William DeVaughn -

William DeVaughn (born Nov. 28, 1947) is an American soul singer from Washington, DC, who released the 1974 album Be Thankful for What You Got, scoring hits with the title track and “Blood Is Thicker Than Water.” He returned in 1980 with Figures Can’t Calculate.

Background

William DeVaughn was born William Edward DeVaughn Jr. on November 28, 1947, in Washington, D.C.

By the early seventies, DeVaughn worked as a government drafting technician and sang part-time. He wrote “A Cadillac Don’t Come Easy” in 1972. After he saw a magazine advertisement for Philadelphia production house Omega Sound, DeVaughn sent demos to the company and paid $900 toward a development recording. The song reached Omega Sound under the revised title “Be Thankful for What You Got.”

Omega Sound placed DeVaughn with producer-arranger John Davis, a musician connected with the MFSB session circle. Davis booked Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia and arranged the track with keyboard parts and Philadelphia session players. The session used drummer Earl Young, percussionist Larry Washington, vibraphonist Vince Montana, guitarists Norman Harris and Bobby Eli, and background vocals organized through Allan Felder’s vocal group. Executive producer Frank Fioravanti placed the completed master with Roxbury Records, a Chelsea Records subsidiary run by Wes Farrell. The Roxbury placement took DeVaughn from a self-financed demo route into the sessions that produced Be Thankful for What You Got.

Be Thankful for What You Got

William DeVaughn released his debut studio album, Be Thankful for What You Got, in July 1974 on Roxbury.

The album presents Philadelphia soul with devotional lyric themes and mid-tempo ballad forms. DeVaughn sings in a high register above percussionist Larry Washington, vibraphonist Vince Montana, bassists Hugh McDonald and Rusty Jackman, drummers Al Price and Earl Young, guitarists Norman Harris, Pal Rakes, and Bobby Eli, and keyboardists John Davis and Jerry Cohen. Don Renaldo arranged strings and horns, and Nadine Felder and Gwen Oliver sang background vocals. DeVaughn wrote six of the original eight selections; Pal Rakes and Russ Faith wrote “Blood Is Thicker Than Water,” and DeVaughn and Frank Fioravanti wrote “Sing a Love Song.”

“Give the Little Man a Great Big Hand” simmers through clipped vocal phrases and lean accompaniment. “We Are His Children” glides through a devotional lead with organ tucked under the verse. “Blood Is Thicker than Water” leans on an extended family-address refrain and a bass figure that holds the verse in place. “Kiss and Make Up” saunters through a tighter pulse and direct reconciliation lines. “Be Thankful for What You Got” sways under DeVaughn’s high, relaxed lead, with congas, a guitar figure, vibraphone color, and background answers around the Cadillac refrain. “Sing a Love Song” pleads through a soft chorus and compact phrases. “You Can Do It” closes the motivational side of the album with a firmer call-and-response cadence.

A1. “Give the Little Man a Great Big Hand” (5:35) – DeVaughn
A2. “We Are His Children” (5:14) – DeVaughn
A3. “Blood Is Thicker Than Water” (7:19) – Rakes, Faith
A4. “Kiss and Make Up” (2:48) – DeVaughn

B1. “Be Thankful for What You Got” (7:12) – DeVaughn
B2. “Sing a Love Song” (3:26) – DeVaughn, Fioravanti
B3. “You Can Do It” (3:38) – DeVaughn
B4. “Something’s Being Done” (3:44) – DeVaughn

Sessions occurred in 1974 at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia with John Davis producing and Frank Fioravanti serving as executive producer. Carl Paruolo, Doug Fern, and Joe Tarsia engineered or mixed the sessions. Richard Germinaro illustrated the cover under Wes Farrell’s art direction. Big Cigar designed the package.

Roxbury lifted “Be Thankful for What You Got” as a March 1974 single (b/w “Be Thankful for What You Got, Part 2”), which reached No. 1 on Billboard R&B and No. 4 on Billboard Hot 100.

“Blood Is Thicker Than Water” became the second single in August 1974 (b/w “Blood Is Thicker Than Water (Part II)”) and reached No. 10 on Billboard R&B and No. 43 on Billboard Hot 100. Roxbury followed with “Give the Little Man a Great Big Hand” in November 1974 (b/w “Something’s Being Done”), which reached No. 51 on Billboard R&B. In January 1976, “Kiss and Make Up” appeared as a Roxbury single (b/w “Sing a Love Song”).

Be Thankful for What You Got reached No. 165 on Billboard Top LPs & Tape and No. 10 on Billboard Soul LPs.

Figures Can’t Calculate

William DeVaughn released his second studio album, Figures Can’t Calculate, in July 1980 on TEC.

The album recasts his high-tenor soul idiom around late-seventies dance tempos and soft-focus ballad structures. DeVaughn sings above drummer Gerry Brown, bassist Larry McRae, conga player Larry Washington, and guitarists Pal Rakes, T. Life, and Dennis Harris.

Figures Can’t Calculate sets DeVaughn’s high lead against sleek backing vocals, a rounded low end, and a polished late-night finish. “Figures Can’t Calculate” coasts through a direct pledge refrain, with the lead held above a steady backbeat. “Love Comes So Easy” glides through polished courtship lines and rounded backing replies. “Boogie Dan” steps through a clipped dance-floor backbeat and short phrase endings. “You Send Me” croons through tender pauses and an airy chorus.

“Be Thankful for What You Got” reprises the Cadillac refrain over a longer, smoother vamp, with the title line held for a broader chorus. “I Never Found Me a Girl (Who Loves Me Like You Do)” circles a plain-spoken devotion line in short verse phrases. “Hold on to Love” resolves the album with a compact affirmation refrain and polished backing-vocal replies.

A1. “Figures Can’t Calculate” (3:49) – DeVaughn
A2. “Love Comes So Easy” (3:32) – DeVaughn, deLise, Fioravanti, Rakes
A3. “Boogie Dan” (4:52) – Fioravanti, DeVaughn, Rakes
A4. “You Send Me” (4:44) – Cooke

B1. “Be Thankful for What You Got (New Version)” (6:55) – DeVaughn
B2. “I Never Found Me a Girl (Who Loves Me Like You Do)” (3:28) – Isbell, Jones, Floyd
B3. “Hold On to Love” (3:24) – DeVaughn

Frank Fioravanti co-produced the album with Pal Rakes and Louis deLise, who directed the rhythm arrangements, orchestral parts, and vocal ensemble.

TEC lifted “Figures Can’t Calculate” as a May 1980 single (b/w “Hold-On-To-Love”), which reached No. 37 on Billboard R&B. In December 1980, TEC lifted “Be Thankful for What You Got” as a single (b/w “You Send Me”). The 1980 version reached No. 83 on Billboard Dance and No. 44 on the UK Singles Chart.

Figures Can’t Calculate reached No. 74 on Billboard Top Soul LPs.

Discography: