Mary Vesta Williams (1957 – 2011) was an American singer-songwriter, who performed across genres such as pop, jazz, adult contemporary and R&B. Originally credited as Vesta Williams, she was simply known as Vesta beginning in the 1990s. She was known for her four–octave vocal range. She once sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" for the Los Angeles Lakers game opener using all four of those octaves. Although Williams never had any albums certified gold nor any Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, she scored six Top 10 hits on the United States Billboard R&B chart from the mid–1980s to the early–1990s that included "Once Bitten, Twice Shy" (1986), "Sweet Sweet Love" (1988), "Special" (1991), and her 1989 single and signature song, "Congratulations".
Vesta Tilley (1864 - 1952) was one of the highest paid vaudeville performers of her day. She was a world-renowed male impersonator, most famous for playing (with a satirical bent) the roles of somewhat foppish young men. During WWI, Vesta and her family helped considerably with the war effort, running a recruitment drive, selling war bonds, and performing in hospitals. Her husband was knighted for his services. Vesta Tilley was actually her stage name, Tilley as a nickname for Matilda, and Vesta from a brand of safety matches.