ROOTS of Country Music

The Professional Work of David Houston

(Dec. 9, 1935 – Nov. 30, 1993)

Career Highlights

Barn Dance Affiliate: Louisiana Hayride

Grand Ole Opry Member

Awards

Grammy Awards

Almost Persuaded (1966)

• Best Country & Western Recording
• Best Country & Western Performance, Male 

Billboard Chart Data 

• No. 1 Singles: 7
• Top-10 Singles: 24
• Crossover Singles: 1
• Charted Singles: 61
• Years Active: 1963 - 1989

Career Label: Epic

Billboard Top-10 Singles

• Mountain Of Love -1963
• Livin' In a House Full of Love -1965
• Almost Persuaded*#1 -1966
• A Loser's Cathedral
• With One Exception* -1967
• My Elusive Dreams*2
• You Mean the World to Me*
• Have A Little Faith* -1968
• Already It's Heaven*
• Where Love Used to Live
• My Woman's Good to Me -1969
• I'm Down to My Last I Love You
• Baby Baby (I Know You're A Lady)*
• After Closing Time, 3
• I Do My Swinging At Home -1970
• Wonders of the Wine
• A Woman Always Knows -1971
• Nashville
• Maiden's Prayer
• Soft, Sweet and Warm -1972
• Good Things
• She's All Woman -1973
• I Love You, I Love You, 3
• Can't You Feel It -1974

*No. 1 Single

#Crossover Single

1Biggest Single in Country Music (1966

2With Tammy Wynette

3With Barbara Mandrell

Almost Persuaded: The David Houston Story

Born and raised in Bossier City, Louisiana, singer, songwriter David Houston became a regular on The Louisiana Hayride as a teenager. Apparently his soaring tenor voice wasn't totally appreciated; he found trouble getting work in the music business, and ended up as an insurance underwriter.

Houston was one of the earliest artists with National Recording Corporation in Atlanta. Record producer Billy Sherrill brought Houston into the fold when Epic Records was still a young label (the early '60s) and Houston brought the company its first real hit with Mountain of Love (1963).  Another song, 1965's Livin' in a House Full of Love did just as well.

In 1966 Houston broke into the national spotlight with the crossover single, Almost Persuaded, which netted a pair of Grammy Awards and brought pop recognition as well.

A member of The Grand Ole Opry since 1971, he racked up 33 top-20 hit records over a decade, including duets with Tammy Wynette and Barbara Mandrell.

David Houston made his last appearance on the Grand Ole Opry on November 6, 1993; later in the month he suffered a ruptured brain aneurism and remained in a coma for five days until his death.

Written and compiled by Richard Bell, Roots of Country Music. Oct. 20, 2011.