Leona Williams
Leona Belle Helton (born January 7, 1943 in Vienna, Missouri, United States) is an American country music singer known professionally as Leona Williams. Active since 1958, Williams has been a backing musician for Loretta Lynn and Merle Haggard and The Strangers, to whom she was married between 1978 and 1983. She also charted eight times on Hot Country Songs, with her only Top 40 hit being a duet with Haggard titled "The Bull and the Beaver."
Leona Williams | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Leona Belle Helton |
| Born | January 7, 1943 |
| Origin | Vienna, Missouri, U.S. |
| Genres | Country, Honky Tonk |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Instruments | Vocals Bass guitar Acoustic Guitar |
| Years active | 1958–present |
| Labels | Hickory MCA Elektra |
| Associated acts | Merle Haggard, The Strangers |
Biography
Leona Belle Helton was born January 7, 1943 in Vienna, Missouri.[1] Active in her family's band since childhood, she had a radio program on KWOS in Jefferson City, Missouri when she was fifteen.[1] Later on, she worked as a bass guitarist and backing vocalist in Loretta Lynn's road band. By 1968, Williams signed to the Hickory record label and released two singles: "Once More" and "Country Girl with Hot Pants On."[1] In 1976, she recorded the album San Quentin's First Lady for MCA Records with The Strangers, which was the first country album recorded by a female artist inside a prison.[1] She also joined Merle Haggard's road band The Strangers in the mid-1970s, supplanting his estranged wife, Bonnie Owens. Leona wrote two of Merle's No. 1 hits, "Someday When Things Are Good", and "You Take Me For Granted". She also wrote songs for Connie Smith--"Dallas", Loretta Lynn--"Get Whatcha Got And Go", and others. Between 1978 and 1983, she was married to Haggard, and in 1978, the two charted in the country Top Ten with the song "The Bull and the Beaver."[1] She recorded two singles for Elektra Records in 1981, and charted another duet with Haggard titled "We're Strangers Again."[2] She later married singer-songwriter Dave Kirby in 1985,[2] and remained married to him until his 2004 death. From 2005 she was with Ferlin Husky, and remained with him for the last six years of his life. Williams continues to tour with her son, Ron.[3]
In 2017, Williams won the Honky Tonk Female honour at the Ameripolitan Music Awards.[4]
On June 25, 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed Leona Williams among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.[5]
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album information | Chart Positions |
|---|---|---|
| US Country | ||
| 1976 | San Quentin's First Lady (with The Strangers)
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| 1983 | Heart to Heart (with Merle Haggard)
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44 |
| 2001 | Old Love Never Dies (with Merle Haggard)
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| 2002 | This is Leona Williams Country(including 11 duets with Merle Haggard)
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| 2004 | Honorary Texan
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| 2005 | I Love You Because
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| 2008 | Sings Merle Haggard
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| 2008 | New Patches
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| 2011 | Grass Roots
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| 2011 | Duets
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| 2011 | Melted Down Memories
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| 2012 | By George This is...Leona Williams
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| 2013 | Yes Ma'm, He Found Me in a Honky Tonk
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Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions |
Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Country [2] | |||
| "A Woman's Man" | 1968 | — | That Williams Girl |
| "Papa's Medicine Show" | — | ||
| "They'll Never Take His Love from Me" | 1969 | — | |
| "Once More" | 66 | ||
| "Baby, We're Really in Love" | — | ||
| "When I Stop Dreaming" | 1970 | — | |
| "Yes Ma'am, He Found Me in a Honky Tonk" | — | N/A | |
| "Watch Her Go" | — | ||
| "Somewhere Inside" | 1971 | — | |
| "Country Girl with Hot Pants On" | 52 | ||
| "Country Music in My Soul" | — | ||
| "Happy Anniversary, Baby" | 1972 | — | |
| "Out of Hand" | — | ||
| "I'd Rather Die" | 1973 | — | |
| "I Can't Tell My Heart That" | — | ||
| "Your Shoeshine Girl" | 93 | ||
| "Anything Goes ('Til Everything's Gone)" | — | ||
| "I'm Not Supposed to Love You Anymore" | 1974 | — | |
| "Just Like a Prayer" | — | ||
| "Shape Up or Ship Out" | 1975 | — | |
| "I Wonder Where I'll Find You at Tonight" | 1976 | — | San Quentin's First Lady (with The Strangers) |
| "San Quentin" | — | ||
| "Mama, I've Got to Go to Memphis" | 1978 | — | N/A |
| "Bright Morning Light" | — | ||
| "The Baby Song" | 1979 | 92 | |
| "Good Nights Make Good Mornings" | — | ||
| "Any Port in a Storm" | 1980 | — | |
| "I'm Almost Ready" | 1981 | 54 | |
| "You Can't Find Many Kisses" | — | ||
| "Always Late with Your Kisses" | 84 | ||
| "Rock Me to Sleep" | 1986 | — | A Taste of Life |
| "No Love Line" | — | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||
Collaborative singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions |
Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country [2] |
CAN Country [6] | |||
| "The Bull and the Beaver" (with Merle Haggard) |
1978 | 8 | 25 | N/A |
| "We're Strangers Again" (with Merle Haggard) |
1983 | 42 | — | Heart to Heart |
| "Waitin' for the Good Life to Come" (with Merle Haggard) |
— | — | ||
| "It's Cold in California" (with Merle Haggard) |
1984 | — | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | ||||
References
- Loftus, Johnny. "Leona Williams biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 2 August 2010.
- Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. pp. 467–468. ISBN 0-89820-177-2.
- "Leona Williams". Leona Williams. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
- Vinson, Christina. "2017 Ameripolitan Music Awards Winners Crowned". The Boot.
- Rosen, Jody (June 25, 2019). "Here Are Hundreds More Artists Whose Tapes Were Destroyed in the UMG Fire". The New York Times. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
- "Search results for Leona Williams under "Country Singles"". RPM. Retrieved 13 July 2014.
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