Mississippi born and Long Beach raised, Thelma Houston began her musical journey with her church choir, eventually joining the gospel ensemble the Art Reynolds Singers. This exposure resulted in Ms. Houston recording three singles for Capitol Records including “Baby Mine.” She then signed with music impresario Lou Adler’s Dunhill Records, releasing her first album, SUNSHOWER, written and produced by Jimmy Webb, one of America’s most successful songwriter/ composers. She had her first Billboard Hot 100 single with “Save the Country” in 1970, which she performed on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in December 1969.
In 1972, Ms. Houston signed with Motown who released her self-titled second album, which included her version of Janis Joplin’s “Me and Bobby McGee” (written by Kris Kristofferson), a year after Joplin’s passing. However, it was her third album for Motown – ANY WAY YOU LIKE IT – which featured her #1 hit, “Don’t Leave Me This Way.” Ms. Houston’s incredible vocals catapulted the song to the top of the US Soul Singles chart, the Disco chart and the Billboard Hot 100. An international sensation, it was a Top Twenty hit in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, Sweden and United Kingdom. In 1978, Ms. Houston became the first solo female Motown artist to win a GRAMMY for Best R&B Vocal Performance for her amazing interpretation of the song.
Ms. Houston has had many more successes since : Her single “Love Masterpiece” was a stand-out on the double platinum, THANK GOD IT’S FRIDAY soundtrack, she had a starring role in the films “Game Show Models” and “God Created Woman,” her Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis produced single “You Use to Hold Me So Tight” was an R&B hit, she had guest starring roles on TV Shows such as “Cagney & Lacey,” “Simon & Simon” and “Faerie Tale Theatre,” and brought the house down in 1985’s “Motown Returns to the Apollo” television special. The Richard Perry produced single “Throw You Down” reached #5 on the US Dance charts and a 1995 remix of “Don’t Leave Me This Way,” was a Dance hit for a new generation. As part of ‘Sisters of Glory’ with Phoebe Snow, Chaka Khan and CeCe Peniston, she performed for the Pope at the Vatican and at Woodstock 94. She appeared in the film “54” as herself singing “Have Yourself a Very Merry Christmas.” On September 20, 2004, Ms. Houston’s rendition of “Don’t Leave Me This Way” was inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame in New York City.
In 2020, Ms. Houston collaborated with singer Morrissey on the song “Bobby, Don’t You think They Know.” That same year her dance single “Turn Your World Around” with Bimbo Jones reached #7 on the BillboardDance chart. During Covid, Ms. Houston teamed up with Jimmy Webb once again for the song “Someone is Standing Outside.” In 2022 the city of Los Angeles’ African American Heritage Month Program designated Ms. Houston as a Living Legend.
Last year, Ms. Houston reached the semi-finals of the Fox TV’s hit show “The Masked Singer” [Season 11] as the Clock. In 2025, “The Legacy of Thelma Houston” exhibit opened at the African American Cultural Center of Long Beach, CA. Billboard article
Always charitable. her relentless advocacy for AIDS research led to the City of West Hollywood to proclaim January 29 as “Thelma Houston Day.” In addition, Ms. Houston tirelessly supports the NAACP, the Human Rights Campaign and Project Angel Food.
In December 25 Ms. Houston will be performing on the “Hollywood Christmas Parade” and will be in New York at the Plaza Hotel where she is performing and being honored with a “Lifetime Achievement Award” by the Children of Armenia Fund.
2026 will mark the 50th anniversary of Ms. Houston’s Grammy Award Winning song, “Don’t Leave Me This Way,” and her 55th years of performing on the road and the start of writing her life story called “Don’t Leave Me This Way” with Billboard Magazine veteran writer Fred Bronson, which will be released in 2027.
Ms. Houston will be back on tour around the world to captivate audiences with her band show called “THELMA HOUSTON: My Motown Memories & More, which features entertaining anecdotes, along with her fantastic live energetic performances and that unbelievable legendary soulful voice.
The Chairman of the Board Mr. Berry Gordy was recently quoted as saying, “Thelma’s voice is like a fine wine and gotten better with age.”
Ms. Houston makes her home in Los Angeles, CA.
For more information on Thelma Houston, please visit and connect:
Website: ThelmaHouston.com
FaceBook: www.FaceBook.com/ThelmaHoustonOfficial
Instagram: @ThelmaHoustonOfficial
Twitter: @Thelma_Houston
