of 1975, Williams returned to his solo projects. Initially signing with
Motown Records in 1972, he later moved to
ABC Records in 1977 (which was then purchased by
MCA Records in 1979). Over the next four years. He scored ten charted hits, including “Shoo Doo FuFu Ooh”, "Choosing You”, “You Got Me Running”, “Love Hurt Me Love Healed Me”, and “Midnight Girl”. Williams recorded four more albums from 1977 to 1980:
Choosing You
, his first gold LP;
Spark Of Love
;
Love Current
; and
Let’s Do It Today
.
After leaving MCA, Williams recorded for independent labels, Rockshire and Knobhill. In 1986, he was invited to sing vocals on “Don’t Make Me Wait For Love” a track from
Duo Tones
, a multi-platinum recording by
Kenny G. The song became a top 20 pop and R&B hit the following year.
His hit song "Cause I Love You" was sampled by Havoc of
Mobb Deep for the track, "Nothing Like Home" and then was sampled by
Kanye West twice,
Overnight Celebrity by
Twista &
Jin's
"I Got A Love",Aswell By Scarface for His Single Girl You Know featuring Trey Song.
Life Today
Today Lenny Lives in
San Leandro, California and annually does holiday concerts with the student band at
San Leandro High School.
Discography
LP
- Lenny Williams
, released on Warner Bros. Records (1974)
- Rise Sleeping Beauty
, released on Motown Records (1975)
- Choosing You
, released on ABC Records (1977)
- Spark of Love
, released on ABC Records (1978)
- Love Current
, released on MCA Records (1979)
- Let's Do It Today
, released on MCA Records (1980)
- Changing
, released on Rocshire Records (1984)
- New Episode
, released on Knobhill Records (1986)
- Layin' in Wait
, released on K-Tel Records (1990)
- Here's a Ticket
, released on Crush Records (1990)
- Ooh Child
, released on Universal Special Products (1993)
- Chill
, released on Bellmark Records (1995)
- Here's to the Lady
, released on Universal Special Products (1996)
- Love Therapy
, released on Volt Records (2000)
- Ten Ways of Lovin' You
, released on Volt Records (2002)
- My Way
, released on Thump Records (2004)
- It Must Be Love
, released on LenTom Records (2007)
- You Won My Heart
, released on Crush Records
- Love is in us (single) - featuring Tcheep, released on love-in-us.com (2008)