Kathy Young
Encyclopedia
Kathy Young is an American teen pop
singer during early 1960s, whose rendition, at age 15, of "A Thousand Stars", rose to No. 3 on Billboard Hot 100
.
A native of Southern California
, Kathy Young was born in the Orange County
seat, Santa Ana
, and rose to stardom in 1960 when Jim Lee, a producer at Indigo Records who, two years earlier, organized the Sun Valley-based band, The Innocents
, and arranged their appearance on Wink Martindale
's pop music TV show, asked them to sing backup vocals for her on the cover version
of the song which had been issued without commercial success in 1954 for The Rivileers, "A Thousand Stars". In December, two months after her 15th birthday, Kathy Young and The Innocents peaked at No. 6 on the Black Singles
chart
, and at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Young's follow-up was "Happy Birthday Blues", which hit No. 30 on the Hot 100 in 1961. Subsequent singles, such as "Magic Is the Night" and "The Great Pretender
", missed the Top 40.
In July 1961, Kathy Young joined top performers Brenda Lee
, The Shirelles
, Bobby Vee
, Etta James
, Gene McDaniels
, The Ventures
, Clarence "Frogman" Henry, The Fleetwoods
, The Innocents and Jerry Lee Lewis
on DJ Alan Freed
's highly-publicized new American road show.
In 1962 she followed Brenda Lee to Monogram Records, recording solo and with Chicano rock
singer Chris Montez
. Still a teenager, she saw her promising career slowing to a standstill and, in 1964, traveled to London where she married American singer-songwriter John Maus, whose stage name was John Walker
. The marriage to Maus, remembered as the founder of The Walker Brothers
, a pop group most successful in the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom, lasted from 1965 to 1968.
Returning to the U.S. in 1969, she remarried two years later and over the next twenty years raised children and helped manage the family citrus ranch in Central California
. After a move back to Los Angeles in 1994, she began working for a major international company, while also coming home to her original passion, music and, in the 2000s, performing on numerous rock shows at venues such as the Greek Theatre
in Los Angeles and New Jersey
's Izod Center at the Meadowlands Sports Complex
.
Teen pop
Teen pop is a subgenre of pop music that is created, marketed and oriented towards teenagers. Teen pop copies genres and styles such as pop, dance, R&B, hip hop, country and rock....
singer during early 1960s, whose rendition, at age 15, of "A Thousand Stars", rose to No. 3 on Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
.
A native of Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
, Kathy Young was born in the Orange County
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
seat, Santa Ana
Santa Ana, California
Santa Ana is the county seat and second most populous city in Orange County, California, and with a population of 324,528 at the 2010 census, Santa Ana is the 57th-most populous city in the United States....
, and rose to stardom in 1960 when Jim Lee, a producer at Indigo Records who, two years earlier, organized the Sun Valley-based band, The Innocents
The Innocents (US band)
The Innocents were an American pop group from Sun Valley, California. The trio existed primarily between 1958 and 1964, although they did reform in the 1990s.-Career:The three members were all members of a car club called The Innocents, hence the name...
, and arranged their appearance on Wink Martindale
Wink Martindale
Winston Conrad Martindale , known professionally as Wink Martindale, is an American disc jockey and television game show host.-Radio:...
's pop music TV show, asked them to sing backup vocals for her on the cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of the song which had been issued without commercial success in 1954 for The Rivileers, "A Thousand Stars". In December, two months after her 15th birthday, Kathy Young and The Innocents peaked at No. 6 on the Black Singles
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
, and at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Young's follow-up was "Happy Birthday Blues", which hit No. 30 on the Hot 100 in 1961. Subsequent singles, such as "Magic Is the Night" and "The Great Pretender
The Great Pretender
"The Great Pretender" is a popular song recorded by The Platters, with Tony Williams on lead vocals, and released as a single on November 3, 1955. The words and music were created by Buck Ram, the Platters' manager and producer who was a successful songwriter before moving into producing and...
", missed the Top 40.
In July 1961, Kathy Young joined top performers Brenda Lee
Brenda Lee
Brenda Mae Tarpley , known as Brenda Lee, is an American performer who sang rockabilly, pop and country music, and had 37 US chart hits during the 1960s, a number surpassed only by Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Ray Charles and Connie Francis...
, The Shirelles
The Shirelles
The Shirelles were an African-American girl group that achieved popularity in the early 1960s. They consisted of schoolmates Shirley Owens , Doris Coley , Addie "Micki" Harris , and Beverly Lee...
, Bobby Vee
Bobby Vee
Robert Thomas Velline , known as Bobby Vee, is an American pop music singer. According to Billboard magazine, Vee has had 38 Hot 100 chart hits, 10 of which hit the Top 20.-Career:...
, Etta James
Etta James
Etta James is an American blues, soul, rhythm and blues , rock and roll, gospel and jazz singer. In the 1950s and 1960s, she had her biggest success as a blues and R&B singer...
, Gene McDaniels
Gene McDaniels
Gene McDaniels was an American singer and songwriter, who had his greatest recording success in the early 1960s.-Biography:...
, The Ventures
The Ventures
The Ventures is an American instrumental rock band formed in 1958 in Tacoma, Washington. Founded by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle, the group in its various incarnations has had an enduring impact on the development of music worldwide. With over 100 million records sold, the group is the best-selling...
, Clarence "Frogman" Henry, The Fleetwoods
The Fleetwoods
The Fleetwoods were a singing trio from Olympia, Washington, United States; formed in the late 1950s. They were responsible for eleven hit songs, beginning with "Come Softly to Me"...
, The Innocents and Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer-songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis's career faltered after he married his young cousin, and he afterwards made a career extension to country and western music. He is known by the nickname 'The...
on DJ Alan Freed
Alan Freed
Albert James "Alan" Freed , also known as Moondog, was an American disc-jockey. He became internationally known for promoting the mix of blues, country and rhythm and blues music on the radio in the United States and Europe under the name of rock and roll...
's highly-publicized new American road show.
In 1962 she followed Brenda Lee to Monogram Records, recording solo and with Chicano rock
Chicano rock
Chicano rock is rock music performed by Mexican American groups or music with themes derived from Chicano culture. Chicano Rock, to a great extent, does not refer to any single style or approach. Some of these groups do not sing in Spanish at all, or use many specifically Latin instruments or sounds...
singer Chris Montez
Chris Montez
Chris Montez , is an American singer.-Early life:Montez grew up in Hawthorne, California, influenced by the Latino-flavored music of his community and the success of Ritchie Valens....
. Still a teenager, she saw her promising career slowing to a standstill and, in 1964, traveled to London where she married American singer-songwriter John Maus, whose stage name was John Walker
John Walker (musician)
John Joseph Maus , known professionally as John Walker, was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist, best known as the founder of The Walker Brothers, who had their greatest success in the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom.-Early life and career:John Maus was born in New York City, the...
. The marriage to Maus, remembered as the founder of The Walker Brothers
The Walker Brothers
The Walker Brothers were an American 1960s and 1970s pop group, comprising Scott Engel , John Walker , and Gary Leeds...
, a pop group most successful in the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom, lasted from 1965 to 1968.
Returning to the U.S. in 1969, she remarried two years later and over the next twenty years raised children and helped manage the family citrus ranch in Central California
Central California
Central California, sometimes referenced as Mid-State, is an area of California south of the San Francisco Bay Area and north of Southern California...
. After a move back to Los Angeles in 1994, she began working for a major international company, while also coming home to her original passion, music and, in the 2000s, performing on numerous rock shows at venues such as the Greek Theatre
Greek Theatre (Los Angeles)
The Greek Theatre is a 5,700-seat amphitheater, located at Griffith Park, in Los Angeles, California. It was built in 1929, opening on September 29 of that year...
in Los Angeles and New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
's Izod Center at the Meadowlands Sports Complex
Meadowlands Sports Complex
The MetLife Sports Complex is a sports and entertainment facility located in East Rutherford, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, owned and operated by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority...
.