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DeutschCarol Connors (singer)
Carol Connors | |
|---|---|
 Carol Connors performing live on November 17, 2007 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Annette Kleinbard |
| Born | November 13, 1941 New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States |
| Genres | Rock and roll, pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals |
| Years active | 1956–present |
| Labels | Dore Records |
Carol Connors (born Annette Kleinbard, November 13, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. She is perhaps best known as the lead vocalist on the Teddy Bears' single, "To Know Him Is To Love Him", which was written by her bandmate Phil Spector.
Biography[edit]
Early life[edit]
Connors was born Annette Kleinbard on November 13, 1941, in New Brunswick, New Jersey.[1] Her parents were Polish Jews.[1] She lost many relatives in the Holocaust.[1] She attended Fairfax High School in Los Angeles, California.[1]
Career[edit]
She was the lead singer of the pop vocal trio known as the Teddy Bears, which also included Phil Spector.[1] The Teddy Bears' only major hit, "To Know Him Is To Love Him", which Spector wrote specifically to showcase Connors' singing voice, reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in late 1958, also becoming the first woman to chart.[2] After their initial hit, the trio disbanded because of the failure of their follow-up singles, a car accident that injured Annette, and the fact that Spector preferred working behind the scenes to performing.[citation needed]
Some years later she legally changed her name to Carol Connors, because she did not want her first name to be associated with Mousketeer Annette Funicello. [citation needed] She co-wrote (with Ayn Robbins and Bill Conti) "Gonna Fly Now", the theme song from the film Rocky, which earned her an Academy Award nomination.[1] Carol Connors sang the theme to the film Orca, called "We Are One".
Other songwriting credits include the Rip Chords' 1964 hit "Hey Little Cobra", plus the 1980 Billy Preston/Syreeta Wright duet "With You I'm Born Again"; the 1994 title track "For All Mankind" on the debut album of Italian singer Guendalina Cariaggi, which was used as the theme song for a documentary produced by Pier Quinto and Lara Cariaggi, on the legends of soccer and the FIFA World Cup;[3] for "Madonna in the Mirror", the finale song on A&E's 15 Films About Madonna;[4] and three songs – "Condi, Condi", "I Think of You so Fondly", and "Chill, Condi, Chill" – for Courting Condi (2008).
Connors also wrote and performed songs for several films. The 1967 beach-party film Catalina Caper features her song "Book of Love" (not to be confused with the Monotones' song), co-written with Roger Christian, which she performed backed by the Cascades. She co-composed (with Ayn Robbins) three songs for the soundtrack of the 1977 Disney film, The Rescuers: "Tomorrow Is Another Day", "The Journey" and "Someone's Waiting for You". In 1983 Connors was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award, for the 'Worst Original Song' for "It's Wrong for Me to Love You", from Butterfly, which she co-composed with Ennio Morricone.
In 2011, she skydived and performed a concert to raise awareness for the Wounded Warrior Project.[5]
A Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars was dedicated to her in 1999.[6]
Personal life[edit]
Connors lives in Beverly Hills, California.[1]
She testified at the O. J. Simpson trial in 1995. She had seen Simpson at a charity event the night before his ex-wife's murder.
Discography[edit]
- "My Diary" 1961
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g Liami Lawrence, From Elvis to ‘Rocky’ – the charmed life of Carol Connors, The Jerusalem Post, March 24, 2014
- ^ Tobler, John (1992). NME Rock 'N' Roll Years (1st ed.). London: Reed International Books Ltd. p. 61. CN 5585.
- ^ Army Archerd (June 2, 1994). "'Affair' looks to duplicate O.J. drama". Variety. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
- ^ "15 Films About Madonna". IMDb.com. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
- ^ ""Rocky" Songwriter Raises Awareness For Wounded Warriors « CBS Miami". Miami.cbslocal.com. July 3, 2011. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
- ^ "Palm Springs Walk of Stars : Listed By Date Dedicated" (PDF). Palmspringswalkofstars.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 8, 2012. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
External links[edit]
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| National | |
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