Connie Francis
Welcome to an era filled with sock-hops, diners, and poodle skirts. But that's not all! Arguably the most important aspect of the 1950's was that it was also a time filled with the newly evolved genre of "rock 'n' roll", a type of music that resulted from a combination of rhythm and blues, gospel music, country, and jazz. Rock and roll completely revolutionized musical tastes and essentially changed the world, especially among the youth. Suddenly all across the nation, teenagers were able to listen to this new music and rebel from their parents in ways that they never could before. There are many artists that made enormous impacts on rock and roll music in the fifties, and one such significant artist was named Connie Francis. She was originally born as Concetta Franconero on December 12, 1938 in New Jersey. She started her music career at age three when her father bought her an accordion. Later, she won first prize on TV’s Startime Talent Scouts at age 12, and then continued starring weekly on the show for four years with a concentration on singing as opposed to her original focus on the accordion. It was actually on this TV show that the host, Arthur Godfrey, suggested she change her name to something easier to pronounce, which is where she became Connie Francis.
At first, Connie struggle to get a record label. She was continually turned down by all of the record labels, until finally MGM signed a contract with her, only because one of her demo songs was “Freddy”, which also happened to be name of the MGM president’s son. “Freddy” was released in June 1955 and was Connie’s first single. However, she had several less successful singles following “Freddy”, and was preparing to quit the music business and go to college on a scholarship. With the persuasion of her father, she decided to record one more song, an old tune from 1923. She sang it in one take and it was an instant hit. The name of the song that brought her to fame was “Who’s Sorry
At first, Connie struggle to get a record label. She was continually turned down by all of the record labels, until finally MGM signed a contract with her, only because one of her demo songs was “Freddy”, which also happened to be name of the MGM president’s son. “Freddy” was released in June 1955 and was Connie’s first single. However, she had several less successful singles following “Freddy”, and was preparing to quit the music business and go to college on a scholarship. With the persuasion of her father, she decided to record one more song, an old tune from 1923. She sang it in one take and it was an instant hit. The name of the song that brought her to fame was “Who’s Sorry
Cited: Dean, Maury. "Rock and Roll: Gold Rush." EBSCOhost. Algora Pub., 2003. Web. 12 Nov. 2012. "Spotlight 29 Casino; Spotlight 29 Casino Is 'Where the Boys Are ' With Connie Francis in Concert." ProQuest. NewsRx, 17 Feb. 2009. Web. 13 Nov. 2012.