Which singer had the 1977 hit 'Don't Leave Me This Way'?

The singer who had the 1977 hit “Don't Leave Me This Way” was Thelma Houston.

Houston recorded the song for her 1976 album Any Way You Like It, and Motown released her version as a single after strong reactions from disco audiences. The song was written by Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff, and Cary Gilbert, and had originally been recorded by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes with Teddy Pendergrass in 1975.

Houston’s recording became a major crossover success. It reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in April 1977 and also topped the American soul and disco charts. Houston won the Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for the recording.

A common mix-up is identifying Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes as the answer because they made the original version. Another is naming the Communards, whose synth-pop cover became a major UK hit in 1986. The 1977 hit most quiz questions mean is Houston’s dramatically arranged disco version.