Thelma Houston facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Thelma Houston
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Houston in 2023
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Thelma Jackson |
| Born | May 7, 1946 Leland, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Genres | |
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| Years active | 1968–present |
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Thelma Houston (born May 7, 1946) is an American singer. She started her music career in the late 1960s. In 1977, she had a huge number-one hit song called "Don't Leave Me This Way". This song also won her a Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.
Contents
The Story of Thelma Houston
Early Life and First Songs
Thelma Houston was born in Leland, Mississippi. Her mother worked as a cotton picker. Thelma and her three sisters grew up mostly in Long Beach, California. After getting married and having two children, she joined a gospel group called the Art Reynolds Singers. Soon after, she signed a record deal with Dunhill Records. Even though they share a last name, she is not related to Whitney Houston.
In 1969, Thelma released her first album, Sunshower. Most of the songs were written and produced by Jimmy Webb. In 1971, she signed with Motown Records. Her first songs with Motown were not very successful. Her most well-known song from that time was "You've Been Doing Wrong for So Long" in 1974. This song earned her a nomination for a Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.
In 1975, Thelma acted in a TV movie called Death Scream. That same year, she recorded "I've Got the Music in Me" with a group called Pressure Cooker. This recording became famous for its sound quality. The next year, she sang songs for the movie The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings. She also performed at the Golden Globe Awards and the American Music Awards.
Her Big Hit: "Don't Leave Me This Way"
In 1976, Thelma Houston released her third album, Any Way You Like It. The first song from this album was her version of "Don't Leave Me This Way". The original song was by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes.
In February 1977, Thelma's version of "Don't Leave Me This Way" became a number-one hit in the U.S. on the R&B and Club Play Singles charts. By April 1977, it reached number one on the main Billboard Hot 100 chart. This song won Thelma a Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance in 1977. "Don't Leave Me This Way" was a hit in many countries, including the UK.
In 1977, Thelma also recorded an album with Jerry Butler called Thelma & Jerry. She also appeared in the film Game Show Models.
Moving On from Motown
After her big hit, Thelma Houston released the album The Devil in Me in 1978. The first song, "I'm Here Again," sounded like "Don't Leave Me This Way" but wasn't as successful. However, her song "Love Masterpiece" was on the Thank God It's Friday movie soundtrack, which sold very well.
Her album Ready to Roll (1978) and Ride to the Rainbow (1979) did not make her as famous as "Don't Leave Me This Way" had. Her song "Saturday Night, Sunday Morning" from Ride to the Rainbow did well on the R&B charts. After this, Thelma decided to leave Motown Records.
Music and Acting in the 1980s
Thelma Houston kept making music in the 1980s. Her album Breakwater Cat (1980) was produced by Jimmy Webb, who worked on her first album. Critics liked it, but it didn't sell many copies.
In 1984, she released Qualifying Heat. This album included the song "You Used to Hold Me So Tight", which became her most successful song after the 1970s. It reached number 13 on the R&B charts.
Thelma also started acting more in the 1980s. She appeared in TV shows like Cagney & Lacey, Simon & Simon, and Faerie Tale Theatre. She also sang "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes" on the TV show Motown Returns to the Apollo, pretending to be Dinah Washington. Thelma also sang songs for movies, including "Keep It Light" for Into the Night and "Lean on Me" for the movie Lean on Me.
The 1990s and Beyond
In 1990, Thelma released Throw You Down, her first album in six years. The title song reached number 5 on the U.S. dance chart. A new version of "Don't Leave Me This Way" was released in 1995 and also did well on the dance charts.
In 1994, Thelma joined a gospel group called "Sisters of Glory" for a special concert to help people with AIDS. The group, including Phoebe Snow and CeCe Peniston, performed at Woodstock '94 and even for the Pope in Vatican City. In 1995, the Sisters of Glory released an album called Good News in Hard Times.
Thelma also sang on albums for guitarist Scott Henderson and made small appearances in two movies in 1998: 54 and Beloved.
Recent Career Highlights
In 2000, Thelma Houston toured Australia in the musical Fame. She continued to perform with artists like Nile Rodgers and Chic. She often performs at Teatro ZinZanni in Seattle and San Francisco.
Her hit song "Don't Leave Me This Way" is still very popular today. She has been invited to sing it on many TV shows, including the Today Show and Motown 45. In 2000, VH1 called "Don't Leave Me This Way" one of the greatest dance songs. In 2004, her version of the song was added to the Dance Music Hall of Fame in New York City.
On August 14, 2007, Thelma released her first studio album in seventeen years, A Woman's Touch. This album featured her singing songs originally performed by male artists like Luther Vandross and Marvin Gaye.
She sang "Don't Leave Me This Way" on American Idol in 2009 and America's Got Talent in 2009. In 2013, she released an EP (a short album) called "Forty-Two" with producer Janitor.
In 2020, she was featured on the song "Bobby, Don't You Think They Know?" by British singer Morrissey. In 2024, Thelma Houston appeared on The Masked Singer as "Clock." She made it to the semifinals and finished in third place. For her final performance, she sang "Don't Leave Me This Way."
Thelma Houston's Albums
- Sunshower (1969)
- Thelma Houston (1972)
- I've Got the Music in Me (with Pressure Cooker) (1975)
- Any Way You Like It (1976)
- The Devil in Me (1977)
- Thelma & Jerry (with Jerry Butler) (1977)
- Two to One (with Jerry Butler) (1978)
- Ready to Roll (1978)
- Ride to the Rainbow (1979)
- Breakwater Cat (1980)
- Never Gonna Be Another One (1981)
- Reachin' All Around (1982)
- Thelma Houston (1983)
- Qualifying Heat (1984)
- Throw You Down (1990)
- Thelma Houston (1994)
- A Woman's Touch (2007)
Thelma Houston in Movies and TV
Films
- 1975: Death Scream — Lady Wing Ding
- 1977: Game Show Models — Dana Sheridan
- 1979: The Seventh Dwarf
- 1988: And God Created Woman — prison singer
- 1998: 54 — herself
- 1998: Beloved — one of The Thirty Women
Television Guest Appearances
- 1969: The Ed Sullivan Show — guest singer
- 1969: The Price of Fame – Guest singer
- 1971: The Marty Feldman Comedy Machine — various characters
- 1975: The Golden Globe Award — Guest Singer
- 1980: The Two Ronnies — Guest singer
- 1985: Cagney & Lacey — Ellie Hendricks
- 1986: Simon & Simon — Venutia
- 1986: Tall Tales & Legends — Edna
- 1987: Little Miss Perfect — Ms. Bonner
- 1989: Super Dave — Guest singer
- 2024: The Masked Singer - Herself/Clock
Soundtracks
- 1976: The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings — "Steal on Home", "Razzle Dazzle"
- 1976: Norman... Is That You? — "One Out of Every Six"
- 1978: Thank God It's Friday — "Love Masterpiece"
- 1984: Getting Physical — "Hot Dance", "To Be Free"
- 1985: Into the Night — "Keep It Light"
- 1989: Lean on Me — "Lean on Me"
See also
In Spanish: Thelma Houston para niños
- List of number-one hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (U.S.)
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart
