Thelma Houston
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| Thelma Houston | ||
|---|---|---|
| Background information | ||
| Born | May 7, 1946 | |
| Origin | Leland, Mississippi | |
| Genre(s) | Disco, Urban, House, Soul | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter | |
| Years active | 1969 - present | |
| Website | www.thelmahouston.com | |
Thelma Houston, born May 7, 1946) is an African-American R&B and Dance music singer. She scored a #1 hit in 1977 with her cover of the song Don't Leave Me This Way.
Contents |
[edit] Early Life
The daughter of a cotton picker mother, Houston was born in Leland, Mississippi. She and her three sisters grew up primarily in Long Beach, California. After marrying and having two children, she joined the Art Reynolds Singers gospel group. There, she met Marc Gordon, who signed her as a recording artist with Dunhill Records.
[edit] Career
In 1969, Houston released her first album titled, "Sunshower". The album, as a whole, was not quite matched to Houston's exuberant singing style but she did very well with the material she was given. Also, the label she was signed to did not know how to best promote a Black female singer. So, the album was a modest success but could have been more successful. In 1971, she went on to sign with Motown Records, but she failed to score any big hits for some time. In April of that same year she joined the cast of The Marty Feldman Comedy Machine, playing various characters during the shows skits. However, the show was canceled in August and for the next several years Thelma's work was limited to demo recordings and performing at small venues. So she went into acting in 1975, appearing in the made-for-TV movie Death Scream. Then in 1976 she appeared in The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings, alongside Billy Dee Williams and James Earl Jones. That same year she sang backgrounds for Motown labelmate Jermaine Jackson.
1976 was the year that she recorded her Any Way You Like It album. In February of 1976, the album's single Don't Leave Me This Way hit #1 on the U.S. Billboard pop and R&B charts. It had been a hit previously with Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes. Her version incorporated some elements of the current disco style, and it became a popular hit in dance clubs, and has come to be regarded as one of the major songs of the disco era. Later on that year she teamed-up with Jerry Butler to record the album Thelma & Jerry. In November of 1977 she co-starred in the film Game Show Models. The following year she recorded the single Love Masterpiece for the disco/comedy film Thank God It's Friday (1978) starring disco queen Donna Summer and funk group The Commodores.
In 1979 Houston released her 2nd biggest single, Saturday Night, Sunday Morning (#19 R&B, #34 Pop), from the Ride To The Rainbow album. Although Houston went on to record other albums, none of the singles from those albums were able to match the success of Don't Leave Me This Way mainly on the Pop charts. She continued to score R&B and Dance chart hits into the 1980's. The most successful single, especially in terms of radio airplay became You Used To Hold Me So Tight produced by a pre Janet Jackson success, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis released in 1984. So she decided to concentrate on her acting career, appearing in the 1979 independent film The Seventh Dwarf. During the early-to-mid 80's she extended her acting career to television, guest starring on Cagney & Lacey, Simon & Simon, Faerie Tale Theatre, and the afterschool special Little Miss Perfect (1987), before returning to the silver screen, appearing as a prison singer in the 1988 film And God Created Woman, starring Rebecca De Mornay.
Houston decided to return to music in 1989, when she recorded a new version of Bill Withers classic "Lean on Me" for the film of the same name. Then she co-wrote and sang back-up on the song Be Yourself for Patti LaBelle's album of the same title. In the fall of 1990 she released her first album in over 5 years, entitled Throw You Down. The title song reached #5 on Billboard's Dance chart. By the mid-90's anything retro-disco was in demand and so a remix of Houston's anthem, Don't Leave Me This Way, was released and once again charted on Billboard's Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart at #19. Subsequent singles include I Need Somebody Tonight and All of That, both of which are House music favorites in the underground clubland. She briefly returned to acting in 1998 with small roles in the films 54 (about the famed nightclub Studio 54) and Oprah Winfrey's Beloved.
[edit] Year 2000 to Present
In recent years Houston has kept herself busy, touring with Nile Rodgers & CHIC and with Cher on her Farewell concert tour. She also performs at Teatro ZinZanni in Seattle, WA and San Francisco, CA.
