Stokley Williams facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Stokley
Williams in 2014
Background information
Birth name	Stokley Williams
Born	(1967-07-15) July 15, 1967 (age 58)
Origin	St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
Genres	R&B soul neo soul
Occupation(s)	Musician songwriter producer
Instruments	Vocals drums percussion guitar bass keyboards synthesizer
Years active	1980–present
Labels	Perspective Elektra Image Shanachie Concord Bluraffe Ent
Associated acts	Mint Condition A Tribe Called Quest Wale Karyn White Janet Jackson Sounds of Blackness Brother Ali

Stokley Williams (born July 15, 1967), known simply as Stokley, is an American musician. He is from St. Paul, Minnesota. Stokley is best known as the lead singer and drummer for the R&B band Mint Condition.

Stokley's Music Journey

Early Career and Collaborations

In 2011, Stokley worked with singer Kelly Price on her song "Not My Daddy." This song was part of her album Kelly. Their collaboration earned him his first Grammy nomination for Best R&B Performance.

In 2017, Stokley joined the band The Revolution for a special tour. This tour was a tribute to the legendary musician Prince.

Solo Music and Achievements

Also in 2017, Stokley released his very first solo album. It was called Introducing Stokley. He produced some of the songs himself. He also worked with a production team from Philadelphia called Carvin & Ivan.

In 2019, Stokley released his second solo album, Sankofa. This album was a joint project with Jam & Lewis' company and Bluraffe Entertainment/Perspective Records.

In March 2020, Stokley achieved a big milestone. His song "She..." became his first solo number-one hit. It topped the Adult R&B Chart (Billboard) for two weeks in a row. Many radio stations played the song often.

Acting Role

In 2024, Stokley took on a new challenge. He was cast as Rick James in a musical stage play. The play was called Super Freak: A Rick James Story. It was scheduled to tour in the spring of 2024.

Musical Inspirations

Stokley Williams has shared who inspired him in music. His main influences include Cliff Alexis Sr., the iconic musician Prince, and Maurice White. These artists helped shape his musical style.

Music He Played On (Session Work)

Stokley has played drums, percussion, and sung background vocals for many other artists. Here are some of the albums and songs he contributed to:

• The Boys - The Boys (1990) - He played drums on "Got to Be There."
• Sounds of Blackness – The Evolution of Gospel (1991) - He added handclaps and background vocals.
• Karyn White – Ritual of Love (1991) - He played percussion and drums.
• Janet Jackson – janet. (1993) - He played drums on "What'll I Do."
• Johnny Gill – Provocative (1993) - He provided background vocals and played drums.
• Black Men United – "U Will Know" (1994) - He sang lead and background vocals.
• New Edition – Home Again (1996) - He played percussion.
• Luther Vandross – One Night with You: The Best of Love, Volume 2 (1997) - He played percussion.
• Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida (1999) - He played drums for a song by Elton John & Janet Jackson.
• Yolanda Adams – Mountain High...Valley Low (1999) - He played drums on "Open My Heart."
• Usher – 8701 (2001) - He played drums on several tracks.
• Toni Braxton – More Than a Woman (2002) - He played acoustic guitar and guitar solo.
• Prince – Musicology (2004) - He sang background vocals on "Call My Name."
• Jill Scott- The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol. 3 (2007) - He helped produce and played instruments.
• Brother Ali – Us (2009) - He sang background vocals.
• Kelly Price – Kelly (2011) - He sang co-vocals and played instruments.
• The Robert Glasper Experiment – Black Radio (2012) - He sang lead vocals.
• Wale – The Gifted (2013) - He helped produce and played various instruments.
• Boney James – futuresoul (2015) - He provided vocals.
• Maysa - Back 2 Love (2015) - He produced and added vocals.
• After 7 - Unfinished Business (2021) - He added vocals, wrote, produced, and played instruments.

Albums with His Bands

With Mint Condition

Stokley is the lead singer and drummer for the R&B band Mint Condition. They have released many albums:

• Meant to Be Mint (1991)
• From the Mint Factory (1993)
• Definition of a Band (1996)
• The Collection (1991–1998) (1998)
• Life's Aquarium (1999)
• Livin' the Luxury Brown (2005)
• Live from the 9:30 Club (2006)
• E-Life (2008)
• 7... (2011)
• Music @ the Speed of Life (2012)
• Healing Season (2015)

With Ursus Minor

Stokley has also been a part of the group Ursus Minor. Their albums include:

• Nucular (2007)
• Zugzwang (2010)
• I Will Not Take "But" for an Answer (2010)
• What Matters Now (2016)

Stokley's Solo Albums

Stokley has released two albums as a solo artist:

• Introducing Stokley (2017)
• Sankofa (2021)