Audrey Wheeler

You may not know the name Audrey Wheeler, but you've certainly heard her voice. She sang lead vocals on '80s dance band Unlimited Touch's "Searching to Find the One" and Jeff Lorber's 1985 hit "Step By Step." A very much in-demand session background vocalist, she can be heard on recordings by Madonna, Billy Ocean, Freddie Jackson, Melba Moore, Glenn Jones, D Train ("Misunderstanding"), Keith Washington ("Missing You"), Najee, Eric Gable, Kashif and Me'lisa Morgan's hit cover of Mother's Finest's "Love Changes," Atlantic Starr's smash cover of the Staple Singers' "Let's Do It Again," the System ("Don't Disturb This Groove," "Midnight Special"), and Kathi Sledge, among others. Some of the artists she backed returned the favor when Wheeler made her major-label debut in 1987 for Capitol Records with the album Let It Be. In 1991, Wheeler dueted with MCA artist Omar Chandler on a cover of the Brainstorm ballad "This Must Be Heaven" on his self-titled album. The Jamaica/Queens, NY, native sang in the local choir and was a finalist in the Miss Black America Pageant as well as a runner-up in the Miss Black Universe contest while still in her teens. Her recording career began in the early '80s when Bert and Ray Reid and William Anderson, former members of '70s disco band Crown Heights Affair ("Dreaming a Dream," "Say a Prayer for Two," "Galaxy of Love," "Use Your Body and Soul") were looking for a female singer for a new group they were forming. Their self-titled debut album, Unlimited Touch, was released by Prelude Records. The LP quickly became a dancefloor classic on the basis of the aforementioned "Searching...," as well as "I Hear Music in ihe Streets." Wheeler got into doing session vocals for jingles, song demos, and record dates. Chic guitarist Nile Rodgers was starting a new BMG-distributed label, Ear Candy, and was looking for acts. Wheeler, who by now had established a solid reputation as a studio vocalist, was signed to a deal and her I'm Yours Tonight album was released around April of 1992. The first single, the "Whip Appeal"-ish "I'm Yours Tonight," the sensual "If You Need Someone," and the lovely ballad "Can You Stop the Rain" received minor airplay in some markets. Wheeler did a sensitive reading of Eric Carmen's "All By Myself." When Ear Candy went out of business not too long after the release of her album, Wheeler simply went back to doing background vocal session and concert work. ~ Ed Hogan, Rovi