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But it must be Vikki Carr (July 19, 1941)!

She was Barbra Streisand Lite; a less quirky Lana Cantrell. Blessed with amazing pipes and photogenic looks, Vikki rose to fame as the featured singer on The Ray Anthony Show, and released a number of semi-successful singles and albums in the early-to-mid 1960's, including the terrible, whiter-than-white original version of "He's a Rebel."

Her early material ran the gamut from unsuitable teen-pop to show tunes to eardrum-crashing balladry; our personal favorite album is the delicious Anatomy of Love, the title of which we suspect was a variation on the then-current sex comedy, The Art of Love, starring Dick Van Dyke, James Garner, Angie Dickinson, Elke Sommer and Ethel Merman. Which is about as close to a dream cast for us as you can get.



Carr found her true calling, however, in the cheesy-listening department, scoring a surprise smash hit in 1967 with the tearful telephone drama, "It Must Be Him."



Other tearjerking tunes followed, including "The Lesson," "There I Go" and "Six Weeks Every Summer," all delivered in Carr's by-now-signature overwrought (yet painfully sincere) sobbing style. Need we mention that we love them all?

The early 1970's found Carr having success turning R&B numbers like "Spanish Harlem" and "Neither One of Us" into Adult Contemporary hits; if you've ever wondered how Aretha or Gladys would sound if they were playing Lake Tahoe with feathered blonde locks and a slacksuit, wonder no more.



Vikki also began exploring her Mexcian-American roots, recording extensively in the Spanish language, and earning Grammy Awards in the Latin categories. She continues to perform in concert, and also as a stage actress, recently winning acclaim for a Los Angeles production of Stephen Sondheim's Follies. But, of course, we will always love and remember her for her delightfully daffy musical melodramas of the 1960's. With pen in hand, we say, Happy Birthday, Vikki Carr!