Vanessa Farley

Vanessa Farley is a soul and gospel singer from Camden, New Jersey. A cousin of the late R&B great Phyllis Hyman, Farley was educated in the city's public school system. She is active in the arts, the church, and her community. She is also an electrical engineer, wife, and mother of four. Farley, whose voice has a very similar quality to her more famous cousin's, was utterly taken with music from the time she was a young child, entertaining herself by listening to eight-track tapes from the Spinners, the Stylistics, Blue Magic, Al Green, and the Delfonics. Mentored by Hyman, she began singing, dancing, and acting. Farley went on to perform lead roles in numerous musical theater productions in Camden. She was also a member and lead vocalist of the Camden County Community Gospel Choir for a decade under the direction of J. Teddy Johnson, Jr. During this period she met and married musician William Y. Farley, Jr. They began and continue to perform together in gospel concerts, plays, recordings, and musical tributes to Hyman. Farley has recorded lead and background vocals for many projects, including a stint with NUDAUN, a female contemporary gospel ensemble under the auspices of Yergy Music & Productions. She has also performed with Hyman's former bandmembers Terry Burrus, Ron Richardson, and Kyle Hicks. In late 2016, the singer teamed with producer and arranger Butch Ingram to record an album of classic soul songs and Ingram-penned originals. Entitled One Last Memory, it was released on Society Hill Music through the Essential Media Group.
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