Dale & Grace scored two Top 40 hits in the 1960s, including one that reached No. 1 shortly after the duo first met. Grace Broussard was born in 1939 in Prairieville, Louisiana, and Dale Houston the following year in Seminary, Mississippi, before his family eventually settled in Baton Rouge. The son of a minister, Dale grew up surrounded by church music, singing and playing piano from a young age. By his teens, he knew he wanted a career in music. He recorded “Lonely Man,” which briefly entered the national charts and caught the attention of Baton Rouge producer Sam Montel, who signed Dale as a songwriter. Around the same time, a Cajun band from Prairieville—led by Van Broussard—visited Montel’s studio, featuring Van’s sister Grace as the group’s vocalist.

​

Dale and Grace sang together for the first time in 1963. During their very first recording session, they cut “I’m Leaving It Up to You” for the Michelle label, named for Sam Montel’s daughter. Montel sent the single to a disc jockey in Houston, where it became an instant regional hit. It was soon reissued nationally on Montel Records and entered the Billboard charts in October 1963, quickly rising to No. 1. With the single’s success, Dale & Grace joined Dick Clark’s Caravan of Stars and began touring across the country.

​

The duo parted ways in 1965, but “I’m Leaving It Up to You” endured, becoming a favorite for male–female duos such as Sonny & Cher and Donny & Marie Osmond. In the 1990s, Dale & Grace were inducted into the Museum of the Gulf Coast Music Hall of Fame, the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame, and the Texas Music Hall of Fame.