Thelma Houston

Thelma Houston (née Jackson; born May 7, 1943, Leland, Mississippi) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She scored a number-one hit in 1977 with her cover version of the song "Don't Leave Me This Way", which won the 1978 Grammy Award for Best Female R&B; Vocal Performance. Houston was born the daughter of a cotton picking mother. She and her three sisters grew up primarily in Long Beach, California. After marrying and having two childre... more

Thelma Houston (née Jackson; born May 7, 1943, Leland, Mississippi) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She scored a number-one hit in 1977 with her cover version of the song "Don't Leave Me This Way", which won the 1978 Grammy Award for Best Female R&B; Vocal Performance. Houston was born the daughter of a cotton picking mother. 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 and was subsequently signed as a recording artist with Dunhill Records. In 1969, Houston released her debut album, entitled Sunshower, produced by Jimmy Webb. In 1971, she signed with Motown Records, but her early recordings with them were largely unsuccessful. Her most notable single during that period was "You've Been Doing Wrong for So Long" which peaked at #64 on the U.S. Billboard R&B; chart in 1974. In April of that same year she joined the cast of The Marty Feldman Comedy Machine,... less