A Mississippi native, Thelma Houston is a dedicated music creator and philanthropist who started out in the 1960s performing gospel music with the Art Reynolds Singers. In 1967, Houston signed to Capitol Records (home of the Beatles, Nat King Cole, and Nancy Wilson), and had her first hit song with “Baby Mine.” Houston released her first solo album, Sunshower, on ABC Dunhill in 1969, which was written and produced by the legendary Jimmy Webb.
After this critically-acclaimed album was released, Houston accepted an offer from none other than Hitsville, U.S.A. – Motown Records. Always a pathbreaker, at Motown she claimed the top of the pop, R&B, and dance charts with her signature rendition of “Don’t Leave Me This Way.” This Gold Record classic gave Houston the distinction of being the first solo female artist at Motown to win the GRAMMY Award for “Best R&B Female Vocal Performance.”
Houston has rocked Rockefeller Center on NBC’s The Today Show and the summer music special Hit Me Baby, One More Time. She dazzled in ABC’s Motown 45 and glittered on ABC’s The Disco Ball. Along with Aretha Franklin and Mary Wilson, she raised the roof on Love, Rhythm, and Blues for PBS. Houston appeared with Chaka Khan, CeCe Peniston, Phoebe Snow, and Mavis Staples as the “Sisters of Glory” in New York City in a rousing performance that later received a special request to be performed at the Vatican for The Pope.
Nile Rogers called upon her to be his special guest for a sold-out concert at the Hollywood Bowl, and she toured with Cher on her Living Proof Concert Tour. Additionally, she headlined at Harrah’s in Las Vegas. Houston has been inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame in New York City and honored as an “Apollo Legend” on the syndicated hit TV show Showtime at the Apollo.
Houston’s 23rd album, A Woman’s Touch, was released through Shout Factory Records (distributed by Sony/BMG) and offers her rich interpretations of many classic R&B and pop recordings originally made famous by such male vocalists as Marvin Gaye, Rev. Al Green, Sting, and Luther Vandross.
In 2009, Houston performed on the No. 1 rated television show in the USA, Fox’s American Idol, where she tore it up for an estimated audience of over 25 million people. Shortly after, she opened the finale of the hit summer show, NBC’s America’s Got Talent, for an estimated audience of over 18 million people.
Houston performs at many national events for the HRC (Human Rights Campaign) and was honored to perform in Denver when Barack Obama accepted the Democratic nomination. In January 2009, she then was asked to headline an official inauguration dinner for President Barack Obama in Washington, D.C., at the Mayflower Hotel along with her friends Melissa Etheridge and Cyndi Lauper.
In recent years, Houston launched a brand new band show called: THELMA HOUSTON, My Motown Memories & More! The show features the non-stop classic Motown songs that we all know and love, and was heralded by Motown founder Berry Gordy, who said, “I LOVED the show! This show needs to be everywhere!”
In early 2020, Houston collaborated with Morrissey on “Bobby, Don’t You Think They Know.” Also released the same year was the dance single “Turn Your World Around” (Radikal Records) with Bimbo Jones. The song quickly rose on the Billboard Dance Charts to No. 7. As an artist who is always focused on creating, Houston teamed up once again with Jimmy Webb during the COVID-19 pandemic for the song called “Someone is Standing Outside.” Recent shows include CBS’s Motown 60: A GRAMMY Celebration. Houston’s performance brought down the house. She also recently performed on the BET special DJ Cassidy’s Pass the Mic. During Black History Month in February, she was honored by the 2022 City of Los Angeles African American Heritage Month Program as a Living Legend—which she truly is.
Throughout the year, with appearances from Tokyo to Las Vegas to London and beyond, Houston continues to captivate audiences with her exhilarating performances and warm anecdotes. She continues to inspire new generations of artists with her vocal mastery, wit, and spirit of collaboration.
When asked about her expansive and impressive career success, Houston said, “I still feel a tremendous excitement about performing.” She added, “I have so many more things I want to do, and I have NO plans to retire anytime soon.”
Houston is known for her charitable causes and tireless efforts in the battle against AIDS. In 2003, the City of West Hollywood proclaimed January 29 as “Thelma Houston Day.” Houston has contributed her talents to numerous causes, including Divine Design for Project Angel Food, AIDS Project Los Angeles, and the Minority AIDS Project, to which she donated her $20,000 winnings from the TV show Hit Me Baby. She has been active with the NAACP and is a longtime supporter of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC).
