Viola Wills (vocals)

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BANDS:

• Gonzalez
• Joe Cocker Band
• Barry White Band
• Viola Wills Band

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BIOGRAPHY:

Great vocalist, she was born on December 30th, 1939.

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BARRY WHITE BAND

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She started working for Barry White (before he was so famous).

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JOE COCKER

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Around 1972, this was the Chris Stainton Band that backed Joe Cocker:

JOE COCKER BAND #
Joe Cocker vocals	Neil Hubbard guitar	Alan Spenner bass	Chris Stainton keyboards	Jim Price trumpet	Bobby Keys sax	Jim Horn sax	Felix Flaco Falcon percussion	Jim Keltner drums	Jim Karstein drums	Viola Wills backing vocals	Virginia Ayers backing vocals	Beverley Gardner backing vocals

And I don´t have more details, so any info would be very appreciated.
This was the Chris Stainton Band that backed Joe Cocker in the tour of 1972:

JOE COCKER BAND #?											1972
Joe Cocker vocals	Neil Hubbard guitar	Alan Spenner bass	Chris Stainton keyboards	Rick Alfonso trumpet	Fred Scerbo sax	Felix Flaco Falcon percussion	Jim Keltner drums	Alan White drums	Viola Wills backing vocals	Gloria Jones backing vocals	Virginia Ayers backing vocals	Beverley Gardner backing vocals

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VIOLA WILLS BAND

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From 1974 to 1976, Steve York backed Viola Wills several times. This was the usual lineup:

VIOLA WILLS BAND #
Viola Wills (vocals, keyboards)	Jackie McAuley (guitar)	Steve York (bass)	Dave Wilkinson (keyboards)	Rick Parnell (drums)

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GONZALEZ

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This is the lineup for Gonzalez in August 1974:

GONZALEZ #
Viola Wills (vocals)	Gordon Hunte (guitar)	DeLisle Harper (bass)	Roy Davies (keyboards)	Ron Carthy (trumpet)	Chris Mercer (sax)	Steve Gregory (sax, flute)	Mick Eve (sax)	Bud Beadle (horn)	Allan Sharpe (percussion)	Steve Ferrone (drums)

This is the lineup for Gonzalez in October 1975:

GONZALEZ #
George Chandler (vocals)	Viola Wills (vocals)	Gordon Hunte (guitar)	Robert Ahwai (guitar)	Larry Steele (bass)	Roy Davies (keyboards)	Ron Carthy (trumpet)	Chris Mercer (sax)	Mick Eve (sax)	Malcolm Griffiths (trombone)	Bobby Stignac (percussion)	Glen LeFleur (drums)	Richard Bailey (drums)

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And then...

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She sadly passed away on May 6th, 2009, after a long illness.

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DISCOGRAPHY: (16 albums known to me - Status: In progress)

OWN ALBUMS (5 credits)

• Soft centers - Viola Wills (1974)


• Members: (RIP: Viola Wills)
• Guests: Virginia Ayers, Beverley Gardner, Tim Hinkley, Jim Horn, Neil Hubbard, Jim Karstein, Bobby Keys, Henry McCullough, Jim Price (RIP: Alan Spenner)
• Without you - Viola Wills (1979)


• Members: (RIP: Viola Wills)
• Gonna get along with you - Viola Wills (04/1995)


• Members: (RIP: Viola Wills)
• Enjoy yourself - Viola Wills (02/2007)


• Members: (RIP: Viola Wills)
• Dare to dream - Viola Wills (04/2008)


• Members: (RIP: Viola Wills)

OWN COMPILATIONS (2 credits)

• Gonna get along with you now - the best of Viola Wills - Viola Wills (11/1995)


• Members: (RIP: Viola Wills)
• Producer: Dennis Bovell
• The Essential Viola Wills - Viola Wills (04/2006)


• Members: (RIP: Viola Wills)

ALBUMS AS A BAND MEMBER (3 credits)

• Something to say - Joe Cocker (12/1972)


• Members: Rick Alfonso, Virginia Ayers, Joe Cocker, Beverley Gardner, Jim Horn, Neil Hubbard, Conrad Isidore, Gloria Jones, Jim Keltner, Fred Scerbo, Chris Stainton, Alan White (RIP: Felix Flaco Falcon, Alan Spenner, Viola Wills)
• Guests: (RIP: Rebop Kwaku Baah)
• Producer: (RIP: Denny Cordell)
• Our only weapon is our music - Gonzalez (1975)


• Members: Robert Ahwai, Bud Beadle, Lance Dixon, Mick Eve, Ken Freeman, Steve Gregory, Malcolm Griffiths, Preston Heyman, Gordon Hunte, Glen LeFleur, Godfrey McLean, Chris Mercer, Allan Sharpe, Larry Steele, Bobby Stignac, Lenny Zakatek (RIP: Ron Carthy, Roy Davies, Viola Wills)
• Live in LA - Joe Cocker (12/1976)


• Members: Virginia Ayers, Glenn ´Ross´ Campbell, Joe Cocker, Beverley Gardner, Jim Horn, Neil Hubbard, Conrad Isidore, Jim Karstein, Jim Keltner, Bobby Keys, Jim Price, Chris Stainton (RIP: Felix Flaco Falcon, Alan Spenner, Viola Wills)
• Technical: Steve Nye

COMPILATIONS AS A BAND MEMBER (3 credits)

