Damita Jo born August 5, 1930

Damita Jo DeBlanc (August 5, 1930 – December 25, 1998), known professionally as Damita Jo, was an American singer and comedian who remains best known for the million-selling 1960 smash "I'll Save the Last Dance for You," her ingenious riposte to the Drifters' "Save the Last Dance for Me." 

Born in Austin, Texas, she was the daughter of Herbert and Latrelle (Plummer) DeBlanc, and she showed singing ability at a very early age. During World War II the family relocated to Santa Barbara, California, where her father was stationed in the United States Navy. She attended high school there but periodically returned to Austin to visit relatives. DeBlanc attended Samuel Huston College in Austin and the University of California at Santa Barbara. In 1949 with the backing of pioneering Los Angeles disc jockey Joe Adams she landed a two-month residency at the local Club Oasis in Los Angeles. Signed to Discovery Records, DeBlanc, known simply as Damito Jo, released her debut single, “Until the Real Thing Comes Along.” 

                                       

In 1951 Damita Jo joined the rhythm-and-blues group Steve Gibson & the 5 Red Caps, making her recorded debut on their single "I'm to Blame." Damita Jo was not only the featured vocalist on the Red Caps' 1952 hit "I Went to Your Wedding," but two years later became Gibson's wife. As the group's fortunes floundered, so did their marriage, they divorced in 1958, but she remained with the group until 1960. 

Signing to Mercury Records by producer Shelby Singleton, Damita Jo supported her Steve Allen-penned debut single "It Takes a Little Loneliness" with an appearance on Allen's late-night television showcase. Despite the publicity the record was not a hit, but she scored a Top 20 R&B smash with the sumptuous follow-up "I'll Save the Last Dance for You," written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman. With 1961's "I'll Be There," an answer song to Ben E. King's "Stand by Me," Damita Jo reached number 12 on the Billboard pop charts. That same year she married Biddy Wood, her manager, and they had a son.

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. Subsequent singles like "I Had Someone Else Before I Had You" and "I'll Get Along Somehow" stalled, and in the wake of the 1962 live LP Damita Jo at the Diplomat, a downturn in Damita Jo’s popularity led to Mercury’s termination of her contract.

She then signed with Epic and scored a minor chart entry with 1965's "If You Go Away." On May 9, 1967, she was honoured by the mayor and city council in Austin, Texas, on "Damita Jo Day" and by having a street named in her honour. Damita Jo gave birth to a daughter in 1970, but the girl died of sickle cell anemia three years later. With her recording career in decline, she turned to performing on the supper club circuit in the 1970s. She also toured with comedian Redd Foxx and appeared on his television show. In 1977 she toured with standup comedian Redd Foxx, and also played Atlantic City and backed up such greats as Ray Charles, Count Basie, and Lionel Hampton. 

During her career she recorded on many labels, including Discovery, RCA Victor, Mercury, Epic, Melic, and her own label, Black Masters. In 1983 she also composed and recorded a song entitled "The Color of Your Skin Makes No Difference" which has been used as a part of a program for students in the public school system in Baltimore, Maryland. Following a 1984 Atlantic City residency in support of Joey Bishop, Damita Jo announced her retreat from secular R&B, performing contemporary gospel for the remainder of her career.

By the mid-1980s Damita Jo focused on performing strictly gospel music. After a long battle with respiratory illness, Damita Jo died on Christmas Day 1998 in Baltimore, Maryland, at the age of 68.

Singer Janet Jackson, whose middle name is Damita Jo, named her album Damita (2004) after DeBlanc. In 2009 Damita Jo DeBlanc was inducted into the Austin Music Memorial.

(Edited from Texas State Historical Association, Wikipedia & AllMusic)