Died On This Date (May 6, 2009) Viola Wills / Disco Diva

Viola Wills (Born Viola Wilkerson)
December 30, 1939 – May 6, 2009

Viola Wills was already a mother of six when she was discovered by Barry White in 1965.  In her early career, Wills mostly worked as a back up singer for White as well as Joe Cocker and Smokey Robinson.  In 1979, Wills began a streak of disco hits that included “Dare To Dream,” “Gonna Get Along Without You Now,” and “Stormy Weather.”  Her chart success lead to her being dubbed “Disco Diva,”  and that was during a time when “diva” wasn’t thrown around as much as it is these days.  For disco, she was a bit of an anomaly in that she wrote many of her own songs.  Wills passed away after a long illness on May 6, 2009.  She was 69.

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