Sook-ja Kim

Sook-ja "Sue" Kim (born c. 1941)^[1] is a Korean-born U.S. singer.^[2][3] She started singing with her sisters in a group called The Kim Sisters at the age of 10 and played 13 different instruments. In 1950, the Korean War broke out and Sue Kim's father, Kim Hae-song, who was a famous Korean symphony orchestra conductor was captured by the North Korean army and later assassinated. Her mother, Lee Nan-young, was left with no home, no food and no money for her and her seven children. Lee was a famous Korean singer who rose to stardom with the song "Mokpo Tears." In 1953, Lee asked the children to perform with her in South Korea's military clubs to support their family. The GIs donated rock and roll records for the sisters to memorize and sing, and in turn the sisters received chocolate bars and alcohol, which they exchanged for food. The GIs that returned to the States spread the word about the talented trio and in 1958, Tom Ball (who later became The Kim Sisters’ manager) heard about the sisters from one of the returning GIs and went to Korea to recruit them for an Asian act that he was producing.

In 1959, Ed Sullivan was broadcasting his variety show live from the Stardust Hotel in Las Vegas. There he met the Kim Sisters and asked them to appear on his show and they were such a big hit that they invited their mother and the Kim Brothers to sing on his show in New York. Afterwards, Sullivan offered them an exclusive contract to make 22 appearances on his show.

The Kim Sisters made their home in Las Vegas where they were accepted by the Las Vegas audience and all the local media, which led them to a 15-year engagement at the Stardust hotel, followed by 5 years at the L.V. Hilton Hotel and then 15 years at the Holiday Casino where they performed with their brothers.

When the Kim Sisters were not performing in Las Vegas, they traveled all around the world and appeared on all the major television shows: The Dean Martin Show, The Dinah Shore Show, The Hollywood Palace, The Steve Allen Show, The Joey Bishop Show, and The Merv Griffin Show. While appearing in Las Vegas they co-starred with Maurice Chevalier, Louis Armstrong, George Burns, Jack Benny, Don Rickles, Helen Reddy, Phyllis Diller, Tony Martin, Phil Harris, Don Adams, Bob Newhart, Dick Shawn, Ames Brothers, Victor Borge, George Kirby, Jayne Mansfield, Diana Dors, and Martin Denny.

Las Vegas was so good to them that they decided to become United States citizens. They appeared on many local charity shows such as the Jerry Lewis Telethon, the Shade tree Shelter Fundraiser, St. Viator Fundraiser, St. Jude, and many other charities around the United States and all over South Korea. Sue Kim was the president of the Korean American Women’s Association (a non-profit organization), and was given the Asian Community Achievement Award from the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce for her work.

Sue Kim currently resides in Las Vegas with her Husband of 45 years, John Bonifazio, her son and his wife, Anthony and Marianne, and her daughter Marisa, along with her five grandchildren.

Most recently, on March 27, 2014, Sue Kim became the first Korean American to be inducted into the Nevada Entertainer/Artist Hall of Fame.^[4]

References

1. ↑ Benjamin M. Han (June 16, 2014). "Before K-pop Hit U.S. Shores, The Kim Sisters Were An American Musical Sensation". KoreAm. Retrieved May 15, 2016. 
2. ↑ Myoung-ja Lee Kwon. "An Interview with Sook-ja Kim An Oral History Conducted by Myoung-ja Lee Kwon" (PDF). University of Nevada Las Vegas. Retrieved January 4, 2015. 
3. ↑ Gerdes, Sarah (August 19, 2011). "Sue Kim: the greatest American story never told". Northwest Asian Weekly. Retrieved January 4, 2015. 
4. ↑ Przybys, John (March 26, 2014). "UNLV Entertainer/Artist Hall of Fame honors five who made local stages shine". Las Vegas Review Journal. Retrieved January 4, 2015.