From:   "Dik de Heer" 
Date:  Thu Dec 12, 2002  6:21 am
Subject:  Born To Be With You : Connie Francis
 
CONNIE FRANCIS

Born Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero, 12 December 1938, Newark,
New Jersey

Connie Francis is the biggest-selling female artist of the SAO years.
Her father encouraged (to put it mildly) her musical activities from an
early age. She learned to play the accordion at three, was on local TV
at ten, on the Arthur Godfrey TV talent show at eleven, then four years
on the "Startime" variety show.
After being turned down by almost every record label she approached,
16-year-old Connie signed a record contract with MGM, only because
one of the songs on her demo, "Freddy," also happened to be the name
of the son of MGM's president. "Freddy" was released in June 1955 as
the singer's first 45. After nine flop singles, on October 2, 1957, she
undertook what was meant to be her last session for MGM. Francis had
recently accepted a pre-med scholarship to New York University and
was contemplating the end of her career as a singer. Having recorded
two songs, she thanked the technicians and musicians, hoping not to
have to have to record the third song her father had in mind, an old tune
from 1923. After a false start, she sang it in one take. When Dick Clark
played "Who's Sorry Now" on American Bandstand, he told its eight
million viewers that Connie Francis was "a new girl singer that is heading
straight for the number one spot."
"Who's Sorry Now" (# 4 US, # 1 UK) was the first of Francis' long string
of worldwide hits. By 1967, she had sold 35 million world wide, with 35
U.S. Top 40 hits, and three number ones ("Everybody's Somebody's Fool",
"My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own," "Don't Break the Heart That Loves You")
to her credit. Francis has an affinity for languages and was one of the first
pop singers to record her songs in other languages. 1961's title song from
the movie Where the Boys Are was recorded in six languages. She starred
in four (nondescript) films, sang voice-overs in movies for actresses who
could not sing, and was a guest star on innumerable TV shows. Music
critics who didn't take kindly to Francis' pop music years were eventually
won over by her versatility. Her Italian and Jewish albums transformed her
from a teenage idol to a mature performer at leading night spots around the
world.
In 1969, she chose not to renew her contract when MGM was taken over
by Polydor. She opted instead for domestic life with her third husband. In
1974, her husband encouraged her to return to the stage, with disastrous
consequences. After her third performance, she was raped at the hotel she
was staying in. Ultimately, this incident contributed to the end of her
marriage.
During 1975, nasal surgery temporarily robbed her of her voice. She was on
the comeback trail in 1981 when her brother, George, was brutally murdered.
It took seven years to determine that through all of those events, she was
also a manic depressive. She finally made her return to the stage and to
recording in 1989.
Connie Francis continues to sing to sold-out audiences. She has recorded
more than 70 LPs.

There are three five-CD sets on Bear Family, but for me personally one good
compilation suffices: The Singles Collection (Polydor 519 131-2). 30 tracks,
all her UK chart entries, 1957-66. Released in 1993.

Autobiography: Who's Sorry Now? New York : St. Martin's Press, 1984.
Websites: http://www.batnet.com/mfwright/connie_francis.html
and http://www.12mb.com/connie/directory.htm