William DeVaughn
Encyclopedia
William DeVaughn is an American
R&B
singer, songwriter
and guitarist
, best known for the hit
song
"Be Thankful for What You Got
".
, he designed sewers), part-time singer, and member of the Jehovah's Witnesses
. DeVaughn wrote "A Cadillac Don't Come Easy", eventually re-written to become "Be Thankful for What You Got", in 1972, and spent $900 toward its development to Omega Sound [A Philadelphia Production House] The producers at Omega wrote a smooth arrangement, eventually booking time to record at Sigma Sound Studio in Philadelphia. The session featured members of the MFSB
group — guitarist Norman Harris
, drummer Earl Young
, bassist Ron Baker, and vibist
Vince Montana — secured by Allan Felder, who also developed the separate adlib back-up chorus with his sister's vocal choir. Frank Fioravanti, a coproducer, secured the song's release release on the Roxbury Records record label
.
The record
sold nearly two million copies on its release in spring 1974, reaching #1 on the U.S.
R&B charts and #4 on the Billboard Hot 100
chart
, selling a million copies. The track saw two chart entries in the UK
, with the record peaking at #31 (1974), and #44 (1980), in the UK Singles Chart
. With a sound and content influenced by Curtis Mayfield
, its simple and encouraging lyrics
hit home, to the extent that it became featured on gospel
radio station
s. When his success as a recording artist seemed guaranteed, DeVaughn quit his government job.
DeVaughn released an album, featuring mostly songs of an overtly religious character, and the second single, "Blood Is Thicker Than Water", made the R&B top ten and the pop top fifty later in 1974; "Give the Little Man a Great Big Hand" had minor success early the next year. Live, DeVaughn preached to and admonished his audience from the stage. He lost interest in the music industry not long after, working in a record store and again as a draftsman. Fioravanti kept Devaughn under contract hoping to eventually get recording again but it was not until 1980 that they would hook up for new projects. Fioravanti made a mistake by giving the new album Figures Can't Calculate to TEC Records included the title song, which was a minor R&B hit, and a remake of "Be Thankful for What You Got". TEC never paid out any royalties. Soon after Devaughn recorded another Fioravanti tune, "Creme de Cream", released in Europe on the "Red Bus" label. Until this point Fioravanti produced or co-produced all of the singles and albums.
In 2004, DeVaughn released a new single, "I Came Back", on his own Mighty Two Diamond Records.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
singer, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
, best known for the hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
"Be Thankful for What You Got
Be Thankful for What You Got (song)
"Be Thankful for What You Got" is a soul song written and first performed by William DeVaughn.-History:DeVaughn wrote "A Cadillac Don't Come Easy" eventually re-written to become "Be Thankful for What You Got" in 1972, and spent $900 toward its development to Omega Sound [A Philadelphia Production...
".
Biography
DeVaughn was a salaried government employee as a drafting technician (according to Casey KasemCasey Kasem
Kemal Amin "Casey" Kasem is an American radio personality and voice actor who is best known for being the host of the nationally syndicated Top 40 countdown show American Top 40, and for voicing Shaggy in the popular Saturday morning cartoon franchise Scooby-Doo.Kasem, along with Don Bustany and...
, he designed sewers), part-time singer, and member of the Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The religion reports worldwide membership of over 7 million adherents involved in evangelism, convention attendance of over 12 million, and annual...
. DeVaughn wrote "A Cadillac Don't Come Easy", eventually re-written to become "Be Thankful for What You Got", in 1972, and spent $900 toward its development to Omega Sound [A Philadelphia Production House] The producers at Omega wrote a smooth arrangement, eventually booking time to record at Sigma Sound Studio in Philadelphia. The session featured members of the MFSB
MFSB
MFSB was a pool of more than thirty studio musicians based at Philadelphia’s famed Sigma Sound Studios. They worked closely with the production team of Gamble and Huff and producer/arranger Thom Bell, and backed up such groups as Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, the O’Jays, the Stylistics, the...
group — guitarist Norman Harris
Norman Harris
Norman Harris was an American guitarist, producer, arranger and songwriter associated with Philly soul. He was a founding member of MFSB and one-third of the production trio of Baker-Harris-Young...
, drummer Earl Young
Earl Young (drummer)
Earl Young is a Philadelphia-based drummer who rose to prominence in the early 1970s as part of the Philly Soul sound. Young is best known as the founder and leader of The Trammps who had a hit record with "Disco Inferno". Young, along with Ronnie Baker and Norman Harris, was the owner of the...
, bassist Ron Baker, and vibist
Vibraphone
The vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the struck idiophone subfamily of the percussion family....
Vince Montana — secured by Allan Felder, who also developed the separate adlib back-up chorus with his sister's vocal choir. Frank Fioravanti, a coproducer, secured the song's release release on the Roxbury Records record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
.
The record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
sold nearly two million copies on its release in spring 1974, reaching #1 on the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
R&B charts and #4 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
, selling a million copies. The track saw two chart entries in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, with the record peaking at #31 (1974), and #44 (1980), in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. With a sound and content influenced by Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Lee Mayfield was an American soul, R&B, and funk singer, songwriter, and record producer.He is best known for his anthemic music with The Impressions during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's and for composing the soundtrack to the blaxploitation film Super Fly, Mayfield is highly...
, its simple and encouraging lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
hit home, to the extent that it became featured on gospel
Gospel
A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
s. When his success as a recording artist seemed guaranteed, DeVaughn quit his government job.
DeVaughn released an album, featuring mostly songs of an overtly religious character, and the second single, "Blood Is Thicker Than Water", made the R&B top ten and the pop top fifty later in 1974; "Give the Little Man a Great Big Hand" had minor success early the next year. Live, DeVaughn preached to and admonished his audience from the stage. He lost interest in the music industry not long after, working in a record store and again as a draftsman. Fioravanti kept Devaughn under contract hoping to eventually get recording again but it was not until 1980 that they would hook up for new projects. Fioravanti made a mistake by giving the new album Figures Can't Calculate to TEC Records included the title song, which was a minor R&B hit, and a remake of "Be Thankful for What You Got". TEC never paid out any royalties. Soon after Devaughn recorded another Fioravanti tune, "Creme de Cream", released in Europe on the "Red Bus" label. Until this point Fioravanti produced or co-produced all of the singles and albums.
In 2004, DeVaughn released a new single, "I Came Back", on his own Mighty Two Diamond Records.