A Mississippi native, Thelma Houston is a dedicated music creator and philanthropist who started out in the 1960s performing gospel music with the Art Reynolds Singers. In 1967, Houston signed to Capitol Records (home of the Beatles, Nat King Cole, and Nancy Wilson), and had her first hit song with “Baby Mine.” Houston released her first solo album, Sunshower, on ABC Dunhill in 1969, which was written and produced by the legendary Jimmy Webb.
After this critically-acclaimed album was released, Houston accepted an offer from none other than Hitsville, U.S.A. – Motown Records. Always a pathbreaker, at Motown she claimed the top of the pop, R&B, and dance charts with her signature rendition of “Don’t Leave Me This Way.” This Gold Record classic gave Houston the distinction of being the first solo female artist at Motown to win the GRAMMY Award for “Best R&B Female Vocal Performance.”
Houston has rocked Rockefeller Center on NBC’s The Today Show and the summer music special Hit Me Baby, One More Time. She dazzled in ABC’s Motown 45 and glittered on ABC’s The Disco Ball. Along with Aretha Franklin and Mary Wilson, she raised the roof on Love, Rhythm, and Blues for PBS. Houston appeared with Chaka Khan, CeCe Peniston, Phoebe Snow, and Mavis Staples as the “Sisters of Glory” in New York City in a rousing performance that later received a special request to be performed at the Vatican for The Pope.
Nile Rogers called upon her to be his special guest for a sold-out concert at the Hollywood Bowl, and she toured with Cher on her Living Proof Concert Tour. Additionally, she headlined at Harrah’s in Las Vegas. Houston has been inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame in New York City and honored as an “Apollo Legend” on the syndicated hit TV show Showtime at the Apollo.
Houston’s 23rd album, A Woman’s Touch, was released through Shout Factory Records (distributed by Sony/BMG) and offers her rich interpretations of many classic R&B and pop recordings originally made famous by such male vocalists as Marvin Gaye, Rev. Al Green, Sting, and Luther Vandross.
In 2009, Houston performed on the No. 1 rated television show in the USA, Fox’s American Idol, where she tore it up for an estimated audience of over 25 million people. Shortly after, she opened the finale of the hit summer show, NBC’s America’s Got Talent, for an estimated audience of over 18 million people.
Houston performs at many national events for the HRC (Human Rights Campaign) and was honored to perform in Denver when Barack Obama accepted the Democratic nomination. In January 2009, she then was asked to headline an official inauguration dinner for President Barack Obama in Washington, D.C., at the Mayflower Hotel along with her friends Melissa Etheridge and Cyndi Lauper.
In recent years, Houston launched a brand new band show called: THELMA HOUSTON, My Motown Memories & More! The show features the non-stop classic Motown songs that we all know and love, and was heralded by Motown founder Berry Gordy, who said, “I LOVED the show! This show needs to be everywhere!”
In early 2020, Houston collaborated with Morrissey on “Bobby, Don’t You Think They Know.” Also released the same year was the dance single “Turn Your World Around” (Radikal Records) with Bimbo Jones. The song quickly rose on the Billboard Dance Charts to No. 7. As an artist who is always focused on creating, Houston teamed up once again with Jimmy Webb during the COVID-19 pandemic for the song called “Someone is Standing Outside.” Recent shows include CBS’s Motown 60: A GRAMMY Celebration. Houston’s performance brought down the house. She also recently performed on the BET special DJ Cassidy’s Pass the Mic. During Black History Month in February, she was honored by the 2022 City of Los Angeles African American Heritage Month Program as a Living Legend—which she truly is.
Throughout the year, with appearances from Tokyo to Las Vegas to London and beyond, Houston continues to captivate audiences with her exhilarating performances and warm anecdotes. She continues to inspire new generations of artists with her vocal mastery, wit, and spirit of collaboration.
When asked about her expansive and impressive career success, Houston said, “I still feel a tremendous excitement about performing.” She added, “I have so many more things I want to do, and I have NO plans to retire anytime soon.”
Houston is known for her charitable causes and tireless efforts in the battle against AIDS. In 2003, the City of West Hollywood proclaimed January 29 as “Thelma Houston Day.” Houston has contributed her talents to numerous causes, including Divine Design for Project Angel Food, AIDS Project Los Angeles, and the Minority AIDS Project, to which she donated her $20,000 winnings from the TV show Hit Me Baby. She has been active with the NAACP and is a longtime supporter of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC).
