TOP SONGS

“I Never Knew Love Like This Before”

“Whatcha Gonna Do With My Loving”

“Power of Love”

Biography:

Stephanie Mills first came to fame as “the little girl with the big voice” who played Dorothy in the hit Broadway play The Wiz, an adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s classic book The Wizard of Oz. She later had many R&B hits such as “I Have Learned to Respect the Power of Love,” “I Feel Good All Over,” “(You’re Puttin’) A Rush on Me,” “Something in the Way (You Make Me Feel),” and “Home,” along with one certified, million-selling single, “Never Knew Love Like This Before.” In addition, she also had five gold albums: Whatcha Gonna Do with My Lovin’, Sweet Sensation, Stephanie, If I Were Your Woman, and Home.

Born on March 22, 1957 in Brooklyn, New York, Mills honed her rich vocals singing gospel music at Brooklyn’s Cornerstone Baptist Church as a small child. At age nine, she appeared in the Broadway play Maggie Flynn. She was presented with first prize after winning “The Amateur Hour” talent contest six weeks in a row at New York’s famed Apollo Theater when she was nine. That success led to her being chosen as the opening act for the Isley Brothers, and she eventually becoming good friends with lead singer Ronald Isley. Many years later, Isley would manage and marry singer/songwriter Angela Winbush, who co-wrote one of Mills’ number one R&B hits. Mills’ debut album, Movin’ in the Right Direction was recorded for ABC Records in 1974. A year later, she won the role of Dorothy in The Wiz. Her rendition of the beautiful ballad “Home” was a showstopper, mesmerizing audiences nightly for a number of years. The original cast recording of The Wiz was produced by Jerry Wexler and issued by Atlantic Records in spring 1975. Curiously, when The Wiz was made into a full-length feature film by Motown Records’ film division and Universal Pictures, Diana Ross played the role of Dorothy instead of Mills. The film ended up being a major flop.

Singer Jermaine Jackson referred Mills to Motown head Berry Gordy, who signed her to the label. Her Motown debut was For the First Time, written and produced by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, issued in October 1976. For the First Time is a sweet affair with Mills convincingly covering Bacharach/David standards, most of which were originally recorded by Dionne Warwick. In 1978, she signed to 20th Century Records and was teamed with the hit production duo of James Mtume — later leader of Mtume, who had a gold single with “Juicy Fruit” — and Reggie Lucas. Her first LP for the label, Whatcha Gonna Do with My Lovin’, went gold, going to number 12 R&B and number 22 pop on Billboard’s charts in summer 1979 and spawned the singles “Whatcha Gonna Do with My Lovin'” and “You Can Get Over.” Her next LP, Sweet Sensation (number three R&B, number 16 Pop, spring 1980) yielded “Sweet Sensation,” “Never Knew Love Like This Before,” and the radio-aired LP track, “Try My Love.” Around this time, she briefly married former Soul Train dancer Jeffrey Daniel of the group Shalamar. Next came the LP titled Stephanie in spring 1981, which was also was a huge hit, peaking at number three R&B and number 30 Pop. The album included notable songs such as “Two Hearts” — a midtempo duet with Teddy Pendergrass — “Night Games,” and the radio-aired LP cut, “Don’t Stop Doin’ What Cha Do.”

TOP SONGS

“Shame”

“Love Come Down”

“I Don’t Know If I Should”

Biography:

When the immediate dancefloor classic “Shame” (1977) was in its ascent, on its way to the Top Ten of the Billboard Hot 100, it would have been sensible to assume that the previously unknown Evelyn “Champagne” King was among the era’s seasoned background vocalists strutting into the spotlight. Despite its powerful and knowing vocal, the song was the debut of a teenager, one who proved to be just as adept at funk, pop-R&B, and quiet storm soul with the parent album Smooth Talk, the first of the singer’s three gold-certified LPs. While King appeared at the height of the disco era with one of the style’s exemplary hits, the versatility the singer displayed on her first album proved her ability to adapt to the rapidly evolving sound of contemporary R&B. Having achieved and sustained success with songwriter/producer T. Life, King then thrived beside Morrie Brown and Kashif in the post-disco era with “I’m in Love” (1981) and “Love Come Down” (1982), sparkling midtempo jams that topped the R&B and dance charts, went Top 40, and have had as much lasting value as “Shame.” Since racking up nine charting albums by the end of the ’80s, King has recorded less often but has continued to perform. “The Dance” (2008) put her in a small class of artists with entries on the Billboard dance chart spanning three decades.

