Vesta Williams

Who was Vesta Williams?

Mary Vesta Williams was an American recording artist and songwriter, who performed across genres such as pop, jazz, adult contemporary and R&B. Originally credited as Vesta Williams, she was sometimes simply billed as Vesta beginning in the 1990s. She was known for her four-octave vocal range. She once sang The Star Spangled Banner for the Los Angeles Lakers game opener using all four of those octaves. Although Williams never had any albums certified gold nor any Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, she scored six Top 10 hits on the United States Billboard R&B chart from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s. Williams was known for the hits "Once Bitten, Twice Shy", "Sweet Sweet Love", "Special", and her 1989 hit and signature song, "Congratulations".