Viola Billups, born 4 July 1946 in Alabama, United States of America, is an American soul singer who performed under the stage name Pearly Gates. She began her career as a member of the girl group The Flirtations in 1964, relocating with the group to London in 1968 where they gained popularity on the UK dance circuit. Pearly Gates departed the group in 1973 and released her first single "Sad Old Shadow" under the nickname "Vie” on Polydor Records; the track was later issued in New Zealand in 1974 credited to Pearly Gates. In 1974 she adopted her final stage name and issued "Johnny And The Juke Box" on Polydor, followed by a series of singles throughout the 1970s and 1980s on RCA, Bronze, and Funkin’ Marvellous, including "Burning Love" (1978), "Fandango Dancing" (1979), and "Action" (1985), the latter becoming a Hi‑NRG hit. The 1979 disco album Fading Into The Night was shelved until 1995, when it was paired with six new tracks for the compilation The Best Of Pearly Gates. In the 2000s Pearly Gates released On a Winning Streak (2010) and continued to perform with The Flirtations on the northern soul circuit, maintaining an active presence in the soul and disco communities.
