Meet and Greet with Soul Star Thelma Houston

Soul, gospel, rock and disco vocalist Thelma Houston is known for her significant contributions to the entertainment industry. Born in Mississippi in 1943, Houston arrived in Long Beach in 1953 and graduated from Poly High School. Her first recording was as a ninth grader at Franklin Junior High, singing “Someone to Watch Over Me” on a purple vinyl LP sold as a fundraiser under the auspices school principal “Buck” Catlin.

Black historian and concert producer, Houston’s friend since elementary school, John Malveaux, spoke of Thelma singing at Big Tate’s Cozy Lounge on Alamitos Avenue at 16th Street. Houston recalled an “every-Thursday-night talent show at Big Tate’s.” Against her wishes, the emcee Pee Wee, whom Malveaux remembered as Eugene Terrell, put her on the list to sing, which she did, “and Big Tate offered me a job.”

Later, Malveaux partners, Lewis Gray and Clyde Wasoon booked her at the Hilton in Los Angeles, with headliner Moms Mabley with Brenda Holloway, Sam Fletcher and Oscar Brown Jr.

Houston attended St. Bethel CME Church and sang with singers who patterned themselves after the Caravans. They practiced in Art Reynolds’ garage. “Neighbors came around and listened to us, many of whom worked at McDonnell Douglas.

A guy who heard about us, who worked at McDonnell Douglas, worked with Gary Paxton,” who had earlier success with “Alley Oop” and “Monster Mash.”

“Gary had converted a bus into a studio at his home. He had us record originals and other songs, leased it to Capitol.” The Art Reynolds Singers put gospel lyrics to a soul music backbeat supplied by first-rate session musicians known as the Wrecking Crew. “I had a white backing band backing a black gospel act,” said Paxton. Their recording of the original “Jesus Is Just Alright” was later a hit for the Byrds and the Doobie Brothers, setting the stage for several major soul and Jesus rock hits like “Oh Happy Day,” “Spirit In the Sky” and “My Sweet Lord.”

In 1966, members of the Reynolds Singers came up with a composition that fit in well with the surging Motown hit sound of the Supremes. Thelma Houston recorded “Baby Mine,” written by Houston, Reynolds and his singers, who backed her. Produced by Paxton, this first release failed to make an impact because Motown had a lock on the sound and Capitol was occupied promoting the Beatles and the Beach Boys. “Baby Mine” is now a sought-after 45 by soul collectors worldwide, of which Houston is well aware. While on tour, “I had to re-learn ‘Baby Mine’ song for Northern England.”  

Her next and final Capitol single, the spoken-sung remake of the Shondells’ 1962 hit, “Don’t Cry My Soldier Boy,” had a timely Vietnam theme. Her next label stop was Dunhill, which was hot with the Mamas and Papas. Houston worked with celebrated songwriter Jim Webb on several songs for her “Sunshower” LP. Not stuck in a groove, Houston wowed rock fans with a raucous cover of the Rolling Stones’ #1 hit, “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.” Houston recalled, “I didn’t want to record it. I thought ‘Jumpin’ Jack Flash’ had no reason to be on an album. It was because Jimmy loved the song.”

Next came her first charting record, a cover of Laura Nyro’s clearly political 1969 release, “Save The Country,” later a hit for the Fifth Dimension in 1970.

In 1971, Houston signed with Motown for a half dozen singles before she hit big. “At Motown, I was in the studio all the time, trying to get a hit single.” When she hit, she won a Grammy Award for “Best R&B Female Vocal Performance” for her #1 soul and pop single “Don’t Leave Me This Way” in 1976. Motown executive “Suzanne De Passe heard the song by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes,” Houston recalled. “She thought that song needed a disco beat with a female singer. She and Hal Davis came up with that.”

However, this success had a double edge, as Houston herself noted, with the disco backlash. “They put you in a box, but in my case, I’m still getting calls to do disco music. That music proved itself.”

Because of her ongoing support for HIV/AIDS awareness, in 2003, the City of West Hollywood proclaimed January 29 “Thelma Houston Day.”

In 2024, Houston competed in The Masked Singer as “Clock” where she sang “Don’t Leave Me This Way.”

In April 2025, her 1975 album, “I’ve Got the Music in Me,” was inducted into the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry.

“I haven’t lost the passion,” Houston recently told the L.A. Sentinel. “It hasn’t beat me down. And I keep getting these surprises, like this recognition for something I did years and years and years ago. People still request me, so as long as they keep requesting, I will continue to work. I love it.”

An exhibit “Don’t Leave Me This Way – The Legacy of Thelma Houston” will open on Friday, June 6 at the African American Cultural Center of Long Beach at 4321 Atlantic Avenue at 6 p.m. It’s free and open to the public. Houston is scheduled to appear at the exhibit on opening Friday night.