The Grammy Award-winning Motown artist behind the #1 hit “Don't Leave Me This Way” shares her touching life story and remarkable music career.

Thelma Houston – the first solo female artist at Motown to win a Grammy, for “Best R&B Female Vocal Performance” – is an indelible force whose #1 hit is considered among the best disco recordings of all time. But behind this artistry is a woman with a complex story and career. For the first time, Thelma dives deeply into details of her life and music cherished by countless listeners across generations. She was born in 1943 to a family of poor sharecroppers who picked cotton in Mississippi and was raised by a single mother. After working at local clubs for $25 a night, her career started to take off when she signed to Capitol Records, releasing 2 singles. Then, at Dunhill, she released her acclaimed debut album Sunshower (1969), produced by Jimmy Webb, and eventually, executive Suzanne de Passe wanted her for Motown.

From performing at the official Human Rights Campaign inauguration dinner the day before Barack Obama's swearing-in ceremony to her decades-long support of the LGBTQ+ community, Thelma has crossed paths with stars like Diana Ross, Chaka Khan, Morrissey, Lou Rawls, Teddy Pendergrass, The Temptations, Jimmy Sommerville, The Four Tops, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Danny Glover, and Shelly Duvall. Thelma reflects, “I'm really blessed because I never stopped working, and I truly love what I do. Sometimes, it feels like I'm just getting started.”

Thelma Houston is a Grammy Award-winning musical legend best known for her #1 international hit “Don't Leave Me This Way,” giving her the distinction of being the first solo female artist at Motown to win the Grammy Award for “Best R&B Female Vocal Performance.” In addition to her many records and albums, she competed in season 11 of The Masked Singer as “The Clock,” and her third studio album I've Got the Music in Me was inducted to the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress in 2025. Thelma is also known for her charitable causes and was one of the first outspoken advocates in the battle against AIDS. She lives in Southern California.

Fred Bronson is the author / co-author of seven music books, including Rockin' the Kremlin (Rowman & Littlefield 2024), The Sound of Music Family Scrapbook (2011), The Jacksons: Legacy with the Jacksons (2017), Dick Clark's American Bandstand with Dick Clark (1997), and The Billboard Book of Number One Hits (2004). He created “Smokey's Place,” a series for Smokey Robinson's Smokey's Soul Town channel. He has guest-starred as an expert on music on American Idol four times and has written the annual television specials the American Music Awards and Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve. He is a regular contributor to Billboard and has written for Rolling Stone, Variety, and The Hollywood Reporter. He lives in Southern California.