Rusty Warren
Encyclopedia
Early life
Warren was born Ilene Goldman in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and adopted six months later by a couple from Milton, Massachusetts
Milton, Massachusetts
Milton is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States and part of the Greater Boston area. The population was 27,003 at the 2010 census. Milton is the birthplace of former U.S. President George H. W. Bush and architect Buckminster Fuller. Milton also has the highest percentage of...
. She studied piano at the New England Conservatory of Music
New England Conservatory of Music
The New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, is the oldest independent school of music in the United States.The conservatory is home each year to 750 students pursuing undergraduate and graduate studies along with 1400 more in its Preparatory School as well as the School of...
and then taught there briefly after obtaining her degree. Her musical mentor at the time was Arthur Fiedler
Arthur Fiedler
Arthur Fiedler was a long-time conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra, a symphony orchestra that specializes in popular and light classical music. With a combination of musicianship and showmanship, he made the Boston Pops one of the best-known orchestras in the country...
, who later became the conductor of the Boston Pops.
Career
She recorded for Jubilee RecordsJubilee Records
Jubilee Records was a record label specializing in rhythm and blues along with novelty records. It was founded in New York City in 1946 by Herb Abramson. Jerry Blaine became Abramson's partner. Blaine bought out Abramson's half of the company in 1947. The company name was Jay-Gee Recording...
, then GNP Crescendo Records
GNP Crescendo Record Co.
GNP Crescendo Record Co. is an American record label based in Hollywood, California. Its catalog primarily consists of jazz records, as well as motion picture and television soundtracks and film scores, mostly in science fiction, fantasy and horror....
which reissued some of her earlier Jubilee albums.
Known as the Knockers Up Gal, she has frequently been called the mother of the sexual revolution. Her career began in the early 1950s in Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
. Later she moved her act to Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
. Her comedy routines exposed the subject of sex from a female perspective. Her most famous contribution to the sexual revolution was the song "Knockers Up" from the 1960 album of the same name. The women in the audience were encouraged to stand up and march through the room with "their knockers held high." This was followed by the song "Bounce Your Boobies
Bounce Your Boobies
"Bounce Your Boobies" is a song written and performed by comedian Rusty Warren. A significant song in the feminist era of the 1960s, it has enjoyed a resurgence in recent years, played every Friday on The Randi Rhodes Show at the beginning of the program...
" in which Warren encouraged women to relieve themselves of their bras.
Her material was considered very advanced for its day and considered extremely raunchy. Her albums were tucked away by many parents so their children could not listen to them. She was the first comedian to openly discuss sex at a time when sex was just not discussed publicly. She lost popularity as the sexual revolution of the late '60s started to take hold and the topic was no longer taboo.
Personal life
Warren, who lives in Honolulu, is very active in local charities. She vacations in Palm SpringsPalm Springs, California
Palm Springs is a desert city in Riverside County, California, within the Coachella Valley. It is located approximately 37 miles east of San Bernardino, 111 miles east of Los Angeles and 136 miles northeast of San Diego...
and Hollywood with friends and hosts her website. Warren recently produced a DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
that chronicles her life in show business. The DVD, Rusty Warren: Knockers Up! The Lady Behind the Laughs, was released by GNP Crescendo in 2008.
Albums
- Songs For Sinners – Jubilee JGM 2024 (1959)
- Knockers Up! – Jubilee JGM 2029 (1960)
- Sin-sational – Jubilee JGM 2034 (1961)
- Rusty Warren Bounces Back – Jubilee JGM 2039 (1961)
- In Orbit – Jubilee JGM 2044 (1962)
- Banned In Boston? – Jubilee JGM 2049 (1963)
- Sex-x-ponent – Jubilee JGM 2054 (1964)
- Rusty Sings A Portrait Of Life – Jubilee JGS 5025 (1964)
- More Knockers Up! – Jubilee JGM 2059 (1965)
- Rusty Rides Again – Jubilee JGM 2064 (1967)
- Bottoms Up! – Jubilee JGM 2069 (1969)
- Look What I Got For You – Jubilee JGS 2074 (1969)
- Lays It On the Line – GNP-Crescendo GNPS-2081 (1974)
- Knockers Up '76 – GNP-Crescendo GNPS-2088 (1976)
- Sexplosion – GNP-Crescendo GNPS-2114 (1977)
Reissued albums
- Knockers Up! / Songs For Sinners – GNP-Crescendo GNP 2-2079 1973 (reissue of Jubilee JGM 2029 and JGM 2024)
- Bounces Back / Sin-sational – GNP-Crescendo GNP 2-2080 1973 (reissue of Jubilee JGM 2039 and JGM 2034)
- Bottoms Up! – GNP-Crescendo GNPS-2103 (1976) (reissue of Jubilee JGM 2069)
Singles
- "Knockers Up" / "Basin Street" / "Bounce Your Boobies" / "Shimmy Like My Sister Kate" – Jubilee 45-2039 (1961)
- "Roll Me Over" / Do It Now / "Twist Blues" – Jubilee 45-2049 (1962)
- "I Like Everybody" / "Waltz Me Around Again Willie" / "Greenback Dollar" / "The Sexy Life" – Jubilee 45-2059 (1963)
- "The Pill Song" / "Surprise" / "Red River Sally" / "Steel Drivin' Man" – Jubilee 45-2069 (1964)