Damita Jo DeBlanc

Damita Jo DeBlanc (5 August 1930 – 25 December 1998),^[1] a.k.a. Damita Jo, was an American actress, comedian, and lounge music performer. DeBlanc was born in Austin, Texas the featured vocalist on recordings from Steve Gibson and the Red Caps during the 1950s.^[2] She later went on to marry Gibson, but they parted ways professionally and personally in 1959.

Credited as simply Damita Jo, DeBlanc had some chart success in the early 1960s with two answer songs: 1960's "I'll Save the Last Dance for You" (an answer to "Save the Last Dance for Me") and 1961's "I'll Be There" (an answer to "Stand By Me"). Both songs were originally sung by Ben E. King and made the R&B top 20, and "I'll Be There" also reached number 12 on the pop chart. In 1962 she recorded "Dance With a Dolly (With a Hole in her Stocking", previously made famous by The Andrews Sisters and Bill Haley, for Mercury Records. In 1966 she had a minor hit with a cover of the Jacques Brel song "If You Go Away."

She worked with Ray Charles, Count Basie, and Lionel Hampton. And, in 1963, she released a recording for Mercury Records with Billy Eckstine and Bobby Tucker Orchestra.

Damita Jo was later involved in comedy and toured with Redd Foxx. In 1998, she suffered a respiratory illness and died on Christmas Day in Baltimore, Maryland.

Discography

• 1961 I'll Save the Last Dance for You (Mercury)
• 1961 The Big Fifteen (Paramount Records)
• 1962 Damita Jo at the Diplomat [live] (Mercury)
• 1962 Dance With a Dolly (With a Hole in her Stocking" (Mercury)
• 1962 Sing a Country Song (Mercury)
• 1963 Yaba-Daba-Doo/Almost Persuaded Duet with Brook Benton (Mercury 72196)
• 1963 Stop Foolin´/Baby You´ve got it made Duet with Brook Benton (Mercury 72207)
• 1965 This Is Damita Jo
• 1965 Damita Jo Sings (Vee-Jay)
• 1965 If You Go Away (Epic)
• 1965 midnight session (Live at Basin Street East)
• 1968 Miss Damita Jo (Ranwood Records)

Filmography

• 2009 Damita Jo: The Lady is a Tramp (Arkadia Jazz DVD)^[3]

References

1. ^ http://www.dmdukes.com/Damita_Jo_DeBlanc.htm
2. ^ "The Five Red Caps". Singers.com. http://www.singers.com/jazz/vintage/fiveredcaps.html. Retrieved 10 October 2010. 
3. ^ Arkadia DVD Listing

External links

• Damita Jo at Allmusic

Persondata
Name	DeBlanc, Damita Jo
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	5 August 1930
Place of birth
Date of death	25 December 1998
Place of death