American actress, comedian, and singer.
Born: August 5, 1930, Austin, Texas.
Died: December 25, 1998, Baltimore, Maryland.
She was married to singer/guitarist
Steve Gibson (1954-8).
Damita Jo was involved within the music business and the comedy circuit since the early ’50s. Damita was also the featured vocalist with
Steve Gibson and the Red Caps, from 1951 to 1953, then from 1959 to 1960. Damita later became a part of the Redd Foxx television series.
She had two Top 20 R&B singles in 1960 and 1961, with I’ll Save The Last Dance For You an answer record to the Drifters, Save the Last Dance for Me. Her 1961 single I’ll Be There reached #12 on the pop charts and was a #15 R&B hit. This was an answer record to Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me”. Overall, she charted nine times in the U.S. between 1960 and 1967. She also sang lead on I Went To Your Wedding by Steve Gibson And The Original Red Caps Featuring Damita Jo, which hit #20 in 1952.