Thelma Houston

At 77 years old, Thelma Houston physical status not available right now. We will update Thelma Houston's height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, and measurements.

Thelma Houston (née Jackson; born May 7, 1946) is an American singer and actress.

She scored a number-one hit in 1977 with her recording of "Don't Leave Me This Way", which won the Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.

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Early life and career

Houston was born in Leland, Mississippi. Her mother was a cotton picker. She and her three sisters grew up in Long Beach, California, mainly. After marrying and having two children, she joined the Art Reynolds Singers gospel group and was later signed as a recording artist with Dunhill Records. Despite her surname, she is not related to Whitney Houston.

Houston's debut album, Sunshower, was released, organized, and composed by Jimmy Webb except for one track. She went to Motown Records in 1971, but her early recordings with them were largely unprofitable. "You've Been Doing Wrong for So Long" was her most popular single during that period, peaking at No. 1. In 1974, Billboard R&B chart 64 appeared on the US Billboard R&B chart. However, Houston's vocal prowess earned her a nomination for a Best Female R&B Vocal Performance award. In 1973, Motown Productions announced a proposed biographical film starring Dinah Washington, which would then appear in Houston; however, the project was cancelled due to difficulties in obtaining permission from Washington's relatives. Houston appeared on The Marty Feldman Comedy Machine in April 1974, playing various characters during the show's skits. In August, the show was cancelled, and for the next few years her work was limited to demo recordings and performing at small venues.

Houston took acting lessons and performed in her first appearance in Death Scream, a 1975 made-for-television film. Sheffield Lab's "I've Got the Music in Me" a direct-to-disc recording by Thelma Houston and Pressure Cooker that went on to become a benchmark vinyl recording for audiophiles in the same year. Billy Dee Williams and James Earl Jones appeared on the soundtrack of the film The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings, starring Billy Dee Williams and James Earl Jones over the course of the year. Houston appeared on the Golden Globe Award broadcast in 1975 a live recording of "On & On"; the nominated song "On & On" was also featured in a tribute to Berry Gordy on the same year's American Music Award broadcast, "You've Made Me So Happy." When it was pulled and Diana Ross' version of "Do You Know Where You're Going To" was released in Houston, it was intended to be released as a single release. On his album My Name Is Jermaine, Houston sang backing vocals for Motown labelmate Jermaine Jackson.

In 1976, Houston released Any Way You Like It, her third solo album. "Don't Leave Me This Way," Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes' 1975 hit "Don't Leave Me This Way." The track debuted at number one on the R&B and Club Play Singles charts in February 1977, then appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 1977. At the Grammy Awards for 1977, "Don't Leave Me This Way" performed in Houston. "Don't Leave Me This Way" became a hit in at least 12 countries, including the United Kingdom, where it reached No. 13 amid the simultaneous introduction of the Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes original, which reached Number 5. Houston co-starred in the 1977 game Show Models and teamed up with Jerry Butler to record the album Thelma & Jerry. Bessie Smith would appear in a film adaptation of Me and Bessie, which will be directed by Motown, in February 1977; after an announcement that Houston was supposed to star Bessie Smith in a biopic directed in 1978 by Columbia Pictures, nothing more was known about the venture.

Any Way You Like It was Houston's interpretation of "If It's the Last Thing I Do," a Saul Chaplin and Sammy Cahn standard; the song had been recorded and set for single release in 1973 but it was cancelled. The effect of "If It's the Last Thing I Do" was much less than that of "Don't Leave Me This Way," as the former fell short of both the R&B Top Ten and the Pop Top 40.

Houston returned to the style of "Don't Leave Me This Way" after capturing the earlier single's success. "I'm Here Again" from her 1978 album "I'm Here Again." Houston's 1978 commercial success came as a result of her inclusion of her song "Love Masterpiece" on the Thank God It's Friday soundtrack album, which went double platinum, but her own album "Don't Leave Me This Way" released the year after the stardom has struggled to remain stable. The album's second single, "Saturday Night, Sunday Morning," began to rise in the national charts in March 1979 and climbed to #34 (#19 R&B) in June. Houston's new album "Saturday Night, Sunday Morning" was released on a new album, Ride to the Rainbow, but it wasn't enough to overshadow Houston's planned removal from Motown.

Houston continued recording music into the 1980s, beginning with the RCA's Breakwater Cat, which reunited her with Jimmy Webb, whose debut single Sunshower was a commercially ignored critical success. Houston admitted to "no real commercial success" after her single "Don't Leave Me So Tight" debuted on the pop charts in late 1976, indicating that the disco backlash had left her with "no real audience base" and that his current album Qualifying Heat, which was produced by Houston herself, was a concentrated effort to resurrect her as a viable chart presence; the album featured three cuts apiece, as well as Lenny Kravitz (th "You Use to Keep Me Tight" became Houston's most popular post-1970s release, earning the No. 78 No. 13 R&B's highest point, but its parent album was a comparative loss – charting No. 0 – a. 41 R&B – and Houston will not cut another album for six years.

Houston decided to rely on alternate exposure after the consistent list of her 1980s releases as moderate or minor R&B hits. Houston made guest appearances in many popular television series, including Cagney & Lacey, Simon & Simon (January 1986), and Faerie Tale Theatre, following her appearance in 1979's independent film The Seventh Dwarf. In the 1988 film And God Created Women, Houston appeared in the CBS after-school special Little Miss Perfect (1987) as "Prison Singer" as "Prison Singer."

"What a Difference a Day Makes" in the guise of Dinah Washington appeared on NBC broadcast on May 19, 1985. Houston continued to contribute to movie soundtracks, including "Keep It Light" for the 1985 film "Lean on Me" by Bill Withers. Houston co-wrote and sang back-up on Patti LaBelle's 1989 album of the same name, "Be Yourself."

