Connie Francis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Connie Francis
Francis in 1961
Background information
Birth name	Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero
Born	(1937-12-12) December 12, 1937 (age 87) Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Genres	Traditional pop rock and roll country pop vocal jazz
Occupation(s)	Singer musician actress author
Instruments	Vocals accordion
Years active	1943–2018
Labels	MGM Polydor GSF Records Ivanhoe Records United Artists Malaco Herzklang Legacy Recordings Carlton Music Concetta Records
Associated acts	Bobby Darin Brenda Lee Patti Page Neil Sedaka Lesley Gore Carole King Ricky Nelson

Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero (born December 12, 1937), known as Connie Francis, is a famous American pop singer and actress. She was one of the most popular female singers in the late 1950s and early 1960s. People estimate she has sold over 100 million records around the world.

In 1960, Connie Francis was the most successful female artist in many countries. These included Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Australia. She was the first woman to have a number one song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. This happened with her song "Everybody's Somebody's Fool" in 1960. She was also the first woman to have three number one hits on that chart.

Connie Francis's Early Life and Career Beginnings

Growing Up and First Performances

Connie Francis was born Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero. She came from an Italian-American family in Newark, New Jersey. Her family later moved to Belleville, New Jersey. She grew up in a neighborhood where she learned to speak Yiddish. This helped her later record songs in Yiddish and Hebrew.

From the age of four, her father encouraged her to sing. She also played the accordion at talent shows and local events. Connie went to Arts High School in Newark. She later graduated from Belleville High School in 1955.

During these years, she kept performing at shows. She appeared on a TV show called Startime Kids from 1953 to 1955. When she was on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts in 1950, the host, Arthur Godfrey, gave her advice. He suggested she change her stage name to Connie Francis. He also told her to stop playing the accordion, which she was happy to do. Around this time, she also sang on demo records. These records helped other singers find new songs to record.

First Record Deal and Challenges

In 1955, the Startime Kids show ended. Connie's father and manager helped her record four songs. They hoped to sell them to a big record company. MGM Records decided to sign her. They liked one song, "Freddy," because it was the name of a company executive's son.

"Freddy" was Connie's first single, but it did not become a hit. Her next eight songs also did not do well. Despite this, Connie was hired to sing for movies. She sang for Tuesday Weld in the 1956 movie Rock, Rock, Rock. She also sang for Freda Holloway in the 1957 movie Jamboree.

In late 1957, Connie had her first small success. She recorded a duet with Marvin Rainwater called "The Majesty of Love." This song reached number 93 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It eventually sold over one million copies.

Breakthrough Success with "Who's Sorry Now?"

Billboard ad for Connie Francis, 1958

Even with this small hit, MGM Records told Connie her contract would not be renewed. She was thinking about going to college to study medicine. For what was supposed to be her last recording session, her father insisted she record an old song. It was called "Who's Sorry Now?" Connie did not like the song and argued with her father.

She recorded the song on October 2, 1957. At first, the song didn't seem to get noticed. But on January 1, 1958, it was played on Dick Clark's American Bandstand. Connie watched the show and was surprised to hear her song.

"Who's Sorry Now?" became a huge hit. By mid-1958, over a million copies had been sold. In April 1958, it reached number 1 in the UK and number 4 in the US. Connie Francis became a worldwide star. For the next four years, American Bandstand viewers voted her the "Best Female Vocalist."

After this success, MGM Records renewed her contract. Connie looked for her next hit song. She met songwriters Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield. They played some ballads for her, but Connie thought they were too serious for young people. She asked for a more upbeat song. They then played "Stupid Cupid," which they had just written. Connie loved it and said it would be her next hit. It reached number 14 in the US and was her second number 1 in the UK.

Connie continued to have many hits. She covered older songs like "My Happiness" (number 2) and "Among My Souvenirs" (number 7). She also had original songs. In 1959, she had two gold records for a double-sided hit: "Lipstick on Your Collar" (number 5) and "Frankie" (number 9).

Connie Francis: An International Star

Singing in Many Languages

Connie Francis on the cover of Cash Box, 1959

In 1959, Connie's father had another idea. He suggested she record an album of Italian songs. She went to London to record Connie Francis Sings Italian Favorites. This album was a huge success. It stayed on the album charts for 81 weeks and reached number 4. It is still her most successful album. The song "Mama" from the album reached number 8 in the US and number 2 in the UK.

Because of this success, Connie recorded seven more "favorites" albums. These included songs in Jewish, German, and Irish styles. These albums helped her move from rock 'n' roll to adult contemporary music. Her father believed this was important for a long career.

Connie still recorded singles for young people. Some of her top-ten hits were "Breakin' in a Brand New Broken Heart" (1961), "When the Boy in Your Arms (Is the Boy in Your Heart)" (1961), and "Second Hand Love" (1962). Her song "Where the Boys Are" (1961) reached number 4. It became her signature song and the theme for her first movie of the same name. The movie also helped make Fort Lauderdale a popular place for spring break.

Connie Francis was one of the first American artists to record songs in many languages. She recorded in 15 different languages over the years. She learned many of these songs by listening and repeating the sounds. She was fluent in Spanish and Italian. She always had a translator to help with other languages.

