Alfie Silas

• Genres: Rhythm & Blues
• Instrument: Vocals (Background), Vocals

Biography

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 We while attending Los Angeles City College. She began singing background vocals for Gino Vanelli, Toto, and Martha Reeves, 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 Audrey Wheeler and Penny Ford (toured with Barry White in 1999) did -- simply went back to background work. She appears on Brandy's Never Say Never, Jaco Pastorius' Word of Mouth, Michael Jackson's Bad, Aaron Neville The Grand Tour, Coolio's My Soul, Dave Koz's The Dance, Quincy Jones' Back on the Block, Phil Perry's One Heart, One Love, Lionel Richie's four-million-seller Dancing on the Ceiling, Curtis Stigers' Curtis Stigers, Keiko Matsui's Cherry Blossom, Ron Kenoly's High Places: The Best of Hosanna Music, Randy Crawford's Secret Combination, David Cassidy's Didn't You Used to Be, George Benson's Love Remembers, Ray Charles' My World, Andrae Crouch's Mercy and Pray, Weather Report's Sportin' Life, Petra's Unseen Power, Gerald Albright's Smooth, Gladys Knight's Good Woman, and Dionne Warwick's Friends Can Be Lovers. ~ Ed Hogan, All Music Guide