David Houston (singer)
Encyclopedia
- This article is about the country music singer. For other uses, see David HoustonDavid HoustonDavid Houston may refer to:* David F. Houston, American politician* David Houston , sometime Lord Lieutenant of Sutherland* David Houston , country singer...
.
Charles David Houston (December 9, 1935 – November 30, 1993) was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singer. His peak in popularity came between the mid-1960s through the early 1970s.
Biography
Bossier City, Louisiana
Bossier City is a city in Bossier Parish, Louisiana, United States.As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total population of 61,315. Bossier City is closely tied to its larger sister city Shreveport, located on the western bank of the Red River. The Shreveport-Bossier City metropolitan area is the...
, was a descendant of General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
and President of Texas
Republic of Texas
The Republic of Texas was an independent nation in North America, bordering the United States and Mexico, that existed from 1836 to 1846.Formed as a break-away republic from Mexico by the Texas Revolution, the state claimed borders that encompassed an area that included all of the present U.S...
Sam Houston
Sam Houston
Samuel Houston, known as Sam Houston , was a 19th-century American statesman, politician, and soldier. He was born in Timber Ridge in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, of Scots-Irish descent. Houston became a key figure in the history of Texas and was elected as the first and third President of...
. His godfather was 1920s pop singer Gene Austin
Gene Austin
Gene Austin was an American singer and songwriter, one of the first "crooners". His 1920s compositions "When My Sugar Walks Down the Street" and "The Lonesome Road" became pop and jazz standards.-Career:...
. Like Austin, Houston lived briefly as a youth in a house at the intersection of Marshall and Goodwill streets in Minden
Minden, Louisiana
Minden is a city in the American state of Louisiana. It serves as the parish seat of Webster Parish and is located twenty-eight miles east of Shreveport, the seat of Caddo Parish. The population, which has been stable since 1960, was 13,027 at the 2000 census...
, the seat of Webster Parish
Webster Parish, Louisiana
Webster Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The seat of the parish is Minden. In 2010, its population was 41,207....
in northwestern Louisiana.
Houston was one of the earliest artists with National Recording Corporation
National Recording Corporation
-Early years:National Recording Corporation was incorporated in Atlanta in 1958. Founders were Bill Lowery, at the time the number one Country Music disc jockey and already a successful music publisher, and Boots Woodall, whose band recorded for Capitol, King, and Bullet Records and performed on...
in Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
. In 1963, he rose to national stardom with the single "Mountain of Love"; the song, which was different from the tune made famous by composer Harold Dorman, Johnny Rivers
Johnny Rivers
Johnny Rivers is an American rock and roll singer, songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. His styles include folk songs, blues, and revivals of old-time rock 'n' roll songs and some original material...
, and Charley Pride
Charley Pride
Charley Frank Pride is an American country music singer. His smooth baritone voice was featured on thirty-nine number-one hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. His greatest success came in the early- to mid-1970s, when he became the best-selling performer for RCA Records since Elvis...
, rose to number two on Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart. Another song, 1965's "Livin' in a House Full of Love" did just as well.
In 1966, Houston recorded his breakthrough secular smash, "Almost Persuaded
Almost Persuaded
"Almost Persuaded" is a song written by Glenn Sutton and Muscle Shoals songwriter Billy Sherrill and first recorded by David Houston in 1966. It is not to be confused with the Christian hymn of the same name....
." This song, which is unrelated to the Philip Paul Bliss
Philip Bliss
Philip Paul Bliss was an American composer, conductor, bass-baritone writer of hymns and a Gospel singer. He wrote many well-known hymns, including Almost Persuaded, Hallelujah, What a Saviour!, Let the Lower Lights Be Burning, Wonderful Words of Life, and the tune for Horatio Spafford's It Is...
hymn of the same title, is the tale of a married man managing to resist a temptress he meets in a tavern. Houston's recording of it quickly rocketed to number one that August, eventually spending nine weeks atop Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart. Ever since "Almost Persuaded" became a country standard, no song has equaled or bettered Houston's feat. However, two country songs have spent eight weeks at No. 1: Lonestar
Lonestar
Lonestar is an American country music group consisting of Richie McDonald , Michael Britt , Keech Rainwater , Dean Sams , and Michael Hill . McDonald left the band in November 2007 for a solo career before returning in 2011...
