William DeVaughn--Be Thankful For What You Got (1974)

     It's always been a fantasy of anyone who has ever picked up a mic to go into the studio, make a record, and almost immediately have a hit. The truth of course is that things like that rarely happen. For William DeVaughn however, it became a reality.
     DaVaughn had a job for the government as a drafting tech. when he spent $900 of his own money to record a song at Omega Sound in Philadelphia. The song, which he wrote, was very reminiscent of Curtis Mayfield and his old group, The Impressions. The band included several members of the MFSB band, and it caught the attention of the vice president of the studio, who began shopping it around to various record companies.
      Signed to Roxbury, the song reached #4 on the charts in the summer of 1974 which led to the recording of an album. DeVaughn, who was a devout Jehovah's Witness found that his devotion to his faith was greater than his love for music, and he lost interest after awhile, and left the industry almost as quickly as he entered it. He has since recorded a couple more albums, one in 1980, and just recently in 2004.