Download Free Connie Francis * Songs

Connie Francis music biography continued...

in Newark, New Jersey, Francis began playing the accordion at the age of four, and was singing and playing professionally by the time she was 11. After winning an Arthur Godfrey Talent Show, she changed her name, at Godfrey's suggestion. Signed for MGM Records in 1955, her first record was a German import, "Freddy", which was also recorded by Eartha Kitt and Stan Kenton. "Majesty Of Love", her 10th release, a duet with Marvin Rainwater, was her first US chart entry. In 1957 she recorded the 1923 song "Who's Sorry Now." It wound up going to number 4 on the US charts and number 1 in the UK, and was the first of a string of hits through to 1962. These included reworkings of more oldies, such as "My Happiness", "Among My Souvenirs" and "Together". Other US Top Ten songs included Where The Boys Are" by the new songwriting team of Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield, Everybody's Somebody's Fool" (her first US number 1), and "My Mind Has A Heart Of Its Own" (another US number 1). Francis made her film debut in 1960 with Where The Boys Are, and followed it with similar bubbly comedy musicals such as Follow The Boys (1963), Looking For Love (1964) and When The Boys Meet The Girls (1965), from which she became an international star.



With the newfound interest in rock and roll, Francis' popularity started to decline in the late 60s, so she started playing nightclubs, and extended her repertoire by recording albums in several languages, including French, Spanish and Japanese, and one entitled, Connie Francis Sings Great Jewish Favorites. Late 70s issues included more country music selections. In 1974, however, Francis was raped at a motel where she was staying in New York nearby a concert venue. The trauma, compounded by a manic depressive illness that Francis refused to treat, led to a downward spiral that continued through the 80s. Finally, a new drug therapy--and the singer's long-overdue realization of the essentiality of her medication--set her on the road to recovery. Back on the singing circuit, Francis reveled in the fans that remembered and loved her classic tunes.