Thelma Houston & Jerry Butler

R&B diva Thelma Houston rose to fame in 1977 with the hit single "Don't Leave Me This Way," but she enjoyed a distinguished career as a performer and recording artist both before and after her signature tune hit the charts. She was born Thelma Jackson in Leland, Mississippi on May 7, 1946. Her mother worked picking cotton to help support Thelma and her three sisters before the family moved to Long Beach, California, where Thelma spent most of her childhood. By the time she was in her early teens, Thelma had discovered her passion for music, and was regularly singing in church ...