Suzette Charles

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Suzette Charles (born March 2, 1963) is an American singer and entertainer. She was born Suzette DeGaetano.

She represented New Jersey in the 1984 Miss America competition. She won the preliminary talent competition but finished first runner-up to Vanessa Lynn Williams. When Williams was asked to resign her crown after nude photographs of her came to light, Charles was declared to be the second Miss America for 1984, making her the second African American Miss America after Williams, although her reign lasted just 54 days.

Charles, who already had many credits in advertising and educational television, has gone on to a career as a singer, entertainer, and television personality. She has acted on the American television program "Frank's Place" and performed on "This Morning", a British television show. She narrated the motion picture "Beyond The Dream", and has appeared in theatres with talents such as Stevie Wonder, Alan King, Joel Grey, Lou Rawls, and others.

Her musical recordings include the hit single "Free To Love Again" as well as "After You're Gone", "Don't Stop All (The Love You Can Give)", "Every Time We Touch", "Just For A Minute" (all written and produced by Mike Stock and Pete Waterman), and others, as a solo artist and with The Suzette Charles Band. Her producers have included Pete Waterman (who called her "the greatest voice I have ever heard") and Michael Raye.

Her father, Charles DeGaetano, is of Italian descent [1]; her mother, Suzette Adams, is African-American, and was the elementary school music teacher in the Buena Regional School District, Buena, New Jersey.

Preceded by: Vanessa Williams

Miss America 1984

Succeeded by: Sharlene Wells

Persondata
NAME	Charles, Suzette
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Singer, Miss America
DATE OF BIRTH	March 2, 1963
PLACE OF BIRTH
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH