Ann Nesby

Ann Nesby (born Lula Ann Bennett; July 24, 1955; Joliet, Illinois) is an American R&B, gospel, and dance music singer, songwriter, and actress, best known as the former lead vocalist of the gospel and R&B ensemble Sounds of Blackness.

Early Life

Nesby was born in Joliet, Illinois, to devout parents deeply immersed in gospel music; her father was a minister who led his own gospel quartet, while her mother, an admirer of Mahalia Jackson, sang with her own gospel group and gave Nesby voice lessons from an early age.

Nesby began singing publicly at Mount Zion Baptist Church at around age three or four, and by five had travelled to Chicago to perform at a Baptist convention as the youngest president of her church's youth group. She graduated from Joliet Central High School in 1973, after which her family relocated to Rockford, Illinois, where her father took up a pastorate. In her teenage years, her musical activities remained largely confined to church settings, and she worked as a cosmetologist before her career took a more public turn.

In 1988, at the invitation of director Gary Hines, she moved to Minneapolis and became a full member of Sounds of Blackness, the city's celebrated gospel and R&B choir.

Career

As lead vocalist of Sounds of Blackness, Nesby sang lead on tracks including "I Believe," "Optimistic," "I'm Going All The Way," "Soul Holiday," and "The Pressure," and performed at the Grammy Awards, the NAACP Image Awards, the Soul Train Music Awards, and the Essence Awards, as well as touring with Luther Vandross. The group won Grammy Awards for Best Gospel Album by a Choir or Chorus for The Evolution of Gospel in 1991 and again in 1993, and Nesby contributed to their 1994 album Africa to America: The Journey of the Drum. During this period, she also began writing for other artists, penning "The Right Kind of Lover," a Top 10 R&B hit for Patti LaBelle, and "Home Alone," recorded by Gladys Knight.

Nesby left Sounds of Blackness in 1995 to pursue a solo career, signing to the Perspective label and releasing her debut solo album, I'm Here for You, in 1996, produced with the help of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and led by the title single. She contributed to soundtracks including Batman, Mo' Money, and Demolition Man, and to tribute albums honouring Curtis Mayfield, Marvin Gaye, and John Lennon.

She won a further Grammy Award for her contribution to the 1992 recording A Soulful Celebration, a gospel-inflected version of Handel's Messiah. Her 2002 album, Put It on Paper, featured a duet with Al Green on the title track, which earned her first solo Grammy nomination, and included her first number-one dance chart hit, a cover of "Lovin' Is Really My Game." She went on to release the albums In the Spirit and This Is Love (2007), the latter's lead single "I Apologize" earning a further Grammy nomination in 2008, bringing her total to six solo Grammy nominations.

Nesby appeared in the 2003 film The Fighting Temptations alongside Cuba Gooding Jr. and Beyoncé Knowles, and was cast by Tyler Perry in his 1998–2000 stage production I Know I've Been Changed. Her further screen credits include the films Let God Be the Judge, What My Husband Doesn't Know, and God of Dreams, as well as television roles on Hap and Leonard, Queen Sugar, Atlanta, and The Ms. Pat Show. She released her eighth solo studio album, ANNiversary, in 2025, a collection of original R&B material centred on themes of love, emotional maturity, and empowerment.
 

Personal Life

Nesby has spoken about the influence of her churchgoing, musical upbringing in Joliet on her artistic identity, crediting both her mother's early vocal coaching and the sacred music tradition of her father's ministry as foundational to her singing style.

She has continued to describe her music, spanning gospel, R&B, and dance, as an extension of her faith and her wish to uplift audiences. Her long career bridging sacred and secular music has made her a respected figure across gospel and R&B communities alike, admired both for her vocal power and for her crossover appeal to club audiences.
 

Current Activities

Nesby continues to record and perform, having released her most recent solo album, ANNiversary, in 2025, and remains active in acting, with television and film credits extending into the mid-2020s.