ABBA

She is a singer and actress also known as Maxine Waters Willard who was born into a musical family and sings with her sister, Julia, and brother, Oren, in The Waters. In the early 1980s she appeared in four episodes of the popular TV series Fame and since then has featured in TV's A Different World and the Fresh Prince of Bel Air. She has also appeared in a variety of roles in films such as Beauty & The Beast: The Enchanted Christmas, The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars, Brother Bear, The Kid, Norbit, Spy Hard, Vampire in Brooklyn and Wag the Dog and on the soundtracks of The Breakfast Club, Cat's Don't Dance, Dudley Do-Right, Just the Ticket, The Lion King, Little Shop of Horrors, Running Scared and Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit. As a busy session singer since the 1970s she has sung backing for artists that include Jon Anderson, Belinda Carlisle, Bee Gees, Brandy, Stanley Clarke, Joe Cocker, Natalie Cole, Rita Coolidge, George Duke, Yvonne Elliman, Dan Fogelberg, John Fogerty, The Gap Band, Don Henley, Whitney Houston, Phyllis Hyman, Julio Iglesias, Michael Jackson, Rick James, Carole King, Patti LaBelle, Michael McDonald, Eddie Money, Willie Nelson, Oingo Boingo, Peaches & Herb, Billy Preston, Reef, Sherrick, Paul Simon, Donna Summer, Toto, Gina Vanelli, Syreeta Wright, Weird Al Yankovic and countless others. Albums she has performed on include Strength in Numbers by .38 Special, Songstress by Anita Baker, Blaze of Glory by Jon Bon Jovi, Mistaken Identity by Kim Carnes, Chronicles by Cher, Standing Tall by The Crusaders, Beautiful Noise by Neil Diamond, No Fun Aloud by Glenn Frey, The Gap Band, Songs from a Parent to a Child by Art Garfunkel, Let's Get It On by Marvin Gaye, I Will Survive: The Anthology by Gloria Gaynor, Feets, Don't Fail Me Now by Herbie Hancock, Love is the Reason by Engelbert Humperdinck, Dream Street by Janet Jackson, Precious Moments by Jermaine Jackson, Thriller by Michael Jackson, Triumph by The Jacksons, To Be Continued... by Elton John, King of the Blues by B.B. King, Tapestry by Carole King, Vuelve by Ricky Martin, Special Love by Deniece Williams, Greatest Hits by Michael McDonald, Lead Me On by Maxine Nightingale, Winning Combination by Donnie & Marie Osmond, Rainbow by Dolly Parton, Southern Accents by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Way I Am by Billy Preston, Life as We Know It by REO Speedwagon, Love Lives Forever by Minnie Riperton, Back at the Whisky by Johnny Rivers, Smoke Signals by Smokey Robinson, Stompin' at the Savoy by Rufus & Chaka Khan, Sweet America by Buffy Sainte Marie, Dance of the Rainbow Serpent by Carlos Santana, Stranger in Town by Bob Seger, Good News to the Next World by Simple Minds, Shining Through the Rain by Percy Sledge, Back to Mono by Phil Spector, Still the Same by Rod Stewart, Time Was by Curtis Stigers, Wet by Barbra Streisand, Bad Girls by Donna Summer, Gold by The Supremes, Tear Me Apart by Tanya Tucker, Emerald City by Teena Marie, Waters by The Waters, Andy Williams 2 and Guilty by Yarbrough & Peoples.

The Gap Band recordings

Baby Baba Boogie (Lonnie Simmons/Charlie Wilson)

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