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Betty Boo

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Betty Boo (stagename of Alison Moira Clarkson, born 6 March, 1970 in Kensington, London) is a British rap artist, singer and songwriter

Contents

[edit] Career

Clarkson studied sound engineering at college before having a string of hits between 1989 and 1992. Originally nicknamed "Betty Boop" for her similarity to the cartoon character, she changed it to avoid trademark disputes with Boop's owners. Of mixed Asian and European descent, she had an unusual, striking look and dressed in mildly provocative and revealing outfits.

A sampled version of her 1990 hit "Doin' The Do" was used as a title tune for the 1991 videogame Magic Pockets by the Bitmap Brothers.

Boo started off working with the group the She Rockers, before going solo. Her big break came with the 1989 number 7 UK smash, "Hey DJ - I Can't Dance (To That Music You're Playing)", with the Beatmasters. "Doin' The Do" followed and was another Top 10 single in 1990, also reaching number one on Billboard's dance chart in the USA. The song was banned on children's TV programmes for its alleged references to oral sex. Her debut album Boomania was hailed by many as a witty, contemporary pop masterpiece and sold very well. "Where Are You Baby?", Boo's biggest solo hit to date, reached number 3 in August of 1990. "24 Hours" (December 1990) was the last single from Boomania, and although it was a hit, it was less so than previous releases. An Australian tour was promptly cancelled when it became public that she was lip-syncing to tapes whilst performing, in 1991. This was scandalised and many cite it as the beginning of the end of her solo career.

Nevertheless, Boo still returned with a new record deal with (WEA) in 1992, and her follow up album, GRRR! It's Betty Boo. The album itself suffered very disappointing sales in the UK, reaching only number 62. It did, nevertheless spawn a hit single in the summer of 1992 - "Let Me Take You There". "I'm On My Way", which featured a musical quote from The Beatles' "Lady Madonna" was very well received by the media [citation needed]. It did not sell well though, and the next single, "Hangover" fared even worse, barely scraping the Top 50. "Thing Goin' On" failed to even reach the UK singles chart. In 1999 a Best Of compilation was released and sold moderately well.

After her solo career floundered, Boo turned to songwriting and had success co-writing the song "Pure and Simple" for Hear’Say, and has also written for Girls Aloud and The Tweenies.

As of 2006 she is in a new band called WigWam, with Alex James, bassist from Blur. However, their debut single release flopped.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

  • Boomania (1990)
  • GRRR! It's Betty Boo (1992)
  • Doin' the Do: the Best of Betty Boo (1998 - comprises tracks and remixes from Boomania only)

[edit] Singles

  • "Hey DJ/I Can't Dance (To That Music You're Playing)" (with the Beatmasters) (1989) UK #7
  • "Doin' the Do" (1990) UK #7
  • "Where Are You Baby" (1990) UK #3
  • "24 Hours" (1990) UK #25
  • "Let Me Take You There" (1992) UK #12
  • "I'm On My Way" (1992) UK #44
  • "Hangover" (1992) UK #50
  • "Catch Me" (1993)
  • "Thing Goin' On" (1993)
  • "Wigwam" (2006) as part of Wigwam with Alex James UK #60

[edit] Trivia

There was a previous female vocalist who recorded under the name of 'Betty Boo'; Boo 1 released 'Say It Isn't So', a recording which has become a popular Northern Soul track.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

[edit] External links

fr:Betty Boo

Retrieved from "http://en.wikivisual.com/index.php/Betty_Boo"
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