Kitty Kallen | |
|---|---|
 Kallen in 1947 | |
| Born | Katie Kallen May 25, 1921 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | January 7, 2016 (aged 94) Cuernavaca, Mexico |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | Jonathan Granoff |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 1930s–1965 |
| Labels |
|
Kitty Kallen (born Katie Kallen; May 25, 1921 – January 7, 2016) was an American singer whose career spanned from the 1930s to the 1960s, to include the Swing era of the Big Band years, the post-World War II pop scene and the early years of rock 'n roll. Kallen performed with popular big band leaders of the 1940s, including Jimmy Dorsey and Harry James,[1] before establishing a solo career.
She is widely known for her 1954 solo recording '"Little Things Mean a Lot", a song that stayed at the U.S. Billboard number one spot for nine consecutive weeks and took top honor as 1954's #1 song of the year, charted in the U.S. for almost seven months, hit No. 1 on the UK singles chart, and sold more than two million copies.[2] Voted "most popular female singer" in 1954 in both Billboard and Variety polls,[3] Kallen lost her voice at the London Palladium in 1955 at the top of her career[4][3][5] and stopped singing before an audience for four years.[4] After testing her voice under a pseudonym in small town venues, she ultimately returned and went on to achieve 13 top-ten career hits.
- ^ Bernstein, Adam (January 7, 2016). "Kitty Kallen, silken-voiced pop singer of 'Little Things Mean a Lot,' dies at 94". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
- ^ Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 69. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
contestwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
allmusicwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Jefferson City Daily Capital News". January 26, 1963. suffering paralyzed vocal cords