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| David Houston > Albums & Lyrics |
Born: December 9, 1938 in Bossier City, Louisiana
Died: November 30, 1993
Houston's forefathers included Sam Houston, who fought for Texas's independence from Mexico, and the Civil War general Robert E. Lee. His parents were friends of 20s singer Gene Austin, who was his godfather and encouraged his talent.
Houston made his debut on Louisiana Hayride when aged only 12. He continued with his studies and, encouraged by his manager, Tillman Franks, made a one-off single for Sun Records in Memphis, 'Sherry's Lips'/'Miss Brown'. In 1963 he was signed to Epic Records, who wanted to break into the country market. His first release, 'Mountain Of Love', made number 2 in the US country charts, and was followed by further hits including 'Livin' In A House Of Love' and 'Sweet, Sweet Judy'. In 1966, a song partly written by his producer Billy Sherrill, 'Almost Persuaded', topped the US country charts and also made the Top 30. It established him as one of country music's top balladeers, and he had further country chart-toppers with 'With One Exception',
'My Elusive Dreams' (a duet with Tammy Wynette), 'You Mean The World To Me', 'Have A Little Faith', 'Already In Heaven' and 'Baby Baby (I Know You're A Lady)'. He also appeared in the 1967 country film Cotton-Pickin' Chicken Pluckers. He never repeated his success with Tammy Wynette and she says in her autobiography, Stand By Your Man, 'If he was the last singer on earth, I'd never record with him again'.
However, Houston has recorded several successful duets with other singers, including 'I Love You, I Love You' and 'After Closing Time', with Barbara Mandrell. His last Top 10 country success was with 'Can't You Feel It?' in 1974, and when he left Epic, he recorded with seven other labels. During his career, Houston had seven number 1 country records and 61 chart entries, the last, 'A Penny For Your Thoughts Tonight Virginia', a minor hit on the Country International label in 1989. In 1991, he appeared in the UK at Wembley's International Festival of Country Music. Houston, who joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1972, made his last appearance on the show on November 6, 1993.
He suffered a ruptured brain aneurism on November 25th and remained in a coma until his death five days later. He is remembered by his country music associates for his knowledge of the music and its artists.
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