Houston Edward Summers IV (born October 26, 1983), known mononymously as Houston, is an American former R&B singer,[1] best known for his 2004 single "I Like That" (featuring Chingy and Nate Dogg).

Houston
Birth nameHouston Edward Summers IV
Born (1983-10-26) October 26, 1983 (age 41)
OriginLos Angeles, California, U.S.
GenresR&B[1]
OccupationSinger
Years active2003–2005
LabelsCapitol

In 2005, Houston attempted suicide in a London hotel room, and later gouged his eye out with a fork on the 13th floor of his hotel building. He was subsequently dropped from his contract with Capitol Records.

Early life

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Summers attended the Academy of Music at Hamilton High School in Los Angeles.[2] He would regularly be invited to participate in activities taking place in the school's music academy. His management team recorded a videotape of Summers's performances, which they hoped would help the singer land a recording contract. He was signed to Capitol Records.[2]

Career

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Houston's debut single, "I Like That" featuring Chingy and Nate Dogg was released on March 13, 2004, and was a hit therefore peaking at number three on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and number 11 on both Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart. His debut and only album, It's Already Written was released on August 10, 2004, being certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[3]

2005 suicide attempt

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On January 27, 2005, while on tour in London, England, Summers suffered an emotional breakdown and reportedly tried to commit suicide by jumping from a hotel window while under the influence of PCP. When people in his entourage stopped him, he was restrained and locked in a first floor room. While in that room, Summers gouged his left eye out with a plastic fork.[4] After the incident, Summers was arrested by London police and was sent to a rehabilitation facility. After a two-week stint in rehab, Houston went home to Los Angeles and apologized for the incident. Houston attributed the incident to stress caused by the music industry, saying "Everything was clobbering down on me. Everything was going a little bit too hard on me".[5][6]

Discography

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Albums

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List of albums, with selected chart positions and certifications
Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
US
[7]
US
R&B

[8]
FRA
[9]
SWI
[10]
UK
[11]
It's Already Written 14 8 83 50 101

Singles

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List of singles, with selected chart positions and certifications, showing year released and album name
Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
US
[13]
US
R&B

[14]
AUS
[15]
BEL
(FL)

[16]
FRA
[9]
GER
[17]
IRE
[18]
NZ
[19]
SWI
[10]
UK
[20]
"I Like That"
(featuring Chingy, Nate Dogg, and I-20)
2004 11 14 12 26 29 18 39 4 5 11 It's Already Written
"Ain't Nothing Wrong" 70 52 61 33
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Houston Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic.
  2. ^ a b "Biography by David Jeffries". AllMusic. Retrieved March 24, 2009.
  3. ^ "It's Already Written RIAA certification". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 15, 2010.
  4. ^ "R&B Singer Houston Gouges Eye Out After Apparent Suicide Attempt". Mtv.com. February 2, 2005. Archived from the original on October 14, 2007. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  5. ^ "Video: New Interview With Former R&B Singer Houston". Madnewsuk.com. May 24, 2008. Retrieved April 11, 2012.
  6. ^ "Singer Houston Breaks Silence About Eye Gouging Incident". May 25, 2008. Archived from the original on August 4, 2009.
  7. ^ "Houston Album & Song Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  8. ^ "Houston Album & Song Chart History: R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  9. ^ a b "Discographie Houston". lescharts.com (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  10. ^ a b "Discographie Houston". hitparade.ch (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  11. ^ Zywietz, Tobias (February 6, 1997). "Chart Log UK: H & Claire – Hysterix". Zobbel.de. Tobias Zywietz. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  12. ^ "American album certifications – Houston – Already Written". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  13. ^ "Houston Album & Song Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  14. ^ "Houston Album & Song Chart History: R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  15. ^ Australian chart peaks:
  16. ^ "Discografie Houston". ultratop.be (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  17. ^ "Chartverfolgung / Houston / Single". musicline.de (in German). Media Control Charts. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  18. ^ "Discography Houston". irish-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  19. ^ "Discography Houston". charts.nz. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  20. ^ "Houston". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  21. ^ "American single certifications – Houston – I Like That". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  22. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2004 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on October 13, 2006. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
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