David Oliver (January 8, 1942 – June 6, 1982) was an American soul singer best known for the

quiet storm Quiet storm is a radio format and genre of R&B, performed in a smooth, romantic, jazz-influenced style. It was named after the title song on Smokey Robinson's 1975 album ''A Quiet Storm''. The radio format was pioneered in 1976 by Melvin Lin ...

radio hit, "Ms" as well as his composition " Friends & Strangers", which was covered by Ronnie Laws in 1977. He also recorded the first version of the

Cecil Womack Cecil Dale Womack (September 25, 1947 – January 25, 2013) was an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He was one of the musical Womack brothers, and had success both as a songwriter and recording artist, notably with his wife Lind ...

song "

Love TKO "Love T.K.O." is a song written by Cecil Womack and Gip Noble, Jr. It was written for soul singer David Oliver, and appeared first on his album '' Here's to You'' in 1980. Teddy Pendergrass recording "Love T.K.O." is mainly associated with ...

", releasing it as an album track on '' Here's To You'' in 1980.

Biography

Born January 8, 1942, in

Orange County, Florida Orange County is located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,429,908, making it Florida's fifth most populous county. The county seat is Orlando. Orange County is the central county ...

, United States, to Jamaican parents, David Oliver did not begin singing until high school at the age of 15. All through high school and college, he sang in various groups. After a stint in the Air Force, he re-located to

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' ...

in 1967 and joined a group called Five Days & Three Nights. They were discussing a contract with

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

, but after negotiations fell through, the group disbanded. By 1972, Oliver would go on to record background vocals on Redbone's ''

Already Here ''Already Here'' is the fourth album by Native American/ Mexican American band Redbone. Track listing Side one #"Fais-Do" (P. Vegas/L. Vegas) – 2:36 #"Motivation" (L. Vegas/T. Bellamy/P. Vegas) – 2:13 #"Power (Prelude To A Means)" (P. Vegas ...

'' album and he then sang with Mighty Joe Hicks's band during the mid-70s. He was signed to

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it is ...

in 1977, recording four albums all produced by Wayne Henderson, of The Crusaders. In 1978, the song "Ms", from his first album, reached number 13 on the R&B Singles chart, but one of his best self-penned songs was "I Wanna Write You a Love Song" on his follow-up LP. In 1980, he recorded a song by

, "

", that was missed by record buyers at the time of release, but later became a major hit for

Teddy Pendergrass Theodore DeReese Pendergrass (March 26, 1950 – January 13, 2010) was an American soul and R&B singer-songwriter. He was born in Kingstree, South Carolina. Pendergrass spent most of his life in the Philadelphia area, and initially rose to musi ...

.Andrew Hamilton, "David Oliver - Artist Biography"

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, accessed September 2011.

Death

David Oliver died in the

city of Winter Park on June 6, 1982, reportedly from a seizure at the age of 40.

Discography

*'' Jamerican Man'' -

, 1977 *'' Mind Magic'' - Mercury Records, 1978 *'' Rain Fire'' - Mercury Records, 1979 *'' Here's To You'' - Mercury Records, 1980

References

External links

*
David Oliver at Soulwalking

"Liner Notes – David Oliver"
No Skips No Scratches, November 29, 2010. {{DEFAULTSORT:Oliver, David 1942 births 1982 deaths American people of Jamaican descent American rhythm and blues singers Mercury Records artists 20th-century American singers 20th-century American male singers