Singer. She was best known for her hit song "Why Don't You Believe Me?," which hit number one on the music charts in late 1952 and stayed on top for weeks. When she was young, she studied ballet and was set to be a dancer in the Broadway play "Bloomer Girl," when an emergency appendectomy squashed her plans. She later started singing at various places around Chicago and Indiana After performing a song on WGN in Chicago, she was signed to a contract with MGM Records. One of her first singles, "Why Don't You Believe Me?," went all the way to number one on the Billboard charts and stayed there for the last part of 1952. She went on to record such hit singles as "Your Cheatin' Heart," "How Important Can It Be?," "Have You Heard?," "You Are My Love," "My Love, My Love," and "Almost Always." Nicknamed the "Queen of Hearts," she recorded more than 40 albums and sold more than 100 million records during her career. In May of 1959, she became the first pop singer to have a solo concert at New York's Carnegie Hall, where she was backed by a 100-piece orchestra and 30 other voices. She also headlined the Paramount Theatre in New York and sang on programs including "The Ed Sullivan Show," "American Bandstand," "The Jimmy Dean Show," and "Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall." She later put her career on hold to care for her ailing husband Tony Acquaviva for more than two decades and after his passing in 1986, went back to touring.
Singer. She was best known for her hit song "Why Don't You Believe Me?," which hit number one on the music charts in late 1952 and stayed on top for weeks. When she was young, she studied ballet and was set to be a dancer in the Broadway play "Bloomer Girl," when an emergency appendectomy squashed her plans. She later started singing at various places around Chicago and Indiana After performing a song on WGN in Chicago, she was signed to a contract with MGM Records. One of her first singles, "Why Don't You Believe Me?," went all the way to number one on the Billboard charts and stayed there for the last part of 1952. She went on to record such hit singles as "Your Cheatin' Heart," "How Important Can It Be?," "Have You Heard?," "You Are My Love," "My Love, My Love," and "Almost Always." Nicknamed the "Queen of Hearts," she recorded more than 40 albums and sold more than 100 million records during her career. In May of 1959, she became the first pop singer to have a solo concert at New York's Carnegie Hall, where she was backed by a 100-piece orchestra and 30 other voices. She also headlined the Paramount Theatre in New York and sang on programs including "The Ed Sullivan Show," "American Bandstand," "The Jimmy Dean Show," and "Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall." She later put her career on hold to care for her ailing husband Tony Acquaviva for more than two decades and after his passing in 1986, went back to touring.
Bio by: Mr. Badger Hawkeye
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