Connie Francis
Connie Francis is the prototype for the female pop singer of today. At the height of her chart popularity in the late '50s and early '60s, Francis was unique as a female recording artist, amassing record sales equal to or surpassing those of many of her male contemporaries. Ultimately, she branched into other styles of music -- big band, country, ethnic, and more. She still challenges Madonna as the biggest-selling female recording artist of all time. Like Madonna, Concetta Rosemarie Franconero came from an Italian-American background. Francis started her music career at three, playing an accordion bought for her by her contractor father, George. Her father's dream was not for his daughter to become a star, but for Francis to become independent of men as an adult with her own accordion school of music. At age ten, she was accepted on Startime, a New York City television show that featured talented child singers and performers. The show had no one else who played an accordion. Its host, legendary TV talent scout Arthur Godfrey, had difficulty pronouncing her name and suggested something "easy and Irish," which turned into Francis. After three weeks on Startime, the show's producer and Francis' would-be manager advised her to dump the accordion and concentrate on singing. Francis performed weekly on Startime for four years.
After being turned down by almost every record label she approached, 16-year-old Francis signed a record contract with MGM, only because one of the songs on her demo, "Freddy," also happened to be the name of the president's son. "Freddy" was released in June 1955 as the singer's first single. After a series of flop singles, on October 2, 1957 she undertook what was to be her last session for MGM. Francis had recently accepted a premed scholarship to New York University and was contemplating the end of her career as a singer. Having recorded two songs, she thanked the technicians and musicians, hoping not to have to record the third song her father had in mind, an old tune from 1923. After a false start, she sang it in one take. When Dick Clark played "Who's Sorry Now?" on American Bandstand, he told the show's eight million viewers that Connie Francis was "a new girl singer that is heading straight for the number one spot."
"Who's Sorry Now?" was the first of Francis' long string of worldwide hits. By 1967, she had sold 35 million worldwide, with 35 U.S. Top 40 hits and several number ones ("Everybody's Somebody's Fool," "My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own," "Don't Break the Heart That Loves You," and "Stupid Cupid") to her credit. Released in 1963, "In the Summer of His Years," written as a tribute to the assassinated John F. Kennedy, remains one of the earliest known charity records, with proceeds donated to dependents of the policemen shot during the incident.
Francis had an affinity for languages and was one of the first pop singers to record her songs in other languages; 1961's title song from the movie Where the Boys Are was recorded in six languages. She starred in four (nondescript) films, sang voice-overs in movies for actresses who could not sing, and was a guest star on innumerable TV shows. Music critics who didn't take kindly to Francis' pop music years were eventually won over by her versatility. Her Italian and Jewish albums transformed Francis from a teenage idol to a mature performer at leading nightspots around the world. She has also had a long history being a composer's first choice to interpret songs that went on to become major hits for other artists, including "Somewhere My Love," "Strangers in the Night," "Angel in the Morning," and "When Will the Apples Fall."
While the recording of "Who's Sorry Now?" in 1957 was planned to be her final session for MGM, she actually ended that relationship in 1969, choosing not to renew her contract when MGM was taken over by Polydor. She opted instead for domestic life with her third husband. Francis didn't return to the recording studio until 1973 when the writers of "Tie a Yellow Ribbon," longtime friends, wrote "The Answer" especially for Francis. In 1974, her husband encouraged her to return to the stage, with disastrous consequences. After her third performance, she was raped at the hotel where she was staying. Ultimately, this incident contributed to the end of her marriage. During 1975, nasal surgery temporarily robbed her of her voice. She was on the comeback trail in 1981 when her brother, George, was brutally murdered. It took seven years to determine that through all of those events, she was also diagnosed with bipolar disorder. She finally made her return to the stage and recording in 1989, and Connie Francis has continued to sing to sold-out audiences into the new millennium. She has recorded more than 70 LPs.
© Ed Nimmervoll /TiVo
Ähnliche Künstler
-
Connie Francis Sings Irish Favorites
Vokalmusik (weltlich und geistlich) - Erschienen bei FM Records am 01.03.1962
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Muß I denn zum Städtele hinaus
Pop - Erschienen bei Old Guys Records am 01.11.2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Come Back to Sorrento
Rock - Erschienen bei Academia Royal am 24.09.2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Born Free (Live On The Ed Sullivan Show, June 16, 1968)
Pop - Erschienen bei SOFA - AV Catalog DD am 22.07.2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Exciting Connie Francis + Who's Sorry Now (Bonus Track Version)
Jazzgesang - Erschienen bei Fly Me to the Moon Records am 15.09.2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Connie Francis Sings Italian Favorites
Pop - Erschienen bei FM Records am 01.11.1959
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Connie Francis Sings Spanish and Latin American Favorites
Pop - Erschienen bei FM Records am 01.10.1960
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
On Guard With Connie Francis
Vokalmusik (weltlich und geistlich) - Erschienen bei Jazz Band am 06.05.2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Connie Francis, Vol. 9
Pop - Erschienen bei Documents 2 am 14.08.2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Country & Western Classics
Country - Erschienen bei Play Digital am 08.01.2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Exodus Song/Hava Nagila/Dance, Everyone, Dance (Medley/Live On The Ed Sullivan Show, April 28, 1963)
Pop - Erschienen bei SOFA - AV Catalog DD am 02.12.2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Super Sänger
Schlager - Erschienen bei Com-Es Musik Schallplatten GmbH am 25.05.2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Die Liebe ist ein seltsames Spiel
Deutsche Musik - Erschienen bei Delta Music Media. am 09.09.2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Highlights of Connie Francis, Vol. 1
Pop - Erschienen bei Weishaupt Music & Entertainment am 14.02.2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Exciting Connie Francis (Remastered)
Pop - Erschienen bei RevOla am 01.01.1959
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
With Christmas In My Heart
Weihnachtsmusik - Erschienen bei HHO am 16.11.2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Together (UK Chart Top 40 - No. 6)
Internationaler Pop - Erschienen bei Music Manager am 25.09.2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jealous of You (Tango Della Gelosia) (Billboard Hot 100 - No 19)
Pop - Erschienen bei Music Manager am 23.10.2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Christmas with Connie
Weihnachtsmusik - Erschienen bei HHO am 25.11.2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Who's Sorry Now
Pop - Erschienen bei Universal Records am 01.04.1958
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Valentino (UK Chart Top 40 - No. 27)
Pop - Erschienen bei Music Manager am 19.12.2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo