Vesta Williams, born Mary Vesta Williams in Coshocton, Ohio, United States, on December 1, 1957, was an American R&B and soul singer known for her four-octave vocal range who lived until 2011. Raised in Los Angeles, California, she performed with her sisters as the Williams Sisters on the television show Jack and Jill and joined Ron Townson's group Wild Honey before working as a session backing vocalist for Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight, Sting, Stephanie Mills, Anita Baker, and Gordon Lightfoot. Signing with A&M Records, she released her debut studio album, Vesta, in 1986, which produced her debut top 10 R&B hit, “Once Bitten Twice Shy”. She achieved six top 10 Billboard R&B singles over her career, including “Don't Blow a Good Thing” in 1987, “Sweet, Sweet Love” in 1988, “4 U” in 1989, her signature ballad “Congratulations” in 1989, which reached number 55 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 5 on the R&B chart, and her highest-charting R&B single, “Special”, which reached number 2 in 1991. Her studio albums include Vesta 4 U in 1988, Special in 1991, Everything-N-More in 1993, Relationships in 1998, and her covers album Distant Lover in 2007 on Shanachie Records. She sang commercial jingles for McDonald's, Coca-Cola, and Honda, and voiced the theme song for the television series Malcolm & Eddie. Williams died of hypertensive heart disease in El Segundo, California, on September 22, 2011, at age 53.