's "Amazed
Amazed
"Amazed" is the title of a song written by Marv Green, Aimee Mayo and Chris Lindsey. The first version of the song was recorded by the American country music group Lonestar, whose version was released in March 1999 as the second single from their 1999 album Lonely Grill...
", which topped the chart from July 17 to September 4, 1999; and "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere" by Alan Jackson
Alan Jackson
Alan Eugene Jackson is an American country music singer, known for blending traditional honky tonk and mainstream country sounds and penning many of his own hits. He has recorded 13 studio albums, 3 Greatest Hits albums, 2 Holiday albums, 1 Gospel album and several compilations, all on the Arista...
and Jimmy Buffett
Jimmy Buffett
James William "Jimmy" Buffett is a singer-songwriter, author, entrepreneur, and film producer. He is best known for his music, which often portrays an "island escapism" lifestyle. Together with his Coral Reefer Band, Buffett's musical hits include "Margaritaville" , and "Come Monday"...
, from August 9 to September 20 and then October 4, 2003 (in between "Somewhere's" seventh and eighth weeks at No. 1, on September 27, 2003, Dierks Bentley
Dierks Bentley
Dierks Bentley is an American country music artist who has been signed to Capitol Records Nashville since 2003. That year, he released his self-titled debut album. Both it and its follow-up, 2005's Modern Day Drifter, are certified platinum in the United States. A third album, 2006's Long Trip...
's "What Was I Thinkin'
What Was I Thinkin'
"What Was I Thinkin" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Dierks Bentley. Released in April 2003 as the first single from his self-titled debut album, the song became his first Number One hit on the U.S...
" topped the chart).
Houston was awarded 2 Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
s for Best Country & Western Recording
Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Recording
The Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Recording was awarded from 1959 to 1968. From 1959 to 1961 the award was presented as the Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Performance...
and Best Country & Western Performance, Male
Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance was awarded between 1965 and 2011. The award has had several minor name changes:*From 1965 to 1967 the award was known as Best Country & Western Vocal Performance - Male...
in 1967 for "Almost Persuaded".
"Almost Persuaded" began a string of top five Houston singles through 1973, including six more number ones: "With One Exception
With One Exception
"With One Exception" is a 1967 single by David Houston. "With One Exception" was David Houston's second number one on the country charts. The single stayed at number one for a single weeks and spent a total of fifteen weeks on the chart.-Chart performance:...
" and "You Mean the World to Me
You Mean the World to Me (David Houston song)
"You Mean the World to Me" is a 1967 single by David Houston. "You Mean the World to Me" was David Houston's third number one on the country charts as a solo artist. The single spent two weeks at number one and a total of sixteen weeks on the chart ....
" (1967); "Have a Little Faith
Have a Little Faith (song)
"Have a Little Faith" is a 1968 song written by Billy Sherrill and Glenn Sutton and recorded by David Houston. "Have a Little Faith" was David Houston's fourth number one single on the country charts. The single stayed at number one for a single week and spent a total of thirteen weeks on the...
" and "Already It's Heaven
Already It's Heaven
"Already it's Heaven" is a 1968 single written by Billy Sherrill and Glenn Sutton and recorded by David Houston. The single was David Houston's sixteenth release on the country charts. "Already It's Heaven" spent one week at the top of the country charts and total of fifteen weeks on the chart...
" (1968); "Baby, Baby (I Know You're a Lady)
Baby, Baby (I Know You're a Lady)
"Baby, Baby " is a song made famous by country music singer David Houston.Originally released in 1969, the song represented a first and a last. The last was that it was Houston's seventh No...