Her German song "Die Liebe ist ein seltsames Spiel" (which was "Everybody's Somebody's Fool" in German) became number 1 in West Germany. She had two more number one hits there. Connie became very popular outside the United States. She was voted the number 1 singer in over 10 countries. In 1960, she was named the most popular artist in Europe.

Later Career and Challenges

Billboard ad for Connie Francis's song "Vacation", 1962

In the US, Connie had another number one hit in 1962 with "Don't Break the Heart That Loves You". MGM Records gave her freedom to choose her songs. In 1963, her first book, For Every Young Heart, was published. She also performed for Queen Elizabeth II in Scotland. During the Vietnam War in 1967, Connie performed for US troops.

After 1963, new music styles like the British Invasion became popular. Connie's songs were not as high on the Hot 100 chart. Her last top-ten hit was "Vacation" in 1962. However, her songs still did well on the Adult Contemporary (AC) Charts and sometimes on the Country Charts. She remained a popular concert performer until her contract with MGM ended in 1969.

Connie Francis around 1970

In 1973, Connie recorded new songs. One was "(Should I) Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree?". She started performing regularly again. In 1977, she had surgery on her nose and lost her voice for four years.

In 1978, Connie returned to the studio. She recorded an album called Who's Happy Now?. She also recorded songs from this album in Italian, Spanish, Japanese, and German. In 1981, she recorded "I'm Me Again," which became the title of a new album.

In 1981, Connie faced another sad event when her brother passed away. Despite this, she started performing live again. She also appeared on the American Bandstand 30th Anniversary Special. Her career was put on hold again when she was diagnosed with manic depression.

In 1984, Connie wrote her autobiography, Who's Sorry Now?. It became a New York Times bestseller.

Later Career and Comeback

In 1989, Connie Francis started recording and performing again. She recorded a double album called Where the Hits Are. It had new versions of her biggest hits and some classic songs she always wanted to sing.

In 1992, a mix of her German hits became popular in Germany. A single called "Jive, Connie" was one of the top-ten best-selling singles that year. She won an award for "Best Comeback of the Year." She also recorded two duets with German singer Peter Kraus.

In 1996, Connie released a live album called The Return Concert: Live at Trump's Castle. She also released With Love to Buddy, an album of songs by Buddy Holly.

In December 2004, Connie performed in Las Vegas for the first time since 1989. She performed in San Francisco in 2007 and in Manila, Philippines, in 2008. In 2010, she performed with Dionne Warwick in Las Vegas.

In December 2017, Connie released her most recent autobiography, Among My Souvenirs.

Connie Francis's Work

Musical Styles

Connie Francis sang in many different musical styles. Her singles often featured popular sounds of the time. These included rock 'n' roll, novelty songs, the twist, and the girl group sound.

Her albums showed even more variety. She sang R&B, vocal jazz, and country songs. She also sang Broadway standards, children's music, waltzes, and spiritual music. She performed traditional songs from different cultures and songs by famous songwriters.

Discography

Filmography (Movies)

Filmography (Television)

Connie Francis's Personal Life

Marriages and Family

Connie Francis was married four times. Her first marriage in 1964 was to Dick Kanellis. In 1971, she married Izzy Marion. In 1973, she married Joseph Garzilli, and this marriage lasted several years. During this time, Connie adopted a baby boy named Joey. Her fourth marriage was to Bob Parkinson in 1985.

Relationship with Bobby Darin

Early in her career, Connie met singer and songwriter Bobby Darin. They started a romantic relationship. However, Connie's strict father did not approve. He even chased Bobby Darin away with a gun when he heard they planned to elope.

Connie only saw Bobby Darin two more times after that. Once was for a TV show they were both on. The other time was when she was featured on the TV series This Is Your Life. By then, Bobby Darin had married actress Sandra Dee. Connie later wrote that not marrying Bobby Darin was the biggest mistake of her life.

Biopic Film Project

Connie Francis and singer Gloria Estefan worked on a movie script about Connie's life. The movie was going to be called Who's Sorry Now?. Gloria Estefan planned to produce the film and play Connie. However, in December 2009, the movie project was stopped.

Connie also mentioned that Dolly Parton had been interested in making a movie about her life story. Both Connie and Dolly thought actress Valerie Bertinelli would be a good choice to play Connie.

Politics and Activism

Connie Francis has been involved in public service. In the 1980s, President Ronald Reagan asked her to lead a task force on violent crime. She has also been a spokesperson for Mental Health America's trauma campaign. She has worked with organizations like the USO and UNICEF.

In a 2011 interview, Connie Francis said she considers herself a "die-hard liberal".

Recognition and Awards

In 2001, Connie Francis's song "Who's Sorry Now?" was named one of the Songs of the Century.

There is a street sign called "Connie Francis Way" in Belleville, New Jersey. It is near the house where she grew up.

Images for kids

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  Francis in 1961

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  Billboard ad for Connie Francis, 1958

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  Connie Francis on the cover of Cash Box, 1959

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  Billboard ad for Connie Francis's song "Vacation", 1962

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  Connie Francis around 1970

See also

In Spanish: Connie Francis para niños