Sondra "Blinky" Williams (born May 21, 1944) is an American R&B and

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

singer-songwriter, probably best known for singing the female lead on the theme for the 1970s TV series, ''

Good Times ''Good Times'' is an American television sitcom that aired for six seasons on CBS, from February 8, 1974, to August 1, 1979. Created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans and developed by executive producer Norman Lear, it was television's first African ...

''.

Early life

Williams was born in

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

, United States, but later grew up in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. The daughter of a pastor, she was active in church choirs since the age of six. Her two siblings are Diana Williams Witherspoon and Pastor Austin F. Williams.

Career

She recorded the album ''Hark The Voice'' on

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

, then moved to

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

where she recorded (as "Blinky") five singles including her debut, the

Ashford & Simpson Ashford & Simpson were an American husband-and-wife songwriting-production team and recording duo of Nickolas Ashford (May 4, 1941 – August 22, 2011) and Valerie Simpson (born August 26, 1946). Ashford was born in Fairfield, South Carolina, ...

penned single "I Wouldn't Change The Man He Is", (a song reportedly written about

Lovin' Spoonful Loving may refer to: * Love, a range of human emotions * Loving (surname) * '' Loving v. Virginia'', a 1967 landmark United States Supreme Court civil rights case Film and television * ''Loving'' (1970 film), an American film * ''Loving'' ( ...

studio bass player James Killingsworth) in 1968, and thought she would find success when she recorded a duet album with

Edwin Starr Charles Edwin Hatcher (January 21, 1942 – April 2, 2003), known by his stage name Edwin Starr, was an American singer and songwriter. Starr was famous for his Norman Whitfield-produced Motown singles of the 1970s, most notably the number-on ...

entitled ''Just We Two'', on the heels of his ''25 Miles''. However, they did not get the promotion that either the Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell or the Supremes-Temptations duets did, and success again eluded her when, after becoming a protégé of Sammy Davis, Jr., his deal with the label fell through. Blinky released two further singles for Motown in the early 1970s (on the company's California-based MoWest subsidiary) and has had several others scheduled for release that were not issued. She is also credited with singing the theme for the 1970s TV series, ''

'', along with

Jim Gilstrap James Earl Gilstrap (born November 10, 1946)''U.S. Public Records Index'' Vol 1 (Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.), 2010. is an American singer, considered one of the most prolific session musicians in the industry. He is best known for ...

. In Feb/1972, Blinky Williams traveled with Sammy Davis Jr and other performers on a USO Show trip to Vietnam where they entertained US soldiers at various bases throughout South Vietnam.

Later career

Blinky's version of "God Bless The Child" appears on the album ''Rock Gospel: The Key To The Kingdom'' and her recording of " 'Tain't Nobody's Biz-ness if I Do" is on the soundtrack of '' Lady Sings The Blues'', the

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 had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop si ...

bio-pic starring

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups o ...

. Most of her solo work, save for a few singles, remained unreleased until 2019, when Real Gone Music released a double CD compilation of tracks from the Motown vaults. She can be heard live on the ''Motortown Revue Live!'' CD. In addition, she was one of the original Cogic Singers, with Andraé Crouch, Sandra Crouch, Billy Preston, Edna Wright (lead singer of

The Honey Cone Honey Cone was an American R&B and soul girl group formed by lead singer Edna Wright (sister of Darlene Love) with Carolyn Willis and Shelly Clark in 1968. They are best remembered for their number-one ''Billboard'' Hot 100 single, "Want Ads" ...

), Frankie Karl, and Gloria Jones. Following her non-success with Motown, she returned to gospel music and resumed her given name. On October 31, 2009, Sondra appeared as a backup singer, along with Sharon Jones, performing

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

' "Exile on Main Street" as part of the rock band

Phish Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band is known for musical improvisation, extended jams, blending of genres, and a dedicated fan base. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon ...

's musical costume at their Festival 8, which was held at the Empire Polo Grounds in Indio, California, from October 30, 2009 through November 1, 2009.

References

External links

Blinky
at

IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blinky American women singers Motown artists Living people 1944 births Musicians from Oakland, California 21st-century American women