Career

Sommers began singing in church choirs as a way to deal with "a difficult childhood", and in 1951 at age 10, appeared on a Buffalo television program singing Hank Williams' Your Cheating Heart, winning the amateur talent contest. In 1955 the family relocated to Venice, California. Sommers went on to win honors to become vocalist with her high school band at Venice High, and did so again at Santa Monica City College. Her break came after a friend took her to the Deauville Country Club (now Braemar Country Club) where she sang with arranger-composer Tommy Oliver whose band was resident at the time. Oliver arranged for a demo record to be cut and presented to Warner Brothers, whereupon Sommers was signed to the label.

Warner initially enlisted her vocal talents singing Am I Blue on a 1959 Warner specialty record Behind Closed Doors at a Recording Session and on one side of a spoken-word single Kookie's Love Song with Edd Byrnes. The pairing with Byrnes also put her into a small role in 77 Sunset Strip, the television series that featured Byrnes in the role of Kookie. In addition, she sang on Byrnes' I Don't Dig You and Hot Rod Rock which appeared on one of his albums.

Concurrently, Tommy Oliver supported Sommers by starring her in his orchestra engagements at California venues Hollywood Palladium and The Chalet at Lake Arrowhead.

Her 1960 debut single "One Boy" (from the musical Bye Bye Birdie) stayed on the charts for 3 months peaking at #54 on the Billboard Top 100. This and the flip side "I'll Never Be Free" were both Billboard Spotlight Winners. The release caused her to begin a touring schedule at venues including New York's Left Bank Club, Hollywood's Crescendo, Freddie's in Minneapolis, and The Cloister in Chicago and appearances on the Jack Paar Show and Bobby Darin Special.

In early 1960, Warner released Sommers' first LP, Positively the Most which did not include the One Boy hit single. Late 1960 also saw Warner release another single Ruby-Duby-Du featuring a vocal version of the Tobin Mathews & Co. instrumental from the movie Key Witness; The record did not chart.

In 1962, she reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 with the single "Johnny Get Angry", released on Warner Bros. Records. (In 2004 the Japan-only release "Johnny Got Angry" consisted of all original tunes written by Joanie's friend and fellow cartoon voice actor, Will Ryan). She also charted with When the Boys Get Together, a #94 single in 1962. She appeared on television shows as a singer and as an actress, and in films such as Everything's Ducky (1961) and in Jack Arnold's The Lively Set (1964), where she sang "If You Love Him".

Sommers was a game show contestant during the 1960s on such shows as Everybody's Talking, Hollywood Squares, You Don't Say, and The Match Game, as well as a performer on Dick Clark's Where the Action Is, Hullabaloo, and other variety shows of the period. In 1963 she appeared on the January 22 segment of The Jack Benny Show where she sang "I'll Never Stop Loving You"; another guest was actor Peter Lorre.

In the early 1960s, she sang It's Pepsi, For Those Who Think Young (to the tune of "Makin' Whoopee") and, later, Come Alive! You're in the Pepsi Generation in commercials, and she came to be referred to as "The Pepsi Girl". Years later, uncredited, she sang Now You See It, Now You Don't, Oh, Diet Pepsi for the sugar-free companion product.

Her 1965 track, Don't Pity Me (Warner Bros. 5629 - Don't Pity Me / My Block), was a Northern Soul hit in the UK and often makes it to Northern Soul top lists. The 45RPM record routinely changes hands among collectors at over $500.00 a copy. The latter song "My Block" was written by Jimmy Radcliffe, Bert Berns and Carl Spencer and had previously been recorded by Clyde McPhatter on his "Songs Of The Big City" Album and by The Chiffons, recording as The Four Pennies on Rust Records.

In the early 1970s, she withdrew from the music scene in favor of family life. She began making public appearances again during the 1980s, including two appearances on KCRW's satirical radio program, The Cool & the Crazy, hosted by Art Fraud (Ronn Spencer) and Vic Tripp (Gene Sculatti).

Sommers did voice work for commercial and animated films through into the 1970s. Her credits include The Peppermint Choo Choo, which was scrubbed, although the music was released; Rankin/Bass' The Mouse on the Mayflower as Priscilla Mullins (1968); B.C.: The First Thanksgiving (1973) in dual roles as the Fat Broad and the Cute Chick.

Personal life

Sommers was married to theatrical agent Jerry Steiner up until his death in 1972. Their three children are Carolyn, Nancy and Jason.