Throw You Down, Houston's first album in six years, was released in 1989, a long-awaited collaboration with producer Richard Perry that briefly extended Houston's career as a minor R&B chartist. The title song debuted at No. 1 on the charts. On the US dance chart, 5 ranks rank 5th. "Don't Leave Me This Way" was a remix that was released, and Hot Dance Club Play's Hot Dance Club Play chart at No. 1 was also charted. In 1995, there were 19 people in the country. "I Need Somebody Tonight" and "All of That" are two of the subpoenas.

Houston performed gospel music with Phoebe Snow, Chaka Khan, and CeCe Peniston as "Sisters of Glory" in 1994. The Sisters of Glory, conceived as a one-off performance troupe, remained together, with Mavis Staples and Lois Walden, as well as Chaka Khan, all performing at Woodstock '94. In 1995, Houston performed with the Sisters of Glory for the Pope, while in 1995 Houston, Phoebe Snow, CeCe Peniston, Lois Walden, and Albertina Walker appeared on the Warner Brothers album Good News in Hard Times as the Sisters of Glory.

Houston sang "Toe Down House" on guitarist Scott Henderson's 1997 Atlantic album Tore Down House, and in 1998, she appeared in two films: "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" in 54 Houston, presumably at Studio 54, and "One of The Thirty Women" in Beloved Houston.

In 2000, Houston appeared in the stage musical version of Fame. She appeared on a Scott Henderson album in 2002, front vocals on two of the tracks on Well to the Bone. On returning to the United States, Houston toured with Nile Rodgers and Chic as one of the first acts of Cher's Farewell Tour in Toronto on October 31, 2003. In Seattle and San Francisco, Houston regularly performs at Teatro Zinzanni.

Her version of "Don't Leave Me This Way" is still in vogue today. She has appeared on scores of television shows and specials, including NBC's Today Show, ABC's Motown 45, and PBS' specials The Disco Ball (A 30-Year Celebration) and PBS' specials The Old School Superstars have been invited to perform this song in recent years. VH1 named "Don't Leave Me This Way" as one of the best dance performances of 2000, and it was ranked eighth out of ten on the channel's countdown of the 100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders. She appeared in an episode of NBC's "Meet Me, Baby, One More Time" with her interpretations of her own hit and "Fallin" by Alicia Keys. The Houston version of "Don't Leave Me This Way" was inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame in New York City on September 20, 2004.

A Woman's Touch, Houston's first studio album in seventeen years, was released on August 14, 2007. Peitor Angell produced the album, which includes cover versions of songs by male artists such as Luther Vandross, Marvin Gaye, and Sting that Houston had been inspired by. "Brand New Day" was the album's first single. Qualifying Heat, Houston's 1984 album Qualifying Heat, was reissued as an import title in the United States with a bonus track on August 20, 2007.

On American Idol, 2009, she performed "Don't Leave Me This Way" and on America's Got Talent on September 16, 2009.

Thelma and Los Angeles-based producer Janitor's "Enemy" a collaboration launched on SoundCloud on July 29, 2013. Several tracks followed, culminating in the debut of an EP named "Forty-Two" in September. This is the first new material from Thelma Houston in six years.

Don't You Believe They Know? Morrissey's single "Bobby, Don't You Know?" she is included. "I Am Not a Dog on a Chain" was released on January 10, 2020 from his album "I Am Not a Dog on a Chain."

Recent career

In 2000, Houston appeared on stage in Australia's best-selling version of Fame. She appeared on a Scott Henderson album in 2002, fronting lead vocals on two of the tracks on Well to the Bone. On returning to the United States, Houston performed with Nile Rodgers and Chick and Chic, and was one of the first acts of Cher's Farewell Tour in Toronto, scheduled end date. In Seattle and San Francisco, Houston performs frequently at Teatro Zinzanni.

Her version of "Don't Leave Me This Way" continues to be very popular today. In recent years, she has been invited to appear on hundreds of TV shows and specials, including NBC's Today Show, ABC's Motown 45, and PBS' specials American Soundtrack: Rhythm, Love and Soul, Soul Superstars, and Old School Superstars. VH1 rated "Don't Leave Me This Way" as one of the best dance songs of 2000, and the channel's countdown of the 100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders reached its eighth rank. She received an episode of NBC's Hit Me, Baby, One More Time with her interpretations of her own hit and "Fallin" by Alicia Keys. The rendition of "Don't Leave Me This Way" by Houston's "Don't Leave Me This Way" was inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame in New York City on September 20, 2004.

A Woman's Touch, Houston's first studio album in ten years, was released on August 14, 2007. Peitor Angell produced the album, which includes cover versions of songs by male artists such as Luther Vandross, Marvin Gaye, and Sting, which Houston had been inspired by. "Brand New Day" was the album's first single. Qualifying Heat, Houston's 1984 album Qualifying Heat, was reissued as an import title in the United States with a bonus track on August 20, 2007.

On American Idol, 2009, she performed "Don't Leave Me This Way" and America's Got Talent on September 16, 2009.

"Enemy," a Thelma and Los Angeles-based producer Janitor's joint venture, premiered on SoundCloud on July 29, 2013. Several tracks followed, culminating in the unveiling of "Forty-Two" in September, which culminated in the introduction of an EP. This is the first new material from Thelma Houston in six years.

"Bobby, Don't You Know It" by British singer Morrissey, she appears on "Bobby." "I Am Not a Dog on a Chain" was released on streaming platforms on January 10, 2020.

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