''Sunshower'' is the debut

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

Thelma Houston Thelma Houston ( Jackson; born May 7, 1946) Retrieved . is an American singer. Beginning her recording career in the late 1960s, Houston scored a number-one hit record in 1977 with her recording of "Don't Leave Me This Way", which won the Grammy ...

, released in 1969 on

Dunhill Records Dunhill Records was started in 1964 by Lou Adler, Jay Lasker, Pierre Cossette and Bobby Roberts as Dunhill Productions to release the music of Johnny Rivers on Imperial Records. It became a record label the following year and was distributed b ...

. It was produced by

Jimmy Webb Jimmy Layne Webb (born August 15, 1946) is an American songwriter, composer, and singer. He has written numerous platinum-selling songs, including " Up, Up and Away", "By the Time I Get to Phoenix", "MacArthur Park", "Wichita Lineman", "Worst ...

and charted at number 50 on the Billboard R&B chart. Prior to signing at Dunhill Records, Houston had recorded three singles, in 1967 at

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

, as lead vocalist of the group called ''The Art Reynolds Singers''. None of these singles made any mark on the singles charts. This album produced four singles: "Everybody Gets to Go to the Moon", "Sunshower", "If This Was the Last Song" and "Jumpin' Jack Flash". Houston recorded several other tracks while signed to Dunhill. These were issued on an expanded CD re-issue of ''Sunshower'' in 2010 by the Soulmusic.com label.

Track listing

For the 1969 album release on Dunhill Records; Dunhill DS-50054
All tracks composed and arranged by

; except where indicated. ;Side one # "Sunshower (From ''His Own Dark City'')" – 3:17 # "Everybody Gets to Go to the Moon" – 4:16 # "To Make It Easier on You" – 4:42 # "Didn't We" – 3:10 # "(Crazy) Mixed Up Girl" – 4:15 # "Someone Is Standing Outside" – 3:27 ;Side two # "

Jumpin' Jack Flash "Jumpin' Jack Flash" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released as a non-album single in 1968. Called "supernatural Delta blues by way of Swinging London" by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine, the song was perceived by some as ...

" (

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...

Keith Richards Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943), often referred to during the 1960s and 1970s as "Keith Richard", is an English musician and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the co-founder, guitarist, secondary vocalist, and co-princi ...

) – 3:25 # "This Is Where I Came In" – 3:15 # "Pocketful of Keys" – 3:03 # "This Is Your Life" – 3:42 # "Cheap Lovin'" (arranged by Elton "Skip" Mosher) – 3:30 # "If This Was the Last Song" – 3:20 ;CD bonus tracks on 2010 Soulmusic.com re-issue #

Save the Country "Save the Country" is a song written by Laura Nyro, first released by her as a single in 1968. Nyro released another version of the song on her 1969 album ''New York Tendaberry''. Background Nyro was inspired to write the song after the June 5, 19 ...

" – 1970 A-side single release on Dunhill-

ABC Records ABC Records was an American record label founded in New York City in 1955. It originated as the main popular music label operated by the Am-Par Record Corporation. Am-Par also created the Impulse! jazz label in 1960. It acquired many labels befo ...

(

Laura Nyro Laura Nyro ( ; born Laura Nigro; October 18, 1947 – April 8, 1997) was an American songwriter, singer, and pianist. She achieved critical acclaim with her own recordings, particularly the albums ''Eli and the Thirteenth Confession'' (1968 ...

) – 2:47 #"I Just Can't Stay Away" – 1970 B-side single release on Dunhill-ABC Records (Harvey Price, Dan Walsh) – 2:16 #"I Just Gotta be Me" – 1970 A-side single release on Dunhill-ABC Records (

Dennis Lambert Dennis Earle Lambert (born 1947 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American musician, songwriter and record producer. Career Lambert began his music career in 1960 when he signed to Capitol Records as a recording artist. By the mid-1960s, he was w ...

, Brian Potter) – 2:23 #"Crying in the Sunshine" – 1970 B-side single release on Dunhill-ABC Records (

Moogy Klingman Mark "Moogy" Klingman (September 7, 1950 – November 15, 2011)
– accessed November 17, 2011 was an American musici ...

) – 2:51 #"(The) Good Earth" – 1970 A-side UK single release only on EMI-

Stateside Records Stateside Records, styled as $tateside Records, is a British record label, owned by Warner Music Group and operates through its Parlophone and Warner Records imprints. Upon creation, it initially released licensed American recordings and is no ...

(Karen O’Hara, Denny McReynolds) – 3:01 #"Ride Louis, Ride (Change in Louise)" – 1970 B-side UK single release only on EMI-Stateside Records (

Joe Cocker John Robert "Joe" Cocker (20 May 1944 – 22 December 2014) was an English singer known for his gritty, bluesy voice and dynamic stage performances that featured expressive body movements. Most of his best known singles were recordings of son ...

Chris Stainton Christopher Robert "Chris" Stainton (born 22 March 1944) is an English session musician, keyboard player, bassist and songwriter, who first gained recognition with Joe Cocker in the late 1960s. In addition to his collaboration with Cocker, Stai ...

) – 2:38

Personnel

*Thelma Houston – vocals *

Hal Blaine Hal Blaine (born Harold Simon Belsky; February 5, 1929 – March 11, 2019) was an American drummer and session musician, thought to be among the most recorded studio drummers in the music industry, claiming over 35,000 sessions and 6,000 singles. ...

– drums, percussion *

Joe Osborn Joseph Osborn (August 28, 1937 – December 14, 2018Fred Tackett Fred Tackett (born August 30, 1945) is an American songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Originally a session player on guitar, mandolin, and trumpet, he is best known as a member of the band Little Feat. In addition to his work with Little F ...

- acoustic and electric guitar *

Mike Deasy Michael William Deasy (born February 4, 1941) is an American rock and jazz guitarist. As a session musician, he played on numerous hit singles and albums recorded in Los Angeles in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. He is sometimes credited as Mike De ...

– electric guitar *

Larry Knechtel Lawrence William Knechtel (August 4, 1940 – August 20, 2009) was an American keyboard player and bassist who was a member of the Wrecking Crew, a collection of Los Angeles-based session musicians who worked with such renowned artists as Simon ...

– harpsichord, organ, piano *Sid Sharp – concertmaster *

Sherlie Matthews Sherlie Matthews (born November 10, 1934) is an American singer, songwriter and former Motown Records producer, best known as a backing vocalist for pop, R&B and rock groups from the mid-1960s to the present time. Early life Matthews started ...

, Ginger Blake,

Patrice Holloway Patrice Yvonne Holloway (March 23, 1951 – October 3, 2006) was an American soul and pop singer, and songwriter. Career Patrice Yvonne Holloway was born on March 23, 1951 in Los Angeles, California, the youngest of three children born to Wade ...

– backing vocals ;Technical *Armin Steiner, Phil Yeend - engineer

References

{{Authority control 1969 debut albums Thelma Houston albums Albums arranged by Jimmy Webb Albums produced by Jimmy Webb Dunhill Records albums