Sue Thompson

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Sue Thompson
Sue Thompson sheet music for the song "Norman". The song is one of her biggest hits and one of her signature song.
Background information
Birth name	Eva Sue McKee
Born	July 19, 1926
Origin	Nevada, Missouri
Genre(s)	Pop, Country
Occupation(s)	Singer
Years active	1960– Present
Label(s)	Hickory Records, Mercury Records
Associated acts	Lesley Gore, Skeeter Davis
Website	Sue Thompson Unofficial Site

Sue Thompson (born Eva Sue McKee July 19, 1926 in Nevada, Missouri) is a American Pop and Country music singer. She is best known for the hits "Sad Movies (Make Me Cry)" and "Norman", both hits for her in the 1960s. The songs were both hits on the Pop charts. She was also known for her breathy voice.

[edit] Early Life

Susan Thompson was best known for her lighthearted Pop singles of the 1960s. These singles made her very successful in the main half.

She was born as Eva Sue McKee in 1926 in Missouri. At the age of seven, she was already singing and playing the guitar on stage. ^[1] When she and her family moved out west to San Jose, she appeared on the Hometown Hayride TV program. During World War 2, she worked at a defense plant and married when she was 20, and had a daughter. Her marriage however, wasn't as successful as planned and she and her husband split up after three years. To keep supporting herself after her divorce, she returned to the nightclub scene in California. In San Jose, Thompson, entered a talent show contest and won. This caught the attention of bandleader and radio/TV host Dude Martin. Martin invited Thompson to sing with his band. This eventually led to marriage between Thompson and Martin. Being both Thompson and Martin were both musically-inclined, they recorded some duets together, like "If You Want Some Lovin'". This was able to help her get her very own solo contract from Mercury Records not too long afterwards.

[edit] Recording Career

Within only a year, Sue had divorced Dude Martin to marry Hank Penny, a comedian and singer. Penny and Thompson hosted a TV show in Los Angles together before eventually moving to Las Vegas. Thompson recorded separately and also with her husband for Decca Records. However, none of their songs ever gained any real success. In 1960, Thompson signed on with Hickory Records. She recorded her first singles, like "Sad Movies (Make Me Cry)". By 1961, "Sad Movies (Make Me Cry)" became a a Top Five hit on the Pop charts, making Thompson a household name in music. Thompson followed the hit up successfully with the song "Norman", which was another Top Five Pop hit. Both of these hit singles were written by songwriter John D. Loudermilk. Other songs that were hits for Thomposn were written by Loudermilk, like "Paper Tiger". Another song "James (Hold the Ladder Steady)", was also written by Loudermilk and brough her another hit.

In 1962, "Have a Good Time" was a minor hit for Thompson. After that though, she never really had anymore success on the Pop charts. Because of Thompson's lighthearted and breathy voice, Thompson became a favorite among the teenage crowd of time, even though she was towards 40-years-old.

[edit] Later Career

Even though Thompson never had anymore big success on the charts, she continued to record throughout the 60s. The songs that she recorded, like "Never Naughty Rosie" were at the high end of the Pop charts, past the Top 50. In 1972 she worked with Country music singer Don Gibson on some albums. Some of the songs these two recorded, became resepctable hits, like "I Think They Call It Love" and "Oh, How Love Changes". She recorded further solo singles for the Country charts, like "Never Naughty Rosie", but once again, never really gained much success. She also performed mainly at the Las Vegas casinoes and at club's in Hollywood, like the Palomino Club. In the 1990s she settled in Las Vegas, and still continues to perform from time to time.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Singles

[edit] External Links

• Sue Thompson Discography at All Music Guide
• Sue Thompson Unofficial Site