RS: You perform around the world, what's been a place that
you've performed where you surprised the crowd sang along with you?
Thelma Houston: I don't know because the song was on the radio every
around the world. The people always sing along and they are nuts
about it. Whatever country I go to, everybody screams "aaahhh baby"
and then after that they kind of make up their own words. <laughing>
RS: You perform around two hundred nights every year, don't you?
Thelma Houston: No baby, I don't perform that much. My Lord, if I
performed that much I'd... good grief. It's about a hundred and
something dates. There was a time when I was doing that much but now
I want to enjoy my life, so I do bigger dates and bigger concerts, but
I do less. So I do like a hundred and something dates, I've cut it
down but it's still a lot.
RS: I saw you perform on TV for a show called The Disco Ball and
it was wonderful that you were helping bring disco music to the new
generation. Why do you think disco music has lasted so well over the
years?
Thelma Houston: Because I think people are very good, when I do I do
a lot of concerts throughout the year and some of these are corporate
dates and the corporate dates, when they want to have a really good,
good time with the like corporation, you know, with their workers, you
know, this kind of music, because this kind of music is so happy.
People like happy music and disco music is happy music. People dance
to it and t forget their worries - it's about going and having a great
time. Everybody's happy and I think that it represents what that era
was about. People were together, supportive of each other, and having
a good time so I think that's why it's lasted so long. History is
letting us see that this music is still great and people still want
it, and that's why we're attracting the younger audiences too. I
have grandchildren who range in age from twenty down to six and they
listen to disco music and love going to the concert. It isn't just
because I'm their grandmother, I think it's the fact that they love
that music from that era. They like a lot of hip-hop and other music
also, but they also embrace that music and I think it's because it's
happy and you can dance to it and it makes you feel good. A lot of
people come to me and say that their mom used to dance around the
living room when my record would come on. People remember the good
times dancing to disco music.
RS: What advice do you have for all the artists out there?
Thelma Houston: Having a career in the industry is something that
I've always wanted since a very, very early age and I've always
worked towards that goal. The thing that has kept it alive for me is
that I have a passion for it. I love my work, I love performing, and
I love the charge that you get with an audience. So if you are
thinking about this as something they want to do as a career, think of
it as longevity and always try to find something about each
performance to make it seem like it's the first time. If you can do
that and each audience and every time you perform will be like another
experience then it will never become dull to you. That's how I've
managed to do it and that's my advice to all the performers out
there.
RS: What would you like to say to all your fans out there?
Thelma Houston: Something about the word fans seem so "Old
Hollywood," so I like to call them my supporters because without the
support of people, I wouldn't be here. Even when I didn't have
records out there, people would continue to come to see me in concert
and so I owe my career to the fact that I've had supporters all along
who have been there for me with or without a hit record. I'm
eternally grateful and so thankful for them.