Biography
Damita Jo, an iconic figure in R&B, earned lasting recognition for her million-selling 1960 hit “I’ll Save the Last Dance for You,” a sharp-witted answer to the Drifters’ “Save the Last Dance for Me.” Born Damita Jo DuBlanc in Austin, Texas, on August 5, 1930, she spent her childhood in Santa Barbara, California. Early support from pioneering Los Angeles disc jockey Joe Adams secured her a two-month residency at Club Oasis in 1949.
Once Adams assumed leadership of Discovery Records’ R&B division, he signed Damita Jo among his first acts and produced her debut single “Until the Real Thing Comes Along” in 1950. The label folded quickly, prompting a little-noticed follow-up, “How Can I Live,” issued on Recorded in Hollywood. Late in 1951 she joined the established Los Angeles R&B outfit Steve Gibson & the Red Caps, making her recorded debut with them on “I’m to Blame.”
She supplied the lead vocals on the Red Caps’ 1952 success “I Went to Your Wedding” and married Gibson two years later. As the group’s popularity waned, so did the marriage, and in 1959 Damita Jo parted from both the band and her husband.
Producer Shelby Singleton placed her on Mercury Records, where her Steve Allen-written debut “It Takes a Little Loneliness” received national exposure via an appearance on Allen’s late-night program; despite the boost, the single failed to chart. She scored a Top 20 R&B hit with the lush follow-up “I’ll Save the Last Dance for You,” written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman.
Her 1961 answer song to Ben E. King’s “Stand by Me,” titled “I’ll Be There,” reached number 12 on the Billboard pop charts, yet later releases such as “I Had Someone Else Before I Had You” and “I’ll Get Along Somehow” stalled. Mercury dropped her after the 1962 live album Damita Jo at the Diplomat.
A move to Epic brought a modest chart entry with 1965’s “If You Go Away,” but momentum again faded. Following the 1968 release Miss Damita Jo on the small Ranwood label, she concentrated on the supper-club circuit and later folded a comedy routine into her act. In 1977 she toured with comedian Redd Foxx and performed in Atlantic City alongside Ray Charles, Count Basie, and Lionel Hampton. After a 1984 Atlantic City engagement supporting Joey Bishop, she withdrew from secular R&B and spent her remaining years performing contemporary gospel. Damita Jo succumbed to respiratory illness on Christmas Day 1998 at the age of 68.
Once Adams assumed leadership of Discovery Records’ R&B division, he signed Damita Jo among his first acts and produced her debut single “Until the Real Thing Comes Along” in 1950. The label folded quickly, prompting a little-noticed follow-up, “How Can I Live,” issued on Recorded in Hollywood. Late in 1951 she joined the established Los Angeles R&B outfit Steve Gibson & the Red Caps, making her recorded debut with them on “I’m to Blame.”
She supplied the lead vocals on the Red Caps’ 1952 success “I Went to Your Wedding” and married Gibson two years later. As the group’s popularity waned, so did the marriage, and in 1959 Damita Jo parted from both the band and her husband.
Producer Shelby Singleton placed her on Mercury Records, where her Steve Allen-written debut “It Takes a Little Loneliness” received national exposure via an appearance on Allen’s late-night program; despite the boost, the single failed to chart. She scored a Top 20 R&B hit with the lush follow-up “I’ll Save the Last Dance for You,” written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman.
Her 1961 answer song to Ben E. King’s “Stand by Me,” titled “I’ll Be There,” reached number 12 on the Billboard pop charts, yet later releases such as “I Had Someone Else Before I Had You” and “I’ll Get Along Somehow” stalled. Mercury dropped her after the 1962 live album Damita Jo at the Diplomat.
A move to Epic brought a modest chart entry with 1965’s “If You Go Away,” but momentum again faded. Following the 1968 release Miss Damita Jo on the small Ranwood label, she concentrated on the supper-club circuit and later folded a comedy routine into her act. In 1977 she toured with comedian Redd Foxx and performed in Atlantic City alongside Ray Charles, Count Basie, and Lionel Hampton. After a 1984 Atlantic City engagement supporting Joey Bishop, she withdrew from secular R&B and spent her remaining years performing contemporary gospel. Damita Jo succumbed to respiratory illness on Christmas Day 1998 at the age of 68.
Albums
Live
