Viola Watkins

Viola Watkins was one of the most prodigiously talented women to make the jump from R&B to rock & roll. Starting out with Ebony in the mid-'40s, she later recorded for Super Disc, M-G-M Records, and Jubilee (where she left behind three top-notch singles, "There Goes My Heart," "It Must Be Love," and "Really Real") before coming to George Goldner's Rama label in 1953, where she cut "Seven Lonely Days" with the backing of the Crows, and "Real Fine Man" as a solo artist. Watkins was a triple-threat musically, with gifts as an arranger and pianist which helped get her heard far be...