Her version of Don't Leave Me This Way continues to be popular today. In recent years she has been invited to sing her signature song on dozens of TV shows and specials including NBC's Today Show, ABC's Motown 45 and The Disco Ball...A 30-Year Celebration and PBS specials American Soundtrack: Rhythm, Love and Soul, Soul Superstars, and Old School Superstars. Don't Leave Me This Way was mentioned by VH1 as being among the greatest dance songs in 2000, and was named #86 in VH1's countdown of the 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders. She won an episode of the NBC show Hit Me Baby One More Time with her renditions of her own hit and "Fallin'" by Alicia Keys. On September 20, 2004, Houston's rendition of Don't Leave Me This Way was inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame in New York City. She is of no relation to pop superstar, Whitney Houston who happens to have the same last name.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- Dunhill release
- 1969: Sunshower
- Motown releases
- 1973: Thelma Houston
- 1976: Any Way You Like It
- 1977: Thelma & Jerry
- 1977: The Devil in Me
- 1978: Ready to Roll
- 1978: Two to One
- 1979: Ride to the Rainbow
- 1982: Sunshower (re-release of 1969 lp when Motown acquired rights to ABC/Dunhill lp)
- 1982: Reachin All Around
- RCA releases
- 1980: Breakwater Cat
- 1981: Never Gonna Be Another One
- Sheffield Lab release
- 1981: I've Got the Music in Me
- MCA releases
- 1983: Thelma Houston
- 1984: Qualifying Heat
- Reprise release
- 1990: Throw You Down
[edit] Singles
- 1966: "Baby Mine"
- 1967: "Don't Cry, My Soldier Boy"
- 1969: "Everybody Gets To Go To The Moon"
- 1969: "Sunshower"
- 1969: "Jumpin' Jack Flash"
- 1970: "Save the Country" (#74 U.S.)
- 1970: "The Good Earth"
- 1972: "I Want To Go Back There Again"
- 1972: "Me And Bobby McGhee"
- 1972: "Piano Man"
- 1972: "What If"
- 1973: "I'm Just A Part Of Yesterday"
- 1974: "You've Been Doing Wrong For So Long" (#64 R&B)
- 1976: "Don't Leave Me This Way" (#1 U.S., #1 Dance)
- 1976: "Any Way You Like It" (#1 Dance, charted as double-sided hit with above title on dance chart)
- 1977: "I'm Here Again" (#18 Dance, #21 R&B)
- 1977: "It's A Lifetime Thing" (#84 R&B)
- 1979: "If It's The Last Thing I Do" (#47 U.S.)
- 1979: "Saturday Night, Sunday Morning" (#34 U.S., #33 Dance)
- 1981: "If You Feel It" (#6 Dance)
- 1981: "96 Tears" (#22 Dance, #76 R&B)
- 1983: "Working Girl" (#46 R&B)
- 1983: "Just Like All The Rest" (#80 R&B)
- 1984: "You Used To Hold Me So Tight" (#7 Dance, #13 R&B)
- 1985: "I'd Rather Spend The Bad Times With You, Than Spend The Good Times With Somebody New" (#4 Dance)
- 1985: "(I Guess) It Must Be Love" (#59 R&B)
- 1985: "Moonlight Serenade / In the Mood"
- 1985 "My Lucille (B.B. King) / Keep It Light"
- 1989: "Lean On Me" (#73 R&B)
- 1990: "Out Of My Hands" (#82 R&B)
- 1990: "Throw You Down / What He Has"
- 1991: "High" (#66 R&B)
- 1991: "Throw You Down" (#5 Dance)
- 1995: "Don't Leave Me This Way" (new version) (#19 Dance)
- 1996: "I Need Somebody Tonight"
- 1997: "All of That"
- 1999: "Let It Be [w/ Roger Daltrey]
- 1998: "All of That"
- 2004: "Don't Leave Me This Way" (Soultans Mix)
