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Little Eva: A truely remarkable singer: Best know for the song "The Loco-Motion": A fine piece for a nostalgic collector
Reprint of the photo I had signed in November of 2002 by Little Eva herself, only 5 months before she had passed away from cervical cancer:
We were both in a music store I will call (MM), some of you might know of this place and area located between 9 and 10 mile on the upper-east side of Detroit, Michigan; because in the motor city all the musicians (both new and old) knew of this store and were there at one time or the other!
I have no proof of this exactually happening, but it did and now that she gone, I will truely miss her! For not only be a special singer, but for being such a grand lady and it was an honor, no a privilege to meet her!
Eva Narcissus Boyd (June 29, 1943 – April 10, 2003), known by the stagename of Little Eva (after a character from Uncle Tom's Cabin) who was and American singer.
Biography
Born in Belhaven, North Carolina, she moved to the Brighton Beach section of Brooklyn, New York at a young age. As a teenager, she worked as a maid and earned extra money as a babysitter for songwriters Carole King and Gerry Goffin. Amused by Boyd's individual dancing style, they wrote "The Loco-Motion" for her and had her record it as a demo (the record was intended for Dee Dee Sharp).
Music producer Don Kirshner was impressed by the song and Boyd's voice and had it released just the way it was.
The song became an instant smash, reaching #1 in the United States in 1962. The two songwriters also wrote the song "He Hit Me (It Felt Like A Kiss)", performed by The Crystals, after Boyd revealed that her boyfriend regularly beat her. When asked why she put up with it, she replied that it showed that he loved her.
After the success of "The Loco-Motion", Boyd was stereotyped as a dance-craze singer and was given limited material.
Boyd's other hits are "Keep Your Hands Off My Baby", "Some Kinda Wonderful", "Let's Turkey Trot" and a remake of the Bing Crosby standard "Swinging On A Star," recorded with Big Dee Irwin (though Boyd was not credited on the label).
She continued to tour and record throughout the sixties, but her commercial potential plummeted after 1964. She retired from the music business in 1971. Interviewed between 1987 and 1988 after the success of the Kylie Minogue cover version of "The Loco-Motion", Boyd stated that she did not like the new version; however its then-current popularity allowed her to make a comeback in show business.
She returned to live performing with other artists of her era on the cabaret and oldies circuits. She also occasionally recorded new songs and
continued performing until she was diagnosed with cervical cancer in October of 2001. She died two years later at age 59 and is buried in Belhaven, North Carolina.
Shipped First Class Mail / 2 to 3 days with paypal / 5 to 7 days with money order, cashier's check"
So bid now before someone else gets this rare photo; and then check out my other photos and items, you just might be surprised by what you see!
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