Sweet Emily: Top centre with husband, Pastor Wendell Williams. Top right: Her children, D’Aundre and Aysia; right: Her mother, Rose Gibson
She was the biggest female name in Bahamian music. Her songs are still played, sung and loved to this day. Songs like Bring Back the Good ‘Ole Days, Send Him Home and Look Wha’ Ya Do, a duet with Ronnie Butler, hold a special place in the hearts of Bahamians. Her captivating voice, signature smile and enthusiasm for Bahamian music and culture led to her recognition as the Queen of Junkanoo. But all of a sudden, the entertainer we knew and loved as “Sweet Emily” dropped from the secular music scene. She became “Evangelist Emily”. She stopped her popular stage performances and she recorded no more cultural hits.
That was 16 years ago. Emily married a pastor and she and her husband founded a ministry: Church Without Borders. Her husband, Pastor Wendell Williams, also took a leap of faith when they got married and he went on to form his own church. They were each being led in a different path from the one which they had devoted so much time to. Read more >>