Gene Austin, an early recording star of the 1920s and ’30s, with many hits which included “Yes Sir! That’s My Baby”, “Five Foot Two, Eyes Of Blue”, My Blue Heaven”, “Tonight, You Belong To Me”, “Ramona” and “Bye Bye Blackbird”, was David Houston’s godfather. It was he who encouraged him to become a singer and pianist.
David, whose ancestors included Robert E. Lee and Sam Houston, was born in December of 1938, in Bossier City, Louisiana. At the age of twelve he appeared on the ‘Louisiana Hayride’, a hugely popular country radio programme, which was second only to the ‘Grand Ole Opry’.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ec6ocZNrdvY
Even so, David had to wait until 1963 to have his first hit, a cover of Harold Dorman’s “Mountain Of Love”, from 1960, which sounds almost entirely dissimilar to the original. Over the next decade and a half, David Houston enjoyed much success by recording a long series of entries to the country charts, seven of which went to number one. Some crossed over to the pop charts, the most noticeable fittingly being his biggest country hit, “Almost Persuaded”, in 1966.
David Houston also recorded duets with Tammy Wynette and Barbara Mandrell. Sadly, his life was cut short in November of 1993, when a cerebral aneurysm ruptured.
The names of more tracks by David Houston can be found in the suggested playlists.