Charles David Houston, born December 9, 1935, in Bossier City, Louisiana, was an American country music singer. His peak in popularity came between the mid-1960s through the early 1970s. Houston was a descendant of General Robert E. Lee{1} and Sam Houston.{2} His godfather was 1920s pop singer, Gene Austin. Like Austin, Houston lived in a house across the street from the residence of later Mayor Jack Batton in Minden, Louisiana.

As a teenager, Houston became a regular on the Louisiana Hayride,{3} and later was one of the earliest artists with National Recording Corporation in Atlanta.

In 1961, record producer, Billy Sherrill, brought Houston into the fold when Epic Records was still a young label, and Houston brought the company its first real hit with "Mountain of Love," in 1963. The song, which is different from the tune made famous by composer Harold Dorman, Johnny Rivers, and Charley Pride, rose to number two on the [Billboard Hot Country Singles Chart.] Another song, 1965's "Livin' in a House Full of Love" did just as well.

In 1966, Houston recorded his breakthrough smash, "Almost Persuaded." This song, which is unrelated to the Philip Paul Bliss hymn of the same title, is the tale of a married man managing to resist a temptress he meets in a tavern. Houston's recording of it quickly rocketed to #1 that August, eventually spending nine weeks atop the [Billboard's Hot Country Singles Chart.] In 1967, he song earned him two [Grammy Awards,] one for [Best Country & Western Recording] and one for [Best Country & Western Performance, Male.]

"Almost Persuaded" began a string of top five Houston singles through 1973, including six more number ones: "With One Exception" and "You Mean the World to Me" (1967); "Have a Little Faith" and "Already It's Heaven" (1968); "Baby, Baby (I Know You're a Lady)" (1970); and 1967's "My Elusive Dreams," a duet with Tammy Wynette.

In later years, Houston performed duets with Barbara Mandrell on several of her early hits, most notably 1970's "After Closing Time" and 1974's "I Love You, I Love You." His last Top 10 country hit came in 1974 with "Can't You Feel It."

Houston, a member of the [Grand Ole Opry,]{4} died of a brain aneurysm in Bossier City some two weeks before his 58th birthday on November 30, 1993. He is interred in the Rose-Neath Funeral Home Cemetery in Bossier City. Houston is survived by his only child, David Houston, Jr., who currently resides in Shreveport, Louisiana. _______________________________________________________________________________________ {1}Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 - October 12, 1870), was a United States Army officer, a combat engineer, and among the most celebrated generals in American history. When his home state of Virginia decided to seceded from the Union in April of 1861. At the beginning of the Civil war, Lee was appointed to command all of Virginia's forces, and he was named one of its first full generals. In the spring of 1864, the new Union commander, Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant, began a series of campaigns to wear down Lee's army. Lee inflicted heavy casualties on Grant's larger army, but was unable to replace his own losses. In early April 1865, Lee's depleted forces retreated from their entrenchments near the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia. Lee's subsequent surrender at the Appomattox Courthouse on April 9, 1865, wielded a psychological blow from which the South could not recover. By June 1865, all of the remaining Confederate armies had capitulated.

{2}Samuel Houston (March 2, 1793 - July 26, 1863), was an American statesman, politician, and soldier. Houston was a key figure in the history of Texas, including periods as President of the Republic of Texas, Senator for Texas after it joined the United States, and finally as governor. Although a slave owner and opponent of abolitionism, he refused, because of his unionist convictions, to swear loyalty to the Confederacy when Texas seceded from the Union, bringing his governorship to an end. To avoid bloodshed, he refused an offer of an army to put down the rebellion, and instead retired to Huntsville, Texas, where he died before the end of the Civil War.

{3}The Louisiana Hayride was a radio (later television) broadcast from the Municipal Auditorium in Shreveport, Louisiana, that during its heyday from 1948 to 1960 helped launch the careers of the some of the greatest names in American music.

{4}The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly American country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee that has presented the biggest stars of the genre for nearly 85 years. Also, the show is broadcast weekly, by radio station WSM-AM. It is also the longest-running, live radio program in history since its beginnings in 1925. Dedicated to honoring country music and its history, the Opry showcases a mix of legends and contemporary chart-toppers performing country, bluegrass, folk, comedy, and gospel. Considered an American icon, it attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world and millions of radio and Internet listeners. Today, as part of the American landscape, it is "the show that made country music famous" and has been called the "Home of American music" and "Country’s most famous stage."