Billy Newton-Davis

Canadian jazz, gospel, and R&B singer Billy Newton-Davis was born in Cleveland, OH, in 1951. He began his career in music as a singer in local soul band the Illusions, eventually relocating to New York City as a singer and dancer on Broadway. Newton-Davis moved to Ontario in 1981, where he spent time in Toronto cabaret and various nightclubs before releasing his debut album, Love Is a Contact Sport, in 1986. That same year, he won Juno awards for Best R&B/Soul Recording and for Most Promising Male Vocalist. Released in 1989, Spellbound also won a Juno and provided Newton-Davis with his biggest chart success with "I Can't Take It" and "Can't Live with You," the latter a duet with Celine Dion. He joined popular a cappella group the Nylons for 1992's Live to Love, where he stayed until departing in 1994 to resume his solo career. ~ James Christopher Monger