" (1970); and 1967's "My Elusive Dreams
My Elusive Dreams
"My Elusive Dreams" is a country music song written by Billy Sherrill and Curly Putman, which has been recorded by several artists. The best-known version was recorded as a duet by David Houston and Tammy Wynette, becoming a No. 1 hit in October 1967; the song also peaked at No...
" duet with Tammy Wynette
Tammy Wynette
Virginia Wynette Pugh, known professionally as Tammy Wynette , was an American country music singer-songwriter and one of the genre's best-known artists and biggest-selling female vocalists....
.
In later years, Houston dueted with Barbara Mandrell
Barbara Mandrell
Barbara Ann Mandrell is an American country music singer best known for a 1970s–1980s series of Top 10 hits and TV shows that helped her become one of country's most successful female vocalists of the 1970s and 1980s...
on several of her early hits, most notably 1970's "After Closing Time" and 1974's "I Love You, I Love You".
Houston's last Top 10 country hit came in 1974 with "Can't You Feel It".
Houston died of a brain aneurysm
Aneurysm
An aneurysm or aneurism is a localized, blood-filled balloon-like bulge in the wall of a blood vessel. Aneurysms can commonly occur in arteries at the base of the brain and an aortic aneurysm occurs in the main artery carrying blood from the left ventricle of the heart...
in Bossier City some two weeks before his 58th birthday. He had been residing in the New Orleans suburb of Kenner
Kenner, Louisiana
Kenner is a city in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States, and a suburb of New Orleans. The population was 66,702 at the 2010 census....
. He is interred in the Rose-Neath Funeral Home Cemetery in Bossier City. Houston is survived by his only child, David Houston, Jr., who currently resides in Shreveport.
Albums
| Year | Album | Chart Positions | Label | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
|||
| 1964 | New Voice from Nashville | — | — | Epic |
| 1965 | Twelve Great Country Hits | — | — | |
| 1966 | Almost Persuaded | 1 | 57 | |
| 1967 | A Loser's Cathedral | 12 | — | |
| Golden Hyms | — | — | ||
| My Elusive Dreams (with Tammy Wynette Tammy Wynette Virginia Wynette Pugh, known professionally as Tammy Wynette , was an American country music singer-songwriter and one of the genre's best-known artists and biggest-selling female vocalists.... ) |
11 | — | ||
| You Mean the World to Me | 3 | — | ||
| 1968 | David Houston's Greatest Hits | 20 | — | |
| Already It's Heaven | 9 | — | ||
| 1969 | Where Love Used to Live / My Woman's Good to Me | 27 | — | |
| David | 14 | 143 | ||
| 1970 | Baby, Baby | 7 | 194 | |
| The World of David Houston | 35 | — | ||
| Wonders of the Wine | 13 | 170 | ||
| 1971 | A Woman Always Knows | 22 | 218 | |
| David Houston's Greatest Hits, Volume II | 21 | — | ||
| 1972 | The Day That Love Walked In | 14 | — | |
| A Perfect Match (with Barbara Mandrell Barbara Mandrell Barbara Ann Mandrell is an American country music singer best known for a 1970s–1980s series of Top 10 hits and TV shows that helped her become one of country's most successful female vocalists of the 1970s and 1980s... ) |
38 | — | ||
| 1973 | The Many Sides of David Houston | 45 | — | |
| Good Things | 17 | — | ||
| 1975 | A Man Needs Love | — | — | |
| 1976 | What a Night | — | — | |
| 1977 | David Houston | — | — | Starday |
| 1978 | Best | — | — | Gusto |
| 1979 | From the Heart of Houston | — | — | Derrick |
| 1980 | Next Sunday I'm Gonna Be Saved | — | — | Excelsior |
| 1981 | From Houston to You | — | — | Excelsior |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | ||||
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
CAN Country | |||
| 1963 | "Mountain of Love" | 2 | 132 | — | New Voice from Nashville |
| 1964 | "Passing Through" | 37 | — | — | |
