b. Vanessa Bell Armstrong, 2nd October 1953, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A.
Vanessa Bell's vocal stylings are not too detatched to those of the 'Queen Of Soul', Aretha Franklin.
A native of Detroit and mother of five, she got her career moving with the assistance of Dr. Mattie Moss Clark.
Vanessa originally recorded gospel albums for the Onyx label, including 'Peace Be Still' (1983) and 'Chosen' (1984).
She recorded the theme song for the television series 'Amen', where her links to the Reverend Al Green (and ultimately to Rev. Claude Jeter) were apparent.
She then moved to Jive Records and took a more secular approach with 'Vanessa Bell Armstrong' (1987); including 'You Bring Out The Best In Me' and 'Pressing On'.
'Wonderful One' (in 1989) and 'The Truth About Christmas' (in 1990) followed.
Vanessa also recorded a duet with Jonathen Butler, 'True Love Never Fails' (1988).
Later albums include 'Something On The Inside' (1993) and 'The Secret Is Out' (1995).
Three years later, she released her first live album, 'Desire of My Heart: Live'.
A ' Best-of' collection appeared in 1999, followed by 4 further albums into the new millennium.
Albums:
Peace Be Still (Onyx Records 1983)
Chosen (Onyx Records 1984)
Vanessa Bell Armstrong (Jive / Novus Records 1987)
Wonderful One (Jive / Novus Records 1990)
The Truth About Christmas (Jive / Novus Records 1990)
Something on the Inside (Jive / Novus Records 1993)
The Secret Is Out (Verity Records 1995)
Desire of My Heart: Live in Detroit (Verity Records 1998)
Brand New Day (Tommy Boy Records 2001)
Sing to Glory (Verity Records 2005)
Walking Miracle (EMI Records 2007)
The Experience (CMG/EMI Gospel Records 2009)
