Tessa Margaret Niles (née Webb) was born on January 27, 1961, in Ilford, Essex, England. She is a renowned English singer, best known for her work as a backing vocalist for various prominent artists. Niles began her professional singing career in 1979, initially performing as both a lead and backing vocalist.
Throughout her illustrious career, Niles has collaborated with an impressive array of artists, including ABC, Eric Clapton, Kiri Te Kanawa, The Rolling Stones, Annie Lennox, Tears For Fears, Duran Duran, Kylie Minogue, David Bowie, The Police, Take That, Grace Jones, Tina Turner, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Steve Winwood, Morrissey–Mullen, Snowy White, Tom Jones, Marillion, Fish, Pet Shop Boys, Buddy Guy, B*Witched, Victoria Beckham, Nick Carter, Living in a Box, Cliff Richard, Mike + The Mechanics, Zucchero, Status Quo, Robbie Williams, Bill Sharpe, Gary Numan, Wham!, Andrew Ridgeley, Dusty Springfield, The The, Jimmy Nail, Cher, Cabaret Voltaire, Seal, Liza Minnelli, John Denver, and The Escape Club.
In the mid-1980s, Niles was the lead vocalist for the jazz ensemble Bandzilla, alongside Clive Griffin, and the band toured and appeared as the resident house band on the Channel 4 television show Don't Miss Wax in 1987. In 1991, the band released their debut album, Blue Movies, featuring Niles as the lead vocalist.
Niles has also provided voiceovers and singing for various television commercials, including Barbie, Levi's, Cadillac, Diet Pepsi, Delta Air Lines, Aquafresh, KFC, and DHL.
Her association with Eric Clapton began with his 1986 album August, and she went on to tour with him from 1988 to 1992, again in October 1997, and again on his 1999 tour of Japan. Niles also performed backing vocals during the George Harrison/Eric Clapton tour of Japan in 1991 and for Clapton's Unplugged concert in 1992. She appeared at Clapton's Crossroads Benefit Concert on June 30, 1999, and the Concert for George on November 29, 2002.
Niles performed vocals during one version of the song "All I Want For Christmas Is You" for the 2003 film Love Actually. She also performed at Live Aid at Wembley in 1985, providing backing vocals for David Bowie, who introduced her as "Theresa" in the prelude to "Heroes." On June 16 and 17, 1989, she performed vocals at Cliff Richard's gigs: From a Distance: The Event recorded at Wembley Stadium. In 1992, she featured in Cliff Richard's studio album.
