Joanie Sommers

Joanie Sommers (born Joan Drost, February 24, 1941) is an American singer and actress. Her career has focused on jazz, standards and popular song. Early in her career she was billed as "the Voice of the Sixties"; she also collaborated with prominent arrangers, songwriters and producers. Her most recognized song is "Johnny Get Angry", which although atypical of her work became a popular success.

Sommers was born in Buffalo, New York, She began singing in church to deal with "a difficult childhood". In 1951, at the age of ten, she won an amateur talent contest on a Buffalo television program by singing the Hank Williams song, "Your Cheating Heart". She spent her youth living with her family in North Tonawanda and attended school there until the age of fourteen.

In 1955, her family relocated to the Venice neighborhood of Los Angeles, where she won honors as a vocalist with her high school band at Venice High School. She subsequently earned additional distinctions at Santa Monica City College.

Wider success came after a friend took her to the Deauville Country Club (now Braemar Country Club) in Santa Monica, where she sang with Tommy Oliver's band. He arranged for a demo record to be cut and presented it to Warner Bros. Records, whereupon Sommers was signed to the label.

Warner initially used her vocal talents singing "Am I Blue" on a 1959 Warner specialty record, Behind Closed Doors at a Recording Session, and on one side of the spoken-word single "Kookie's Love Song" with Edd Byrnes. The pairing with Byrnes led to a small role in 77 Sunset Strip, the private detective television series featuring Byrnes in the role of Gerald Lloyd "Kookie" Kookson III. In addition, she sang on Byrnes' "I Don't Dig You" and "Hot Rod Rock" which appeared on one of his albums.

Biography summary from English Wikipedia, photograph via Wikimedia Commons.