Thelma Houston

R&B diva Thelma Houston rose to fame in 1977 with the hit single "Don't Leave Me This Way," but she enjoyed a long, distinguished career apart from her signature tune. Born in Mississippi but raised in Long Beach, California, Houston sang gospel until 1969, when she began recording pop and R&B with several false starts. Finally, in 1977, her version of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes' "Don't Leave Me This Way" hit number one on the chart, also earning Houston a Grammy Award. Follow-ups included a pair of duet albums with fellow R&B veteran Jerry Butler and 1981's Never Gonna Be Another One. Among her late-career successes was the all-star project Sisters of Glory, featuring gospel material performed by Phoebe Snow, Chaka Khan, CeCe Peniston, and Mavis Staples, among others. The group recorded and performed in venues ranging from Woodstock '94 to Vatican City in front of the pope.