• Greatest hits - Joe Cocker (1978)


• Members: Rick Alfonso, Virginia Ayers, Nicole Barclay, Chuck Blackwell, Joe Cocker, Rita Coolidge, Cornell Dupree, Beverley Gardner, Jim Gordon, Neil Hubbard, Bobby Jones, Gloria Jones, Jim Keltner, Bobby Keys, Sandy Konikoff, Claudia Lennear, Henry McCullough, Daniel Moore, Matthew Moore, Pamela Polland, Don Preston, Jim Price, Bruce Rowland, Leon Russell, Fred Scerbo, Chris Stainton, Bobby Torres, Donna Washburn, Donna Weiss, Alan White (RIP: Tommy Eyre, Felix Flaco Falcon, Nicky Hopkins, Carl Radle, Alan Spenner, Viola Wills, B J Wilson)
• Guests: Madeline Bell, Ben Benay, Bonnie Bramlett, Merry Clayton, Joe Correro, Sunny Leslie, Shirley Matthews, Dave McDaniel, Jimmy Page, Sam Rivers, Sid Sharp (RIP: Milt Holland, Patrice Holloway, Sneaky Pete Kleinow, Clarence White)
• Boss soul - the genius of Barry White - Barry White (08/1998)


• Members: (RIP: Barry White, Viola Wills)
• Guests: (RIP: Johnny Wyatt)
• Producer: (RIP: Bob Keane)
• Technical: Charlie Watts
• The Anthology - Joe Cocker (08/1999)


• Members: Virginia Ayers, Nicole Barclay, Chuck Blackwell, Mitch Chakour, Rita Coolidge, Cornell Dupree, Gordon Edwards, Steve Gadd, Beverley Gardner, Cliff Goodwin, Jim Gordon, Howie Hersh, Jim Horn, Neil Hubbard, Jim Keltner, Bobby Keys, Sandy Konikoff, Ann Lang, Albert Lee, Claudia Lennear, Henry McCullough, Daniel Moore, Matthew Moore, Pamela Polland, Don Preston, Jim Price, John Riley, Bruce Rowland, Leon Russell, Kenny Slade, Chris Stainton, Bobby Torres, Donna Washburn, Donna Weiss (RIP: Tommy Eyre, Felix Flaco Falcon, Eric Gale, Nicky Hopkins, Carl Radle, Alan Spenner, Richard Tee, Viola Wills, B J Wilson)
• Guests: Wally Badarou, Adrian Belew, Madeline Bell, Ben Benay, Stu Blumberg, Bonnie Bramlett, Gary Brown, Ollie E Brown, Artie Butler, Clem Cattini, Mikey Chung, Merry Clayton, David Cohen, Joe Correro, Sly Dunbar, Wilton Felder, Venetta Fields, Matthew Fisher, Jay Graydon, Phil Guilbeau, Rosetta Hightower, Stix Hooper, Carol Kaye, Mike Kellie, Clydie King, Trevor Lawrence, Sunny Leslie, Steve Madaio, Shirley Matthews, Dave McDaniel, Jimmy Page, David Paich, Bernard Purdie, Chuck Rainey, Barry Reynolds, Sam Rivers, Joe Sample, Robbie Shakespeare, Sid Sharp, Big Jim Sullivan, Jennifer Warnes, Steve Winwood, Mona Lisa Young (RIP: Barry Beckett, Leroy Cooper, Hank Crawford, Milt Holland, Patrice Holloway, Sneaky Pete Kleinow, David ´Fathead´ Newman, Jeff Porcaro, Clarence White)
• Producer: Chris Blackwell, Stewart Levine, Allen Toussaint (RIP: Denny Cordell, Mike Leander, Alex Sadkin)
• Technical: Glyn Johns, Eddie Kramer, Tony Visconti (RIP: Henry Lewy)

SESSIONS (3 credits)

• I never got - Tony Kelly (1975)


• Members: Tony Kelly
• Guests: Dyan Birch, Dave Brooks, Frank Collins, Mel Collins, Mick Cox, Neil Hubbard, Nick Judd, Paddy McHugh, Micky Moody, Terry Stannard, Chrissie Stewart, Mick Weaver (RIP: Jo Ann Kelly, Viola Wills)
• Producer: Bruce Rowland
• All funked up - Snafu (1975)


• Members: Brian Chatton, Colin Gibson, Bobby Harrison, Tim Hinkley, Micky Moody, Terry Popple
• Guests: Mel Collins, Liza Strike (RIP: Viola Wills)
• Love on my mind - Brian Parrish (1976)


• Members: Brian Parrish
• Guests: Howie Casey, Brian Chatton, Mick Eve, Dick Parry, Jerome Rimson, Liza Strike, Peter Van Hooke, Pete Wingfield (RIP: Viola Wills)

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RELATED MUSICIANS:

Viola Wills mostly worked with these musicians: (name + number of credits)
Neil Hubbard (6)
Virginia Ayers (5)
Beverley Gardner (5)
Alan Spenner (5)
Felix Flaco Falcon (4)
Jim Horn (4)
Jim Keltner (4)
Bobby Keys (4)
Jim Price (4)
Chris Stainton (4)

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Page created by Miguel Terol on: 16/December/2009 - Last modified on: 25/January/2010. If you want to contribute with info, please write to: molympus1@gmail.com

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