A really perfect sentiment for these demented times.
The extremely talented, prolific & versatile Jackie DeShannon was one of the first successful female singer/songwriters on the music scene back in the 1960s. DeShannon has done music in such diverse genres as folk, orchestral pop, gospel, country and rock'n'roll. Born Sharon Lee Myers on this day in 1944 in Kentucky to show business parents. At age 6, DeShannon was singing country music on the radio &, at 11, she was hosting her own radio show. The British rock group- The Searchers, scored big hits with their covers of DeShannon's Needles & Pins & When You Walk in the Room. Jackie performed with The Beatles during their 1st US tour. In the fall of 1964, DeShannon went to London, England & recorded songs with Jimmy Page which included the rousing Don't Turn Your Back on Me. DeShannon wrote the hit song Come & Stay With Me for Marianne Faithfull.
Ironically she scored her 1st major breakthrough hit with a song written by someone else- What the World Needs Now Is Love, written by Burt Bacharach & Hal David. Jackie had another substantial success with Put A Little Love in Your Heart, (check out the Annie Lennox & Al Green duet version). Kim Carnes scored a massive #1 hit with Bette Davis Eyes, which Jackie co-wrote with Donna Weiss. After the song Bette Davis Eyes became a hit single, Bette Davis wrote letters to singer Kim Carnes, Donna Weiss & DeShannon & asked how did they know so much about her. One of the reasons Davis loved the Grammy winning song is that her granddaughter heard it & thought her grandmother was "cool" for having a hit song written about her. DeShannon was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame on June 17, 2010. Love her!
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