Thelma Houston

The American R&B and soul singer Thelma Houston was born in Leland, Mississippi in 1946 but she grew up in Long Beach, California. She began her recording career as the lead singer of The Art Reynolds Singers with whom she recorded a series of singles. Houston went on to sign for Dunhill Records and released her debut album 'Sunshower' in 1969. The album produced four singles and although it only enjoyed moderate commercial success it brought the singer to the attention of Berry Gordy at Motown Records who signed the singer in 1971.

Her initial recordings with Motown were relatively unsuccessful save for her 1974 release 'You've Been Doing Wrong for So Long' which earned her a Grammy nomination. During this period Houston began to branch out into acting and secured some minor roles and became a familiar face in `The Marty Feldman Comedy Machine' TV show.

In 1976 Houston released her third solo album 'Anyway You Like It' and the lead single 'Don't Leave Me This Way' was to become Houston's biggest hit and came to define her singing career. The track was a major disco hit as well as topping the US R&B charts.

Houston continued her career as an actress and a singer for the next two decades, her most recent album being 'Woman's Touch' released in 2007.