Joe Houston

Born in Bastrop, Texas on July 11, 1926, Joe Houston was a jazz, blues and R&B tenor saxophonist. He’s best known for his solo releases as well as his work alongside Amos Milburn, Big Joe Turner, Wynonie Harris, King Kolax, and Betty Roche. Born in Bastrop, which is a suburb of Austin, Texas. Joe Houston studied trumpet when he was young, eventually switching his attention to the saxophone. When he was a teen, he began emulating the fashion styles of touring musicians, buying a red suit with white pants. In 1941, while attending a live show, the band’s saxophonist didn’t show up, so Joe Houston sat in with the band. His reputation grew and by 1943, he was touring the Midwest with King Kolax’s band. After leaving that band in 1946, he went back to Texas and recorded as a sideman for Big Joe Turner and Amos Milburn. Signing with Freedom Records in 1949, he recorded several singles that were credited to Joe Houston & Orchestra. After spending time in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and working with Betty Roche and Wynonie Harris, he formed the Rockets and relocated to Los Angeles, California in 1952. That year, he scored two Top 10 chart hits – “Worry, Worry, Worry” and “Hard Time Baby” – and released the album Rockin’ at the Drive In. In 1955, he released the album Joe Houston, followed by the album Blows All Night Long (1956). Rock and Roll was released in 1957, credited to Joe Houston and His Rockets. Joe Houston continued recording through the early 1960s, releasing albums that capitalized on the latest musical crazes including Doin’ the Twist (1962), Limbo (1963), and Surf Rockin’ (1963). While not as prolific as his heyday in the 1950s and 1960s, Joe Houston began recording and touring again in the 1990s and 2000s backed by his band the Defrosterz. A stroke in 2006 slowed him down, but Joe made sporadic live performances up through 2012. Joe Houston died on December 28, 2015.

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