| "Chickashay" | 17 | — | — | ||
| "One If for Him, Two If for Me" | 11 | — | — | ||
| "Love Looks Good on You" | 17 | — | — | ||
| 1965 | "Sweet, Sweet Judy" | 18 | — | — | A Loser's Cathedral |
| "Rose Colored Glasses" | — | — | — | ||
| "Livin' in a House Full of Love" | 3 | 117 | — | Almost Persuaded | |
| 1966 | "Sammy" | 47 | — | — | single only |
| "Almost Persuaded Almost Persuaded "Almost Persuaded" is a song written by Glenn Sutton and Muscle Shoals songwriter Billy Sherrill and first recorded by David Houston in 1966. It is not to be confused with the Christian hymn of the same name.... "A |
1 | 24 | — | Almost Persuaded | |
| "Where Could I Go? (But to Her)" | 14 | 133 | — | A Loser's Cathedral | |
| "A Loser's Cathedral" | 3 | 135 | — | ||
| 1967 | "With One Exception With One Exception "With One Exception" is a 1967 single by David Houston. "With One Exception" was David Houston's second number one on the country charts. The single stayed at number one for a single weeks and spent a total of fifteen weeks on the chart.-Chart performance:... " |
1 | — | — | |
| "You Mean the World to Me You Mean the World to Me (David Houston song) "You Mean the World to Me" is a 1967 single by David Houston. "You Mean the World to Me" was David Houston's third number one on the country charts as a solo artist. The single spent two weeks at number one and a total of sixteen weeks on the chart .... " |
1 | 75 | — | You Mean the World to Me | |
| 1968 | "Have a Little Faith Have a Little Faith (song) "Have a Little Faith" is a 1968 song written by Billy Sherrill and Glenn Sutton and recorded by David Houston. "Have a Little Faith" was David Houston's fourth number one single on the country charts. The single stayed at number one for a single week and spent a total of thirteen weeks on the... " |
1 | 98 | 1 | Already It's Heaven |
| "Already It's Heaven Already It's Heaven "Already it's Heaven" is a 1968 single written by Billy Sherrill and Glenn Sutton and recorded by David Houston. The single was David Houston's sixteenth release on the country charts. "Already It's Heaven" spent one week at the top of the country charts and total of fifteen weeks on the chart... " |
1 | — | 1 | ||
| "Where Love Used to Live Where Love Used to Live "Where Love Used to Live" is a single by American country music artist David Houston. Released in September 1968, it was the first single from his album Where Love Used to Live/My Woman's Good to Me. The song peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. It also reached number 1 on... " |
2 | — | 1 | Where Love Used to Live/ My Woman's Good to Me |
|
| 1969 | "My Woman's Good to Me My Woman's Good to Me "My Woman's Good to Me" is a single by American country music artist David Houston. Released in January 1969, it was the first single from his album Where Love Used to Live/My Woman's Good to Me. The song peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. It also reached number 1 on the... " |
4 | — | 1 | |
| "I'm Down to My Last 'I Love You'" | 3 | — | 4 | A Woman Always Knows | |
| "Baby, Baby (I Know You're a Lady) Baby, Baby (I Know You're a Lady) "Baby, Baby " is a song made famous by country music singer David Houston.Originally released in 1969, the song represented a first and a last. The last was that it was Houston's seventh No... " |
1 | — | 1 | Baby, Baby | |
| 1970 | "I Do My Swinging at Home" | 3 | — | 4 | Wonders of the Wine |
| "Wonders of the Wine" | 6 | — | 5 | ||
| "After Closing Time" (with Barbara Mandrell Barbara Mandrell Barbara Ann Mandrell is an American country music singer best known for a 1970s–1980s series of Top 10 hits and TV shows that helped her become one of country's most successful female vocalists of the 1970s and 1980s... ) |
6 | — | 4 | ||