Although it occurred at the headquarters of an esteemed record label through a familial connection, the discovery of Evelyn King’s singing talent was happenstance. King’s mother and sister had jobs cleaning the offices of Philadelphia International Records. One night, King’s sister couldn’t make it, so King filled in. No one else was supposed to be in the building, but T. Life — a songwriter, producer, arranger, and musician deeply involved with PIR and the Philly scene at large — was in the hallway and overheard King singing Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come” as she worked. King had sung in church and with her siblings and performed with bands that covered Labelle and Rufus & Chaka Khan (two of her biggest inspirations), but she wasn’t intending to land a record deal. After all, she was only 14 years old. Knocked out, T. Life approached PIR heads Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff about signing King. They passed. Undaunted, King and Life recorded a demo that interested RCA after it sat in the label office for over a year. With the support of King’s parents — father Erik had performed with assorted doo wop acts, and mother Johnniea had managed a group — the teenager signed a contract through Life’s production deal with RCA.

Aided by T. Life and many of his Philly associates, such as Bunny Sigler, Dexter Wansel, and members of Instant Funk, King cut Smooth Talk. Propelling the album was the John Fitch and Reuben Cross composition “Shame,” which entered Billboard’s dance chart in October 1977 (at which point King was 17 years old). A sleeper hit, it didn’t reach the R&B and pop charts until six months later, but went Top Ten on both charts, just as it did on the dance survey. “I Don’t Know If It’s Right,” a funkier follow-up written by Life and Fitch, also went Top Ten R&B and reached number 23 on the Hot 100. Both singles were certified gold, as was Smooth Talk. King and Life in 1979 scored another gold LP together with Music Box, featuring a pair of smaller hits with the title song and “Out There.” Sweet Delight arrived the next year but was quickly withdrawn after a cool reception to its incorporation of rock. Call On Me, quickly assembled as a replacement, was equally split between Sweet Delight material and new songs, including the storming “Let’s Get Funky Tonight,” which returned co-writer King to the upper reaches of the dance chart.

Most of the material on King’s 1981 and 1982 studio albums, I’m in Love (number 28 pop, number six R&B) and Get Loose (number 27 pop, number one R&B), were made with Morrie Brown, Kashif, and Paul Laurence, a trio of songwriters and producers that in varying combinations achieved success around the same time with Melba Moore, Howard Johnson, and High Fashion. King was therefore a major factor in pop-oriented R&B’s transition into the use of drum machines and synthesizers — a sound for which her effervescent voice was perfectly suited. (RCA ironically opted to remove King’s nickname from these releases.) I’m in Love and Get Loose brought six charting singles highlighted by “I’m in Love” and “Love Come Down.” Both songs topped the R&B and dance charts. The former reached number 40 on the Hot 100, and the latter climbed to number 17. King released three additional RCA albums on an annual basis through 1985. Face to Face, So Romantic, and A Long Time Coming saw her work with the likes of Solar Records studio mastermind Leon Sylvers III and Foster Sylvers, André Cymone, the System, and Jimmy Douglass, as well as Rufus’ Bobby Watson and Hawk Wolinski, and T. Life again. “Action,” “Shake Down,” and “Just for the Night” all cracked the R&B Top 20. “Your Personal Touch,” carried out by the team of Allen George and Fred McFarlane, peaked inside the Top Ten of the R&B and dance charts. King finished out the ’80s on EMI with Flirt, released in 1988, and The Girl Next Door, issued in 1989. Leon Sylvers III helped her adapt to new jack swing and house, two developments that can be traced through the collaborators’ individual works through the early ’80s. The biggest hit from those two albums was “Hold On to What You’ve Got,” King’s last single to go Top Ten R&B and dance.

King released one new studio album in each of the next two decades. In 1995, with support from the Expansion label in the U.K., she issued I’ll Keep a Light On, featuring contributions from Larry Graham, Billy Preston, Jeff Lorber, and King’s husband, guitarist/producer Freddie Fox. Shortly after that, King herself was featured on Divas of Color’s number ten dance hit “One More Time.” Open Book, King’s next LP, was issued independently in 2007. Its biggest hit was the “The Dance,” which almost placed higher than “One More Time.” In addition to featured roles and headlining singles such as 2015’s “Dance All Night,” King has continued to perform into the 2020s.

Artist Biography by Andy Kellman of AllMusic.com