Early life James Nelson Williams was born in
Williamsburg, Brooklyn,
New York. He began singing at age 6 in the
Washington Temple COGIC choir under the direction of Professors Henry and Irene Coston. He would later come under the direction of gospel singer Rev.
Timothy Wright. after the well-known
MTA Brooklyn subway line because, according to the team's captain, "When he hits you, it’s like being hit by a train". While working on a project with his classmate, R&B singer
Will Downing, D Train was introduced to musician/producer
Hubert Eaves III. The duo broke out as an
R&B/Dance group under the
D Train name. D Train's self-titled debut album was released in early 1982, but with the popularity of their first single, "You’re the One for Me" was adopted as the album's new title. The album produced their next hit single "Keep On", mixed by record producer
François Kevorkian, which peaked at No. 2 on Billboard's Dance charts and No. 15 on Billboard's R&B charts. The album's third single, the much covered
Burt Bacharach single "
Walk on By", also charted in both the US and the album reached No. 16 on the Billboard R&B Album charts, No. 128 on the Pop Album charts and No. 72 on the UK Album charts. This remixed version peaked at No. 15 on the UK's Top 100.
D Train as a solo artist In 1986, Williams was signed by
Columbia Records and released
Miracles of the Heart. Although he was still collaborating with Eaves at this time, this first album for Columbia was viewed as more of a "solo" effort for Williams. The album produced several hits, including the single "Misunderstanding", which rose to No. 10 on the Billboard R&B/Hip Hop charts. The follow-up single, "Oh How I Love You (Girl)" went to No. 22 on the R&B/Hip Hop charts. D Train's next album,
In Your Eyes was released in 1988. The title track from the album made it to No. 11 on the R&B/Hip Hop charts, while the follow-up single "Runner" failed to chart. That same year, he provided backing vocals on the song "Eyes of a Child", written by
Trey Parker and performed by
Michael McDonald for the film
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut. In 2004, "You're the One for Me" appeared on the soundtrack of the British film
the Football Factory (2004). D Train appeared on camera and performed on the soundtrack of the
Amy Sedaris/
Stephen Colbert film
Strangers with Candy (2005). D Train's performances of "
My Funny Valentine" and
Hot Chocolate's "
You Sexy Thing" appeared in the
Halle Berry/
Bruce Willis film
Perfect Stranger (2007).
Other ventures D Train has recorded
jingle vocals for commercial spots. In 2001,
SiriusXM satellite radio signed D Train to host "The D Train Show" on the
Heart & Soul Channel 51 on the dial. The show was a blend of R&B music and guest interviews. Some notable guests included
Lionel Richie,
Roberta Flack,
Jet Li,
John Legend,
Chaka Khan and
Alicia Keys. The show ran until 2008. He performed at the INDUSTRIAL Event Space for SOULFUL Sundays with
Elisa Fiorillo every Sunday from July 17, 2022 to August 21. Each Sunday night supported a local nonprofits, such as
Opportunity Village, Nathan Adelson Hospice, Three Square Food Bank, and Pawtastic Friends. On September 14, 2022, D Train was honored and rewarded a spot in the Legends of Vinyl Music Hall of Fame. He, alongside
Lou Gramm and others, received recognition for their career work in the music industry. In the 13th Issue of
Chic Compass Magazine, D Train appeared in an interview. Later on, in December 2022, he was in a live interview alongside his long time friend Hubert Eaves III with producers from the YouTube channel Meet and Funk. ==Legacy==