Houston, Texas born singer Beau Williams may be one of the greatest Soul voices of the past 30+ years, but he still remains relatively unknown outside of the Gospel world. Williams was performing at an early age, and his clear, booming Gospel voice began winning local talent contests for him by the time he was a teen. He began providing backup vocal work in the late 70s and nearly became the Temptations’ lead singer after the departure of Louis Price in 1980.
With the help of George Benson, Williams landed a recording contract with Capitol Records in 1981. He recorded four albums for Capitol during 1982-86 which were of uneven quality but which included a number of notable ballads that showed off his strong, multi-octive Sam Cooke-like voice. “Elvina,” “I Think I Know You,” and the booming “Another Place and Time” earned for Williams critical acclaim and an international following but little success in the U.S. He achieved his only notoriety in America when he became the winning male singer on the TV talent show Star Search in 1983 (which was designed as an amateur show, though oddly Williams won after he had already released two albums).
Beau went on to become a Gospel music star in the late 80s, but before then, in 1984, he recorded a soul music love song that later became a hit for Jeffrey Osborne and Joyce Kennedy, “The Last Time I Made Love.” And while we liked the duo’s version, it is tough to match the raw power the Beau Williams’ original take on the song. Take a listen to the fantastic Beau Williams take it to the house on this big, soulful ballad.
Beau Williams – “The Last Time I Made Love”
