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| Gogi Grant, one of the premier singers of the 50's and 60's, was born in Philadelphia, Sptember 20, 1924. She moved to Los Angeles, California with her parents and three siblings in 1936, where her youngest brother and sister were born.
Gogi began her singing career in 1952 as Audrey Brown, renamed Gogi Grant by RCA-Victor executive Dave Kapp when she was signed to that label. Her efforts for RCA failed to chart, but she continued to perfom in night clubs and hotels throughout the country until 1955 when she signed with an independent record company called Era. Her first release for Era Records was "Suddenly There's A Valley," rising to number nine on the charts. "The Wayward Wind" was recorded in the last fifteen minutes of her next studio session and in June, 1956, it replaced Elvis Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel" in the number one until July 28, when Presley's "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" took the spot. The All Music Book of Hit Singles ranks "The Wayward Wind" number 36 in the United states amongst thousands of recordings over a period of fifty years. In 1956 Warner Bros. musical director Ray Heindorf and movie director Michael Curtiz selected Gogi to be the singing voice of Helen Morgan in the studio's biopic of the legendary singer, starring Ann Blyth and Paul Newman. The soundtrack of "The Helen Morgan Story" led Gogi back to RCA Victor, who released the album to much acclaim. Between 1956 and 1970 Grant made some fifteen albums. Until her retirement in 1967, she appeared steadily in night clubs, hotels, and concert halls, and scored of T.V. shows, including three guest solos on the Academy Awards presentations. Following a twenty year absence, Gogi Grant returned to the music field to these reviews: "Clearly a singer whose velvety tones were not diminished by her extended layoff."
Los Angels continues to be home to Gogi Grant, who enjoys cooking and tennis, and precious time with her two children, family and friends. |
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