Jeri Lynne Fraser (born June 6, 1946) is an American

singer Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

and

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a Character (arts), character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek ...

. She is best known for her starring role in the 1962 film ''

Two Tickets to Paris ''Two Tickets to Paris'' is a 1962 film directed by Greg Garrison and starring Joey Dee and the Starliters. Plot An engaged couple, Joey and Piper, travel to Paris where Joey has a gig performing. Cast *Joey Dee as Joey Dee *Gary Crosby (actor), ...

'', directed by

Greg Garrison Marvin Ginsburg (February 20, 1924 – March 25, 2005), known professionally as Greg Garrison, was an American Television producer, producer and Television director, director in television. Career Garrison started his television career by accide ...

Early life

Born in

Manchester, Connecticut Manchester is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town had a total population of 59,713. The urban center of the town is the Manchester census-designated place, with a population of 36,379 at the 202 ...

, Fraser started her singing career as a child.

Gene Pitney Gene Francis Alan Pitney (February 17, 1940 – April 5, 2006) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. Pitney charted 16 top-40 hits in the United States, four in the top ten. In the United Kingdom, he had 22 top-40 hit singles, inclu ...

, a future member of the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...

, lived in a nearby town and was a childhood friend.

Career

At the age of 12, after winning Ted Mack's ''

The Original Amateur Hour ''The Original Amateur Hour'' is an American radio and television program. The show was a continuation of ''Major Bowes Amateur Hour'' which had been a radio staple from 1934 to 1945. Major Edward Bowes, the originator of the program and its mas ...

'' three times, Fraser played

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...

. She signed a record contract with

Bigtop Records Bigtop Records was an American record label started by music executive Johnny Bienstock (brother of Freddy Bienstock) and the major music publisher Hill & Range Music and was co-owned along with Big Top Record Distributors (sic). Hit artists inc ...

when she was 13, and released her first single in 1959 as Jeri Lynn. Her next single, "Poor Begonia (Caught Pneumonia)", was an answer to the popular "

Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" is a novelty song telling the story of a shy girl wearing a revealing polka dot bikini at the beach. It was written by Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss and first released in June 1960 by Brian Hyland ...

". In 1962 she moved with her family to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, and as a 16-year-old, landed a starring role in the 1962 film ''

'', playing the female lead opposite

Joey Dee Joey Dee and the Starliters (also credited as Joey Dee and the Starlighters) is an American popular music group. The group is best known for their million-selling recording "Peppermint Twist" (1961). The group's most notable lineup is considere ...

. Fraser soon moved to Las Vegas where, still a teenager, she spent a year as a headline act. In 1964, Fraser filmed the

TV movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

''Mike and the Mermaid'', in the title role as the mermaid; the movie did not air until January 5, 1968. She appeared in the 1966 film ''

Lord Love a Duck ''Lord Love a Duck'' is a 1966 American teen black comedy film produced, directed and co-written by George Axelrod and starring Roddy McDowall and Tuesday Weld. The film was a satire of popular culture at the time, its targets ranging from progres ...

'', and also made television appearances on episodes of ''

Bewitched ''Bewitched'' is an American fantasy sitcom television series that originally aired for eight seasons on ABC from September 17, 1964, to March 25, 1972. It is about a witch who marries an ordinary mortal man and vows to lead the life of a typic ...

'' and ''

Occasional Wife ''Occasional Wife'' is an American Situation comedy, sitcom which aired on NBC beginning September 13, 1966 and running until May 9, 1967 (repeats were aired through August 29). It was originally on NBC's Tuesday night schedule, airing from 8:30� ...

''. When she was 20, Fraser started to tour with the

Roger Williams Roger Williams (21 September 1603between 27 January and 15 March 1683) was an English-born New England Puritan minister, theologian, and author who founded Providence Plantations, which became the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantation ...

Orchestra. At the age of 22, declining Williams' offer to join him on a tour of Asia, she chose to retire from performing for several years. In 2010, Fraser released her first album, ''Lost in the Feeling''.

Personal life

, Fraser was living in

Lady Lake, Florida Lady Lake is a town in Lake County, Florida, United States. The population was 13,926 at the 2010 census. As of 2019, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 16,020. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford Metropolitan Stati ...

Discography

*"If" / "Now I'm of Age" (as Jeri Lynn) (Big Top 45-3015, 1959) *"Poor Begonia (Caught Pneumonia)" / " Catch Me" (Columbia 41790, 1960) *" Lessons in Love" / "Give Me Your Arm, Papa" ( Columbia 42032, 1960) *"Poor Joe" / "Take It Easy Baby" (Columbia 42234, 1961) *"Teenage Vamp" from the soundtrack album ''Two Tickets to Paris'' (Roulette Records R 25182, 1962) *"Hush, Harvey, Hush" / "You Spoiled Me" (ABC Paramount 10395, 1963) *"Are You a Guy With a Line" / "Movie Queen" (ABC Paramount 10438, 1963) *"This Is the Night" (as Jery Lynn Frazer) on the compilation album ''Rebels Without a Cause'' (Canetoad Records – CDI-015, 2007) *''Lost in the Feeling'' (album) (JLFproductions, 2010) *''Just Use Your Love'' (album) (CD Baby, 2012)

Filmography

*''

'' (female lead opposite

) (1962) *''

'' (1966) *''

'': "Occasional Trouble" – Season 1 Episode 2 (Aired September 20, 1966) *''Occasional Wife'': "That's How They Got Capone" – Season 1 Episode 12 (Aired Dec 6, 1966) *''

'': "Toys in Babeland" – Season 4 Episode 2 (as Girl Doll) (Aired Sep 14, 1967 *''Mike and the Mermaid'' (as the Mermaid), (Aired ABC, January 5, 1968)Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010, 2d 2ed., By Vincent Terrace, page 690

References

External links

* * * *
Fraser sings "Baby Won't You Please Come Home"
on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fraser, Jeri Lynne Actresses from Connecticut Singers from Connecticut 1946 births Living people 21st-century American women