| 1971 | "A Woman Always Knows A Woman Always Knows "A Woman Always Knows" is a single by American country music artist David Houston. Released in December 1970, it was the second single from his album A Woman Always Knows. The song peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. It also reached number 1 on the RPM Country Tracks... " |
2 | — | 1 | A Woman Always Knows |
| "Nashville" | 9 | — | 24 | David Houston's Greatest Hits, Volume II | |
| "Home Sweet Home" | 32 | — | — | Good Things | |
| "Maiden's Prayer" | 10 | — | 19 | ||
| 1972 | "The Day That Love Walked In" | 18 | — | 20 | The Day That Love Walked In |
| "Soft, Sweet and Warm" | 8 | — | 6 | Good Things | |
| "I Wonder How John Felt (When He Baptized Jesus)" | 41 | — | — | single only | |
| "Good Things" | 2 | — | 3 | Good Things | |
| 1973 | "She's All Woman" | 3 | — | 6 | |
| "The Lady of the Night" | 22 | — | 95 | single only | |
| 1974 | "The Same Ol' Look of Love" | 33 | — | — | A Man Needs Love |
| "Ten Commandments of Love" (with Barbara Mandrell) | 14 | — | 9 | ||
| "Can't You Feel It" | 9 | — | 13 | ||
| 1975 | "A Man Needs Love" | 36 | — | — | |
| "I'll Be Your Steppin' Stone" | 40 | — | 45 | What a Night | |
| "Sweet Molly" (with Calvin Crawford) | 69 | — | — | ||
| "The Woman on My Mind" | 35 | — | — | ||
| 1976 | "What a Night" | 51 | — | — | |
| "Lullaby Song" | — | — | — | singles only | |
| "Come on Down (To Our Favorite Forget-About-Her Place)" | 24 | — | — | ||
| 1977 | "So Many Ways" | 33 | — | — | David Houston |
| "Ain't That Lovin' You Baby" | 68 | — | — | ||
| "The Twelfth of Never" | 98 | — | — | ||
| "It Started All Over Again" | 56 | — | — | Best | |
| 1978 | "No Tell Motel" | 72 | — | — | |
| "Waltz of the Angels" | 51 | — | — | From the Heart of Houston | |
| "Best Friends Make the Worst Enemies" | 46 | — | — | ||
| 1979 | "Faded Love and Winter Roses" | 33 | — | — | |
| "Let Your Love Fall Back on Me" | 57 | — | — | ||
| "Here's to All the Too Hard Working Husbands (In the World)" | 60 | — | — | ||
| 1980 | "You're the Perfect Reason" | 64 | — | — | singles only |
| "Sad Love Song Lady" | 78 | — | — | ||
| 1981 | "My Lady" | — | — | — | From Houston to You |
| "Texas Ida Red" | 69 | — | — | ||
| 1989 | "A Penny for Your Thoughts Tonight Virginia" | 85 | — | — | single only |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||||
- A"Almost Persuaded" also peaked at #45 on the RPMRPM (magazine)RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,...
Top Singles chart in Canada.
Singles from collaboration albums
| Year | Single | Collaborator | Chart Positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | CAN Country | ||||
| 1967 | "My Elusive Dreams My Elusive Dreams "My Elusive Dreams" is a country music song written by Billy Sherrill and Curly Putman, which has been recorded by several artists. The best-known version was recorded as a duet by David Houston and Tammy Wynette, becoming a No. 1 hit in October 1967; the song also peaked at No... " |
Tammy Wynette Tammy Wynette Virginia Wynette Pugh, known professionally as Tammy Wynette , was an American country music singer-songwriter and one of the genre's best-known artists and biggest-selling female vocalists.... |
1 | 89 | — | My Elusive Dreams |
| 1968 | "It's All Over" | 11 | — | — | ||
| 1971 | "We've Got Everything but Love" | Barbara Mandrell Barbara Mandrell Barbara Ann Mandrell is an American country music singer best known for a 1970s–1980s series of Top 10 hits and TV shows that helped her become one of country's most successful female vocalists of the 1970s and 1980s... |
20 | — | — | A Perfect Match |
| 1972 | "A Perfect Match" | 24 | — | — | ||
| 1973 | "I Love You, I Love You" | 6 | — | 18 | ||
| 1974 | "Lovin' You Is Worth It" | 40 | — | — | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | ||||||