- David Houston (singer)
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- This article is about the country music singer. For other uses, see David Houston.
David Houston Birth name Charles David Houston Born December 9, 1935 Origin Bossier City, Louisiana Died November 30, 1993 (aged 57) Genres Country Occupations Singer-songwriter Years active 1963–1989 Labels Epic Associated acts Tammy Wynette, Barbara Mandrell Charles David Houston (December 9, 1935 – November 30, 1993) was an American country music singer. His peak in popularity came between the mid-1960s through the early 1970s.[1]
Contents
Biography
As a child, David Houston lived in this house in Minden across Marshall Street from the residence of later Mayor Jack Batton
Houston, who was born in Bossier City, was a descendant of General Robert E. Lee and President of Texas Sam Houston. His godfather was 1920s pop singer Gene Austin. Like Austin, Houston lived briefly as a youth in a house at the intersection of Marshall and Goodwill streets in Minden, the seat of Webster Parish in northwestern Louisiana.
Houston was one of the earliest artists with National Recording Corporation in Atlanta. 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, and Charley Pride, 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." This song, which is unrelated to the Philip Paul Bliss 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's "Amazed", which topped the chart from July 17 to September 4, 1999; and "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere" by Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett, 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's "What Was I Thinkin'" topped the chart).
Houston was awarded 2 Grammy Awards for Best Country & Western Recording and Best Country & Western 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" and "You Mean the World to Me" (1967); "Have a Little Faith" and "Already It's Heaven" (1968); "Baby, Baby (I Know You're a Lady)" (1970); and 1967's "My Elusive Dreams" duet with Tammy Wynette. In later years, Houston dueted with Barbara Mandrell 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 in Bossier City some two weeks before his 58th birthday. He had been residing in the New Orleans suburb of Kenner. 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.
Discography
Albums
Year Album Chart Positions Label US Country US 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) 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) 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 US 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"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" 1 — — "You Mean the World to Me" 1 75 — You Mean the World to Me 1968 "Have a Little Faith" 1 98 1 Already It's Heaven "Already It's Heaven" 1 — 1 "Where Love Used to Live" 2 — 1 Where Love Used to Live/
My Woman's Good to Me1969 "My Woman's Good to Me" 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)" 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) 6 — 4 1971 "A Woman Always Knows" 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 RPM Top Singles chart in Canada.
Singles from collaboration albums
Year Single Collaborator Chart Positions Album US Country US CAN Country 1967 "My Elusive Dreams" Tammy Wynette 1 89 — My Elusive Dreams 1968 "It's All Over" 11 — — 1971 "We've Got Everything but Love" Barbara Mandrell 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. Notes
References
- Roy, Don. (1998). "David Houston". In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 249.
External links
Categories:- 1935 births
- 1993 deaths
- American country musicians
- American country singers
- American male singers
- People from Minden, Louisiana
- People from Bossier City, Louisiana
- Grammy Award winners
- Grand Ole Opry members
- National Recording Corporation artists
- RCA Victor artists
- Epic Records artists
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