Born Gloria Jean Williamson in Detroit, Michigan in 1942, Williams auditioned for a spot in a girl group in 1957, and found herself accompanying Annette Beard, Rosalind Ashford and Martha Reeves in the christened Del-Phis.
Once at Motown, the group sang backing vocals for other acts/artists on studio recordings, such as Marvin Gaye during this period.
Williams sang lead on an early single, "There He Is (At My Door)", on the Mel-O-Dy subsidiary of Motown after the group changed their name to The Vels.
On the single's flip side, "You'll Never Cherish A Love So True", she shares the lead with Rosalind Ashford, who recorded a spoken part.
However, when the single flopped, a frustrated Williams left the group leaving the band as a trio.