Here are some soul birthdays for the month of August.
Joseph Arrington Jr., better known as Joe Tex, was born on August 8th, 1933, in Rodgers, Texas. He won a talent contest at the Apollo Theater, and the first prize was a recording contract for Cincinnati-based King Records, where he started making records in 1955. His first hit didn’t come until nine years later when he was with Dial Records and went all the way to number one with “Hold On to What You’ve Got.” The biggest hit of Joe Tex’s career was “I Gothca” from 1972. Joe Tex died at age 49 in 1982.
Singer Barbara Mason was born on August 9th, 1947, in Philadelphia. As a young teenager, she wrote a song called “Yes, I’m Ready,” which became a number-five pop hit in 1965. Some of Barbara’s other big hits included “Give Me Your Love,” written and produced by Curtis Mayfield, “From His Woman to You,” and “Oh How It Hurts”
Whitney Huston, who was born August 9th, 1963, in Newark, New Jersey, shared a birthday with Barbara Mason. She was born into a musical family that included her mother, Cissy Huston, and cousins DeeDee and Dionne Warwick. Whitney Huston was only 48 when she died in 2012.
Join me next time for more August birthdays.
Featured tracks:
Wicked Woman - Joe Tex
Goodbye My Love - Joe Tex
Hold On to What You've Got - Joe Tex
Give Me Your Love - Barbara Mason
Yes I'm Ready (Arctic version) - Barbara Mason
Saving All My Love for You - Whitney Houston
How Will I Know - Whitney Houston
