| EARTHA KITT |
ORSON WELLES DESCRIBED HER AS THE WORLDS MOST EXCITING WOMAN AND SHE'D PROPABLY AGREE. BORN INTO POVERTY IN THE DEEP SOUTH SHE WAS A NEGELECTED AND ABUSED CHILD. ESCAPING HER ABUSIVE FOSTER PARENTS SHE TRUDGED TO NEW YORK WHERE SHE FOUND WORK WITH THE FAMOUS KATHERINE DUNHAM DANCE TROUPE. FROM THERE SHE CONQURED PARIS AND BROADWAY BEFORE FINDING HER NICHE AS A RECORDING ARTIST. HER DISTINCTIVE FELINE VOICE COUPLED WITH HER TRADEMARK GROWL MADE HER A HIT THROUGHOUT THE FIFTIES. IN THE SIXTIES SHE WAS TELEVISIONS ORIGINAL CATWOMAN IN THE HUGELY POPULAR SHOW BATMAN.BUT HER ANTI VIETNAM REMARKS AT A WHITEHOUSE DINNER LEAD TO HER BEING BLACKBALLED AND HER CAREER STALLED. IN THE 1970'S SHE MADE A COMEBACK APPEARING ON BROADWAY IN TIMBUKTU AND IN VARIOUS MOVIES. STILL RECORDING AND DOING CABARET SHE SOLDIERED ON. THEN TO EVERYONES SURPRISE THE EIGHTIES SAW HER BESTSELLING RECORDS EVER AS SHE TURNED HER HAND TO DISCO AND BECAME AN OVERNITE GAY ICON, EARNING HER FIRST GOLD RECORD IN THE PROCESS. HITS LIKE WHERE IS MY MAN, I LOVE MEN AND CHA CHA HEELS BROUGHT EARTHA A NEW GENERATION OF FANS AND WHERE HUGE HITS ALL OVER EUROPE. BUOYED UP BY THIS RESURGENCE IN POPULARITY SHE SALLIED FORTH WITH A REVITALISED SINGING CAREER, CONQURED THE WEST END OF LONDON IN FOLLIES , HAD CAMEOS IN SEVERAL HIT FILMS AND A TRIUMPHANT RETURN TO BROADWAY AND THE CABARET STAGE. ONLY RECENTLY DISCOVERING HER REAL AGE (SHE IS NOW IN HER 70'S) SHE SEEMS ONLY TO GO FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH AND NOW BOASTS THE LONGEST DURATION OF ANY CAREER IN THE POP CHARTS. LONG MAY SHE CONTINUE TO PURRR , GROWL AND REIGN AS AN UNDOUBTED QUEEN OF CAMP |