Sharrie Williams (born January 3, 1965) is an American

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

/soul/

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

singer-songwriter.

History

Sharrie Williams grew up in the Daniel Heights Projects of

Saginaw Saginaw () is a city in Saginaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. It had a population of 44,202 at the 2020 census. Located along the Saginaw River, Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township and considered part of ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. She began singing in the church choir at the age of six, and by the time she was 12, she had begun touring and recording with the Greater Williams Temple church choir. Under the choir directorship of Hubert J. Williams, Williams performed and recorded with

Shirley Caesar Shirley Ann Caesar-Williams (Birth name, née Caesar; born October 13, 1938), known professionally as Shirley Caesar, is an American Gospel music, gospel singer. Her career began in 1951, when she signed to Federal Records at the age of 12. Thro ...

The Winans The Winans are an American gospel quartet from Detroit, Michigan, consisting of brothers Marvin, Carvin, Michael and Ronald Winans. Members ''Please refer to the Winans family page for more detail on the individual members.'' About: Origins ...

, Dr.

Mattie Moss Clark Mattie Moss Clark (born Mattie Juliet Moss; March 26, 1925 – September 22, 1994) was an American gospel choir director and the mother of The Clark Sisters, a gospel vocal group. She was the longest-serving international minister of music for t ...

, and the Reverend

James Cleveland James Edward Cleveland (December 5, 1931 – February 9, 1991) was an American gospel singer, musician, and composer. Known as the "King of Gospel," Cleveland was a driving force behind the creation of the modern gospel sound by incorporating ...

. In 1993, she toured with Snap Productions in a presentation of Michael Matthews’ gospel stage production, ''I Need A Man''. In 1996, she began singing with the house band at a club in Saginaw named Wise Guys. That house band quickly evolved into Sharrie Williams & The Wiseguys, and she met and later married the owner of Wise Guys, Norman "Pops" Crawford in 1998. Sharrie Williams & The Wiseguys began appearing regularly at renowned

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

blues clubs The Kingston Mines and

Buddy Guy's Legends Buddy Guy's Legends is a blues club in Chicago, Illinois. It was opened in 1989 by blues musician Buddy Guy who still owns the club and makes regular appearances, performing a month of shows each January. Legends is one of the few blues clubs le ...

. 1998 saw Sharrie Williams & The Wiseguys on their way to Europe, starting with performances in Germany. Williams released her first CD in 2001 under her own Faith Records label, ''Sharrie Williams Live at Wise Guys''. The live recording caught the attention of the

Detroit Music Awards The Detroit Music Awards Foundation is a Michigan 501(c)(3) organization, whose mission is to recognize Detroit area musicians working on national, regional, and local levels. The Foundation supports and nurtures the musical community in Detroit ...

Committee, which earned her a nomination for their Best Blues Album of the Year award. By the end of 2003, Sharrie Williams & The Wiseguys had successfully toured France, Italy, The Netherlands, Spain, Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Canada, and Great Britain. In April 2004, Williams released ''Hard Drivin’ Woman'' on the German label, Crosscut Records. Williams followed up with ''Live at Bay-Car'' (2007), recorded live at the festival in Grande Synthe, France also on the Crosscut label. Studio albums ''I'm Here to Stay'' (2007), and ''Out of the Dark'' (2011), were released on the Canadian Electro-Fi Records label. ''Out of the Dark'' went on to win Blues Album of the Year Award from the

Académie du Jazz The Académie du jazz (English: Jazz Academy) is a non-profit French association created in 1954, which annually awards the best artists and the best musical productions in the world of jazz. The founding president was violinist André Hodeir follow ...

. Williams was nominated for a

Blues Music Award The Blues Music Awards, formerly known as the W. C. Handy Awards (or "The Handys"), are awards presented by the Blues Foundation, a non-profit organization set up to foster blues heritage. The awards were originally named in honor of W. C. Handy, " ...

in the 'Soul Blues Female Artist of the Year' category in 2012 and in 2009, and was nominated for a Blues Music Award in the 'Traditional Blues Female Artist of the Year' category in 2008. ''JAZZed'' magazine named Sharrie Williams the top 'World Artist' for 2014. Williams has collaborated and appeared with

Buddy Guy George "Buddy" Guy (born July 30, 1936) is an American blues guitarist and singer. He is an exponent of Chicago blues who has influenced generations of guitarists including Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Stevie Ray Vaug ...

, Koko Taylor,

Ruth Brown Ruth Alston Brown (; January 12, 1928 – November 17, 2006) was an American singer-songwriter and actress, sometimes referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of R&B". She was noted for bringing a popular music, pop music ...

Mavis Staples Mavis Staples (born July 10, 1939) is an American rhythm and blues and gospel music, gospel singer and civil rights activism, activist. She rose to fame as a member of her family's band The Staple Singers, of which she is the last surviving memb ...

Van Morrison Sir George Ivan "Van" Morrison (born 31 August 1945) is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician whose recording career started in the 1960s. Morrison's albums have performed well in the UK and Ireland, with more than 40 reaching the UK ...

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie ( ; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improvisation, improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy El ...

Otis Clay Otis Lee Clay (February 11, 1942 – January 8, 2016) was an American R&B and soul singer, who started in gospel music. In 2013, Clay was inducted to the Blues Hall of Fame. Early life Clay was born in Waxhaw, Mississippi, to a musical fami ...

Larry McCray Larry McCray (born April 5, 1960), is an American blues guitarist and singer from Magnolia, Arkansas. Early life McCray, the second youngest of nine siblings, grew up living on a farm.

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Bobby Bland Robert Calvin Bland (born Robert Calvin Brooks; January 27, 1930 – June 23, 2013), known professionally as Bobby "Blue" Bland, was an American blues singer. Bland developed a sound that mixed gospel with the blues and R&B. He was describ ...

Walter Trout Walter Trout (born March 6, 1951, in Ocean City, New Jersey, United States) is an American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. Biography Trout's career began on the Jersey coast scene of the late 1960s and early 1970s. He then decided to re ...

, and

Johnnie Taylor Johnnie Harrison Taylor (May 5, 1934 – May 31, 2000) was an American recording artist and songwriter who performed a wide variety of genres, from blues, rhythm and blues, soul, and gospel to pop, doo-wop, and disco. He was initially suc ...

. Her influences include Koko Taylor,

Etta James Jamesetta Hawkins (January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012), known professionally as Etta James, was an American singer and songwriter. Starting her career in 1954, James frequently performed in Nashville's R&B clubs, collectively known as the Ch ...

Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939 – May 24, 2023) was a singer, songwriter, actress, and author. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", her vocal prowess, raspy voice, and electrifyin ...

Patti LaBelle Patricia Louise Holte (born May 24, 1944), known professionally as Patti LaBelle, is an American Rhythm and blues, R&B singer and actress. She has been referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godmother of Soul". LaBelle began ...

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Honored as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Soul", she was twice named by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine as the Roll ...

, and

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday made significant contributions to jazz music and pop ...

Discography

As principal artist

*2001 ''Live at Wiseguys'' (Faith Records) *2004 ''Hard Drivin' Woman'' (Crosscut Records) *2007 ''Live at Bay-Car Blues Festival'' (Crosscut) *2007 ''I'm Here To Stay'' ( Electro-Fi) *2011 ''Out of The Dark'' (Electro-Fi)

Collaborations

*2005

''In The House - Live at Lucerne Vol.7'' (Crosscut)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Sharrie 1965 births Living people American blues singer-songwriters Gospel blues musicians Soul-blues musicians American blues singers American women singers 21st-century American women