Joanie Sommers

Joan Drost, known professionally as Joanie Sommers, was born on February 24, 1941, in Buffalo, New York. She began her singing career at a young age, winning an amateur talent contest at ten years old by performing "Your Cheating Heart" by Hank Williams. In 1955, her family moved to Los Angeles, where she continued to develop her vocal skills and won honors as a vocalist with her high school band. Sommers' breakthrough came when she was discovered singing with Tommy Oliver's band at the Deauville Country Club in Santa Monica. This led to her signing with Warner Bros. Records. Sommers released her debut single "One Boy" from the musical Bye Bye Birdie in 1960, which charted for three months on the Billboard Top 100. Her most recognized song, "Johnny Get Angry", reached number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1962. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Sommers appeared on various television shows as a singer and game show contestant, including The Jack Benny Program, Hollywood Squares, and Where the Action Is. She also starred in several films and television musicals, such as Everything's Ducky (1961) and On the Flip Side (1966). Sommers' voice work includes animated films like The Mouse on the Mayflower (1968) and B.C.: The First Thanksgiving (1973). She also sang jingles for Pepsi, earning her the nickname "The Pepsi Girl." In the early 1970s, Sommers withdrew from show business to focus on family life, returning in 2001 to appear on Abe Most’s album I Love You Much Too Much, performing the title track and "Bei Mir Bist du Schoen". Compilation albums include Sings Bossa Nova (2005), The Complete Warner Bros. Singles (2011), and Come Alive!: The Complete Columbia Recordings (2013).