My dad had a thing for curly, short-haired brunettes.
Connie Francis was an Italian-American from New Jersey. Her dad would have put the Dance Moms to shame, entering her in countless talent shows and beauty pageants when she was just a child.
She was beautiful, talented, AND smart - salutatorian of the Newark Arts High School, class of 1955.
She appeared on various variety shows back in the day, waiting for her big break, including Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts and NBC's Startime Kids. She was hired to voice Tuesday Weld's singing in the movie Rock Rock Rock, which led to her being a ghost performer for the movie Jamboree.
Then she scored her first major hit with the song Who's Sorry Now? when it debuted on American Bandstand, New Year's Day, 1958. A flurry of hits followed, including Stupid Cupid, My Happiness, Frankie, and Lipstick on Your Collar.
My soft spot for Connie comes from the first-ever spring break movie and hit song Where the Boys Are, released in 1961. She sang and starred in the picture as Angie, who falls for jazz musician Basil.
Connie went through some personal traumas in the 70s and 80s, including being raped while on tour and her brother's murder by the mafia. She has written several books, appeared in revues in Vegas, and finally retired in 2018.
Because social media is a bizarre and often wonderful thing, her song Pretty Little Baby from 1961 became a viral hit in 2025, an achievement she was able to enjoy before her passing in July 2025. In a memorial post, The Beatles' social media lauded her as the first female rock star and noted she rivaled them in popularity in the early '60s. A lovely swan song.
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