William DeVaughan
An R&B vocalist from Washington, D.C., USA. The impact of Curtis Mayfield on the soul market in the early '70s was most evident by the success of William DeVaughn, whose sound and style was uncannily like that of Mayfield. DeVaughn was a part-time entertainer, having taken off from his job to record in Philadelphia with the support of the Philadelphia International Records house band, MFSB. DeVaughn is basically a one-hit-wonder artist owing to his massive success, Be Thankful For What You Got (number 1 R&B, number 4 pop) from 1974. His Blood Is Thicker Is Water made Top 10 R&B (number 43 pop) the same year on the strength of the previous hit. Another record released in 1974, Give The Little Man A Great Big Hand was even less of a hit. DeVaughn only made the chart one more time, in 1980, for Figures Can't Calculate.