Gwen Oliver

(July 21, 1949 - November 27, 2020) Member of disco ensemble [a=The Ritchie Family], During the 1960s, she was a member of the group who had a hit with "It's Gonna take a Miracle" in 1971. In 1974, she contributed backing vocals to 's album, [i][m=161304][/i]. In 1975, along with and , she became a member of The Ritchie Family who had the classic disco hit, "[m=117704]". In 1978, Wooten, Jacks and Oliver were fired without warning and a new line up was brought in.

In the 2010s the Ritchie Family was reformed with original members Wooten and Jacks being joined by . In 2016, the group had a top 40 hit on the Billboard dance chart with "[r=8695859]". The Ritchie Family Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/orignalritchiefamily/) has pictures of her with Wooten, Mason-Dorman and Guillory-Wearing. One photo shows the four of them on stage suggesting she may have joined them to sing.
She was married to trombonist [a=Fred Wesley]. In her later years, having left music, she lived life as a committed Christian, she was active in her church, involved in Bible study.
Gwen Wesley died on November 27, 2020 at age 71.