Singles discography

Edd "Kookie" Byrnes With Joanie Sommers & The Mary Kaye Trio / Edd Byrnes

• 1959: Warner Bros. 5114 - Kookie's Love Song (While Dancing) / Do It Yourself Sing With Kookie - Flip By Edd Byrnes only.

Joanie Sommers

• 1960 Warner Bros. Pro 107 - Sommer's Hot, Sommer's Here (4 track EP)
• 1960 Warner Bros. 5157 - One Boy / I'll Never Be Free
• 1960 Warner Bros. 5177 - Be My Love / Why Don't You Do Right
• 1960 Warner Bros. 5183 - Ruby-Duby-Du / Bob White

Joanie Sommers With Don Ralke And His Orchestra / Joanie Sommers With Neal Hefti And His Orchestra

• 1961 Warner Bros. 5201 - I Don't Want To Walk Without You / Seems Like Long, Long Ago

Joanie Sommers

• 1961 Warner Bros. 5226 - Piano Boy / Serenade of the Bells
• 1961 Warner Bros. 5241 - Makin' Whoopee! / What's Wrong With Me

Joanie Sommers With The Orchestras Of Neal Hefti & Don Ralke

• 1961 Warner Bros. 5507 - Makin' Whoopee! / Seems Like Long, Long Ago /// What's Wrong With Me? / One Boy

Joanie Sommers

• 1962 Warner Bros. 5275 - Johnny Get Angry / (Theme From) A Summer Place
• 1962 Warner Bros. 5308 - When The Boys Get Together / Passing Strangers
• 1962 Warner Bros. 5324 - Good-Bye Joey / Bobby's Hobbies
• 1963 Warner Bros. 5339 - Memories, Memories / Since Randy Moved Away
• 1963 Warner Bros. 5350 - Little Bit Of Everything / Henny Penny
• 1963 Warner Bros. 5361 - One Boy / June Is Bustin' Out All Over
• 1963 Warner Bros. 5374 - Little Girl Bad / Wishing Well
• 1963 Warner Bros. 5390 - Goodbye Summer / Big Man
• 1964 Warner Bros. 5437 - I'd Be So Good For You / I'm Gonna Know He's Mine
• 1964 Warner Bros. 5454 - If You Love Him* / I Think I'm Gonna Cry Now
• 1965 Warner Bros. 5629 - Don't Pity Me / My Block
• 1966 Columbia 43567 - You've Got Possibilities / Never Throw Your Dreams Away
• 1966 Columbia 43731 - Alfie / You Take What Comes Along
• 1966 Columbia 43950 - It Doesn't Matter Anymore / Take A Broken Heart
• 1967 Capitol 5936 - Trains And Boats And Planes* / Yesterday's Morning
• 1968 Warner Bros. 7129 - Johnny Get Angry / One Boy ("Back To Back Hits" Series)
• 1968 Warner Bros. 7251 - Great Divide / Talk Until Midnight
• 1970 Happy Tiger 522 - Step Inside Love / Little Girl From Greenwood, G. A.
• 1970 Happy Tiger 537 - Sunshine After The Rain / Tell Him
• 1978 ABC 12323 - The Peppermint Choo-Choo / The Peppermint Engineer

Album discography

• 1960: Positively the Most! Warner Bros. W1346
• 1961: The "Voice" of the 60's Warner Bros. W1412
• 1962: Look Out! It's Joanie Sommers (with Bobby Troup and Shelly Manne)
• 1962: For Those Who Think Young Warner Bros. W1436
• 1962: Johnny Get Angry Warner Bros. W1470
• 1962: Let's Talk About Love Warner Bros W1474
• 1963: Sommers' Seasons Warner Bros. WS1504
• 1964: Softly, the Brazilian Sound Warner Bros. WS1575
• 1965: Come Alive! Columbia CS 9295
• 1966: On the Flip Side - Original Cast Album (w/Rick Nelson, cuts 2, 4 and 8) Decca 4824
• 1982: Dream Discovery Records DS-887
• 1988: Tangerine HiBrite PCB-203
• 1992: A Fine Romance HiBrite HTCP-10
• 1995: Hits and Rareties Marginal MAR-001
• 2000: Here, There and Everywhere! Absord ABCJ 313
• 2000: Johnny Got Angry Absord ABCJ 314
• 2005: Sings Bossa Nova Absord ABCJ 339
• 2011: Complete Warner Bros. Singles Real Gone Music
• 2013: Come Alive—The Complete Columbia Recordings Real Gone Music

[ Source: Wikipedia ]