Paulette McWilliams

Paulette McWilliams is an American singer and songwriter who grew up on Chicago's South Side. From as early as age three or four, she had decided on a career as a singer, attending live performances at clubs and outdoor block parties alongside two older sisters. At age 11, she made her first public appearance on the television program Little Stars, performing "Catch a Falling Star" alongside Sammy Davis Jr. Her early musical influences included Sarah Vaughan, Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Dinah Washington, Peggy Lee, and Curtis Mayfield. By age 12, she had signed with her first agent, Don Talty, who also managed soul singer Jan Bradley. Her first recorded composition, originally titled "He's Nothing but a Teenage Dropout," appeared on a Jan Bradley single before being released under the title "Teenage Dropout" for McWilliams's own group, Paulette and the Cupids. She continued performing through high school, attending Loretto Academy before finishing her senior year at Harlan High School. Two years after graduating, she gave birth to her only child, a daughter named Brigette, who later became a singer and interior designer.

In 1969, McWilliams joined the Chicago-based rock band The American Breed as the group shifted its sound toward soul and R&B. Over the following years the band underwent multiple personnel and name changes, eventually becoming Ask Rufus in 1970. McWilliams served as the primary female lead vocalist for the band's first two years before voluntarily departing in 1972, citing exhaustion from touring and a desire to spend more time with her family. Before leaving, she recommended her close friend Chaka Khan as her replacement, and Khan went on to lead the group through its most successful period.

After relocating to Los Angeles, McWilliams built a steady income singing jingles for more than 600 radio and television advertising spots. Guitarist Phil Upchurch recommended her to producer Quincy Jones, who brought her on as a backing and lead vocalist for the Body Heat promotional tour. She subsequently appeared on Jones's album Mellow Madness. During the period when Jones was occupied with his production of The Wiz, McWilliams worked with Ralph MacDonald as both a songwriter and singer, and contributed backing vocals to recordings by Patti Austin, among others. In 1977, she released her debut solo album, Feel Good All Over, on Fantasy Records. That same year she became a duet partner with Johnny Mathis, performing with him for several years and appearing on his 1980 album Different Kinda Different.

McWilliams continued her association with Quincy Jones during this period, contributing to the Michael Jackson album Off the Wall, including the hit single "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough." She subsequently auditioned for an open position in Bette Midler's backing group, the Harlettes, and secured the role. As a Harlette, she toured in support of Midler's stage show The Divine Miss M, which included an eight-week run on Broadway in 1979, a production documented in the concert film Bette! Divine Madness. Through her work with Midler, McWilliams was introduced to Luther Vandross, with whom she would collaborate from 1982 until 2002, appearing on every album he recorded during that span. She toured with Vandross on all of his tours from 1984 to 2000, and he also included her in background vocal sessions he produced for artists including Irene Cara, the Brecker Brothers, Diana Ross, Patti LaBelle, and Whitney Houston. McWilliams moved to New York in 1986, by which time her work with Vandross was extensive, including his album Power of Love.

Throughout the 1980s, McWilliams contributed backing vocals across a wide range of genres. She sang on David Bowie's "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)," on Billy Idol's recordings of "Mony Mony" and "Hot in the City," and on Aretha Franklin's Jump to It album and its supporting tour. She also toured with Marvin Gaye following the release of Midnight Love and the hit single "Sexual Healing," performing all of the Tammi Terrell duet parts alongside Gaye during that tour.

Since 2000, McWilliams has recorded and toured with Mary J. Blige, Celine Dion, Michael Bublé, Jennifer Lopez, and Steely Dan, serving as one of the backing singers known as the Danettes. Actor Jason Isaacs and producer Caitrin Rogers consulted her while recruiting backing singers for the documentary 20 Feet from Stardom; McWilliams was on tour in Russia during filming and was unable to appear in the film. Her solo discography includes Never Been Here Before (1977), Flow (2007), Telling Stories with Tom Scott (2012), A Woman's Story (2020), and These Are The Sweet Things, released in 2023.