ABSTRACT
American popular singer, born Concetta Franconero in Newark, New Jersey. At age 11 she appeared on the Arthur Godfrey television show, and in high school she sang in cocktail lounges. In 1955 Francis began to record for the MGM label, and in 1958 she had five chart singles beginning with “Who’s Sorry Now?” (MGM 12588). She had 58 chart songs by the end of the 1960s, when her ballad style went out of favor. “Where the Boys Are,” the little song from one of her films, was one of her most successful discs (MGM 12971; 1961). She also had 19 chart albums, notably Italian Favorites (MGM E 3791; 1959), and Never on Sunday (MGM E 3965; 1961). Bear Family has reissued comprehensive boxed sets of Francis’s recordings, which are also available on various compilations.
