Biography
William DeVaughn, the Washington, D.C.-born singer, songwriter, and guitarist, scored a million-selling debut hit with the uplifting “Be Thankful for What You Got.” Early listeners often mistook the smooth recording for a fresh Curtis Mayfield release. DeVaughn’s high tenor carries a noticeable resemblance to Mayfield’s, and the plainspoken, motivational lyrics echo the style long associated with the Impressions’ frontman. The track also received airplay on select gospel radio programs. One lyric line—“Diamond in the back / sunroof top / digging the scene with a gangster lean”—evolved into a lasting catchphrase that later surfaced in numerous rap and hip-hop records throughout the 1990s.
While still employed by the government, DeVaughn spent $900 to book a session at Philadelphia’s Omega Sound Inc., a vanity-label operation. The date benefited from the primary rhythm section of MFSB—guitarist Norman Harris, drummer Earl Young, bassist Ron Baker, and vibist Vince Montana. Omega vice-president Frank Fioravanti, impressed by the results, began pitching the recording to outside labels.
The single eventually appeared on Wes Farrell’s Roxbury imprint, produced by Frank Fioravanti with arrangements by John Davis. It moved nearly two million copies, topping the R&B charts and reaching number four pop in spring 1974. The accompanying album, also titled Be Thankful for What You Got, carried an almost devotional character shaped by DeVaughn’s Jehovah’s Witness faith and generated several radio favorites: “Give the Little Man a Great Big Hand” (the third single), “We Are His Children,” “Sing a Love Song,” and “You Can Do It.” The follow-up single, “Blood Is Thicker Than Water,” climbed to number ten R&B and number 43 pop in summer 1974. Onstage, DeVaughn adopted the posture of a post-peak Al Green, preaching and admonishing his audiences. He soon stepped away from the business, though he later re-recorded “Be Thankful for What You Got” for TEC and returned to the charts with the Top 40 R&B hit “Figures Can't Calculate” in summer 1980 on that same label.
While still employed by the government, DeVaughn spent $900 to book a session at Philadelphia’s Omega Sound Inc., a vanity-label operation. The date benefited from the primary rhythm section of MFSB—guitarist Norman Harris, drummer Earl Young, bassist Ron Baker, and vibist Vince Montana. Omega vice-president Frank Fioravanti, impressed by the results, began pitching the recording to outside labels.
The single eventually appeared on Wes Farrell’s Roxbury imprint, produced by Frank Fioravanti with arrangements by John Davis. It moved nearly two million copies, topping the R&B charts and reaching number four pop in spring 1974. The accompanying album, also titled Be Thankful for What You Got, carried an almost devotional character shaped by DeVaughn’s Jehovah’s Witness faith and generated several radio favorites: “Give the Little Man a Great Big Hand” (the third single), “We Are His Children,” “Sing a Love Song,” and “You Can Do It.” The follow-up single, “Blood Is Thicker Than Water,” climbed to number ten R&B and number 43 pop in summer 1974. Onstage, DeVaughn adopted the posture of a post-peak Al Green, preaching and admonishing his audiences. He soon stepped away from the business, though he later re-recorded “Be Thankful for What You Got” for TEC and returned to the charts with the Top 40 R&B hit “Figures Can't Calculate” in summer 1980 on that same label.
Albums
