Carmela Corren

Israeli singer and actress Carmela Corren was born Carmela Bizman on February 13, 1938, in Tel Aviv, Israel (then known as Mandatory Palestine). Originally interested in becoming a dancer, an injury led to her decision to switch her focus to singing. During a performance in Jerusalem, she was discovered by iconic television producer and host Ed Sullivan, who convinced her to come to New York and appear on his weekly variety series The Ed Sullivan Show (formerly known as The Toast of the Town). Her recording career began in the late 1950s, finally gaining attention in the early 1960s with a series of singles including “Boccuccia Di Rosa” (1960), “Sei Nicht Traurig, Geliebte Mama” (1961), “Der Feine Gentleman” (1962), and “Hava Nagila” (1962). She also began her acting career, appearing in such films as Drei Liebesbriefe aus Tirol (1962), Between Shanghai and St. Pauli (1962), and Don't Fool with Me (1963). Carmela Corren scored her biggest hit in 1963 with the song “Vielleicht Geschieht Ein Wunder”, which she performed – representing Austria - at the Eurovision Song Contest. She remained popular throughout the 1960s and 1970s and retired to Florida in the early 1980s. Carmela Corren died on January 16, 2022, at the age of 83.