COVID claims ex-Temptation, Vegas vocalist Bruce Williamson

Bruce Williamson Jr., was the former singer in the Temptations who owned the nickname “Big Sexy.” He was a beloved Las Vegas entertainer, an R&B and soul vocalist who commanded every stage who died Sunday of complications related to COVID-19.

Williamson would have turned 50 on Sept. 28.

“He was an old soul, and an amazing talent,” Williamson’s manager and confidant Anta “Sandee” Ealy said Monday. “He touched everyone who heard him. He was a true singer that never hid behind the mic, and a real professional.”

Williamson was with the Temptations for nine years ending in December 2016. He stepped in for G.C. Cameron, and was the lead singer on the albums “Back To Front” and “Still Here.” Williamson was replaced in the band by Larry Braggs, former singer of Tower of Power.

In an interview posted on YouTube just after he left the Temptations, Williamson said that as a kid, he was inspired to sing professionally after watching the band perform on “Soul Train” The lead singer at the time was the legendary Ollie Woodson and the group was debuting “Treat Her Like a Lady.”

“I looked at my step-dad at the time and I said, ‘I’m going to be in that group,’ ” Williamson said. “He said, ‘By the time you grow up, they are all going to be dead.’ I said, ‘Maybe so, but I’m going to be in that group.’”

Williamson said, “I’m my own worst critic. I’m the hardest vocal coach, on myself. I have sound equipment in my own room, and I get up from time to time when the house is empty and I just sing, and I listen to myself. I don’t care about riffs. I don’t care about range, too much. I care about actually being able to paint the picture.”

Williamson’s friends were shaken by the news of his passing.

“I am devastated by his loss, as is the Las Vegas entertainment community,” said Las Vegas vocalist Serena Henry, Williamson’s closest friend of 20 years. “Beyond that, the family declines comment at this time to allow time for grieving.”

During a weeklong Broadway show featuring the Temptations in 2014, the New York Times wrote that Williamson was “a find: a large man who’s light on his feet and, even more important, full-throated with gospel timing. He had multiple paths from croon to rasp, and he could sound simultaneously forceful and desperate in a song like ‘(I Know) I’m Losing You.’”

In Las Vegas, Williamson was a member of the three-singer lineup of Sons of Soul, a top draw at such Vegas hotel-casinos as Silverton and Downtown Grand.

Ken Young, Williamson’s friend and partner in that band, posted on Facebook, “We’ve experienced sooooo many life highs and lows, not just musically we’ve prayed together we’ve fought, we’ve encouraged each other and the list goes on. I ask that you continue to pray for the family for strength and wisdom. To say that I’m going to miss him is the understatement of the century.”

Williamson also was the principal singer with the Lon Bronson Band for two years. His final stage performance was with the Bronson band at Avi in on March 6-7.

Bronson said he was stunned during a phone chat Monday morning, saying the news was a “gut punch.”

“Big sexy Bruce, or BSB as I called him, was a gale force whirlwind of talent onstage,” Bronson said. “It would start the second he hit the stage with his incredible vocal chops instantaneously grabbing your attention and never letting go. To that, he would add his wry, self-deprecating stage banter, which inevitably caused the audience, every single audience that I ever witnessed, to fall completely and madly in love with him. So did I, and every other performer that ever shared the stage with him.”

Bronson and Williamson had been working on a Barry White tribute show when Williamson fell ill. “Big Sexy” also sat in several times with David Perrico’s Pop Strings at Cleopatra’s Barge at Caesars Palace.

“I was honored to share the stage with Bruce,” Perrico said. “He was absolutely electrifying, in total command, and totally loved.”

Ealy said Williamson’s health had been in decline after he underwent surgery to remove his gall bladder about a month ago. He had been in and out of the hospital ever since, suffering from double pneumonia after testing positive for coronavirus. He was on a ventilator when he passed away Sunday night.

Williamson is survived by his sons Rernishio, Bruce Williamson III and Tristian; his mother, Frances Robinson; and his brother, Cliff Robinson. Plans for a memorial are likely to be finalized this week.

Bruce Williamson III posted Sunday night about his father’s passing. He followed with a Facebook Live video post on Monday morning.

“I know he had a lot of fans, people who loved him, people who adored him,” the younger Williamson said. “He had a lot of friends, a lot of us loved him. My dad was a great dude, whether you knew him or didn’t know him. But if you did know him, my dad was an awesome person.”

An artist himself, Williamson then sang, “I Won’t Complain” as a tribute to his father: “I’ve had some good days/I’ve had some hills to climb. I’ve had some weary days/And some sleepless nights. But when I look around/And I think things over. All of my good days/Out-weigh my bad days. I won’t complain.”

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.