Melva Houston, an internationally renowned jazz singer known locally as much for her community volunteerism as for her music, has died after a long battle with cancer.
Houston, whose full name was Melva Houston Tucker, passed away Thursday at the age of 70, according to Bud Cameron, a local minister and friend of Houston.
“She … was a person of strong faith, of strong will, known for her work in the blues and jazz … (for) her soulful singing. That is a great loss for our entire community,” Cameron said.
Houston spent much of her life sharing her love of music, performing in concerts throughout the world. She was well-known in Europe and some parts of the United States for her jazz and blues vocals. Locally, the Mount Airy resident was known for her music, but even more for her community work.
She was the founder of the annual Community Thanksgiving Meal, which provided a hot, traditional Thanksgiving dinner to hundreds of local residents each year. Some of the folks benefiting from that meal had nowhere else to turn for food, while others simply wanted the company of their neighbors to enjoy on the holiday.
Houston rolled up her sleeves and pitched in with her army of volunteers every year, securing food from local grocery stores, overseeing the cooking and serving process, eventually giving way to Daris Wilkins in 2015, who has headed the event since.
“My body’s getting a little tired and I’m going to have to let it go for a minute,” she said in 2014, when she said that would be her final year overseeing the meal. “After 18 years, I just can’t handle it anymore.”
The annual meal was one way Houston felt like she could make a difference in the community.
“There are elderly people who might be unable to cook, single folks without family in the area to eat with — people who have no place to go on Thanksgiving,” Houston said in 2014. “Then there are those who simply can’t afford a holiday feast.”
Whatever their reasons for wanting to be there, Houston always welcomed everyone from all walks of life and income levels.
“I’ll feed the man who’s under the bridge, and I’ll feed the man who owns the bridge,” Houston said, repeating her oft-stated philosophy regarding the gathering. “Anyone that wants a meal can have one.”
Musically, she was an internationally acclaimed artist, known for her work as a jazz, blues and gospel singer. She often toured across Europe during her 30-year career, becoming particularly popular in Germany. She first performed in Germany in 1996, and returned frequently to perform concerts and to take part in music festivals. Even her Wikipedia page is written in German.
She began her career in Memphis as a backup vocalist, lending her talents to many of the hits produced by soul singer Isaac Hayes on the Stax record label. She also performed as a back-up singer for Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, the group Sam and Dave, and other popular acts.
Houston revealed in July 2017 she had been battling lung cancer since the previous November. At that time she said she had been undergoing a treatment regimen which included chemotherapy and radiation.
She said then that one of the keys to getting through the treatments and dealing with the disease was the support she received from fellow musicians and from the Mount Airy community.
She said the people who knew she was ill “have been very nice — bringing stuff to me and cooking for me and things like that. … People have been bringing me food, they come by,” she said at that time. “They haven’t let me down in Mount Airy,” Houston said of the “beautiful people” who have reached out to her.
It appeared, at least for a time, that Houston was overcoming the disease.
On March 15, 2019, she returned to the stage in a two-hour concert at J.J. Jones Auditorium in Mount Airy, a rousing performance that had those in attendance clapping and dancing in the aisles.
“I’m ready for Carnegie Hall. But this is the best Carnegie Hall,” she said during a break in the concert, referring to the J.J. Jones Auditorium packed with her local fans and friends.
While she did perform in several concerts and music festivals since then, she eventually succumbed to the disease.
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com