Alfie Silas

Los Angeles singer Alfie Silas' highest charting single was "There I Go," a 1982 Top 30 R&B hit. Silas grew up singing in church and later sang in the gospel group <a href="spotify:artist:7rBVKa0FQwm58dS1Wgwfk4">We</a> while attending Los Angeles City College. She began singing background vocals for Gino Vanelli, <a href="spotify:artist:0PFtn5NtBbbUNbU9EAmIWF">Toto</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:3Hut5CO4gDNYQfG63a7Wl4">Martha Reeves</a>, becoming an in-demand background singer for recording sessions. Getting a deal with RCA Records, Silas first charted with "A Puppet to You" in fall 1982. After her solo singing career didn't pan out, Silas did what other top background singers <a href="spotify:artist:0BPr5PHdCrBl78AdK25T67">Audrey Wheeler</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:1iFQherWGoVvyU6CuILKKb">Penny Ford</a> (toured with <a href="spotify:artist:3rfgbfpPSfXY40lzRK7Syt">Barry White</a> in 1999) did -- simply went back to background work. She appears on <a href="spotify:artist:05oH07COxkXKIMt6mIPRee">Brandy</a>'s Never Say Never, <a href="spotify:artist:3U3C9o6UTYNdEsDckpRyvX">Jaco Pastorius</a>' Word of Mouth, <a href="spotify:artist:3fMbdgg4jU18AjLCKBhRSm">Michael Jackson</a>'s Bad, <a href="spotify:artist:57ALvbCBaCkNlgTOSiUPdT">Aaron Neville</a> The Grand Tour, <a href="spotify:artist:3y24n3XhZ96wgwRXjvS17T">Coolio</a>'s My Soul, <a href="spotify:artist:0ZcJXldoq09BRIMl0Qh1Vm">Dave Koz</a>'s The Dance, <a href="spotify:artist:3rxIQc9kWT6Ueg4BhnOwRK">Quincy Jones</a>' Back on the Block, <a href="spotify:artist:3wg6B0I3YwsARsBONWWAXL">Phil Perry</a>'s One Heart, One Love, <a href="spotify:artist:3gMaNLQm7D9MornNILzdSl">Lionel Richie</a>'s four-million-seller Dancing on the Ceiling, <a href="spotify:artist:2bNtosg6E8tvmN6wYxPCfu">Curtis Stigers</a>' Curtis Stigers, <a href="spotify:artist:0hps0ju4DV1qFI5NFHfOH4">Keiko Matsui</a>'s Cherry Blossom, <a href="spotify:artist:5UzGtBBwUB77l2ZI4fbfig">Ron Kenoly</a>'s High Places: The Best of Hosanna Music, <a href="spotify:artist:1twC2fwPG5FkvYcMpVBQRz">Randy Crawford</a>'s Secret Combination, <a href="spotify:artist:0isDnZYMWbwDz7hzw0XRjt">David Cassidy</a>'s Didn't You Used to Be, <a href="spotify:artist:4N8BwYTEC6XqykGvXXlmfv">George Benson</a>'s Love Remembers, <a href="spotify:artist:1eYhYunlNJlDoQhtYBvPsi">Ray Charles</a>' My World, <a href="spotify:artist:3pxLSxg8klHu1L9d93cpq7">Andrae Crouch</a>'s Mercy and Pray, <a href="spotify:artist:162DCkd8aDKwvjBb74Gu8b">Weather Report</a>'s Sportin' Life, <a href="spotify:artist:1hO7u836ntSuPofTfvjzr6">Petra</a>'s Unseen Power, <a href="spotify:artist:3bhckpkRmz8mqONUceSutp">Gerald Albright</a>'s Smooth, <a href="spotify:artist:2aXiJJHJei5BmCykxI37y0">Gladys Knight</a>'s Good Woman, and <a href="spotify:artist:2JSjCHK79gdaiPWdKiNUNp">Dionne Warwick</a>'s Friends Can Be Lovers. ~ Ed Hogan, Rovi