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Who is Damita Jo DeBlanc?
Damita Jo DeBlanc, born in 1930
in Austin, Texas, had been active in both music and comedy since the
'50s. In 1950 she joined the group of her future husband Steve
Gibson, The 5 Red Caps, and provided the vocals on their 1952 hit,
"I Went To Your Wedding" (# 20 pop), on RCA Victor. After four years
of marriage, Damita and Steve were divorced in 1958, but she
remained the featured vocalist of the group until 1960. In that year
she scored her first solo hit, with "I'll Save The Last Dance For
You" (# 22 pop, # 16 R&B), being a clever answer record to the
Drifters' "Save the Last Dance For Me". Her other big hit, "I'll Be
There" from 1961 (# 12 pop, # 15 R&B), was also an answer record,
this time to Ben E. King's "Stand By Me". These two hits were on
Mercury. She had her final chart entry on Epic, in 1966, with "If
You Go Away", an adaptation of Jacques Brel's "Ne Me Quitte Pas",
with English lyrics by Rod McKuen. In the seventies she was a
regular on Red Foxx's television show. She also toured with the
comedian. Retiring in Baltimore, she later turned to gospel music,
releasing an album of religious material in 1985. Damita Jo died of
respiratory illness at the age of 68.
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