Lucia Pamela (May 1, 1904 – July 25, 2002) was an American musician, nightclub singer, bandleader, and eccentric. She is remembered today largely for a science fiction themed musical album and coloring book concerning an imaginary trip to the Moon.

Biography

Pamela was born in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

. She traveled to Germany to study at the Beethoven Conservatory of Music and Voice, and joined

Flo Ziegfeld Florenz Edward Ziegfeld Jr. (; March 21, 1867 – July 22, 1932) was an American Broadway impresario, notable for his series of theatrical revues, the ''Ziegfeld Follies'' (1907–1931), inspired by the ''Folies Bergère'' of Paris. He also ...

's " Broadway Follies" after her return to the United States. She was voted Miss St. Louis in 1926. She was featured in ''

Ripley's Believe It or Not ''Ripley's Believe It or Not!'' is an American franchise founded by Robert Ripley, which deals in bizarre events and items so strange and unusual that readers might question the claims. Originally a newspaper panel, the ''Believe It or Not'' fea ...

'' for memorizing 10,000 songs. She led the all-girl orchestra and Odeon Theatre house band the Musical Pirates, said by some to be the first all-female orchestra, and hosted radio programs including ''The Encouragement Hour'', Kansas City, and ''Gal About Town'', Fresno. She produced only one album, ''Into Outer Space With Lucia Pamela'' (circa 1969, Gulfstream and later on L'Peg), whose songs are mostly about an imaginary trip to the moon. Described by Neil Strauss as having "the feel of a warped bebop children's album, it features Ms. Pamela on all instruments – piano, accordion, drums, clarinet, and probably various household appliances – accompanying herself as she tells, with gee-whiz glee, tales of amiable lunar roosters, trips to Mars and blue winds." "She played fifteen instruments, including the piano, clarinet, drums, cymbals and what sounds like a

theremin The theremin (; originally known as the ætherphone/etherphone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox) is an electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact by the performer (who is known as a thereminist). It is named afte ...

." The song "Flip Flop Fly" was featured on the radio by

Bob and Ray Bob and Ray were an American comedy duo whose career spanned five decades, composed of comedians Bob Elliott (1923–2016) and Ray Goulding (1922–1990). The duo's format was typically to satirize the medium in which they were performing, suc ...

in 1973, but the album was all but forgotten before being reissued in 1992 (record label: Arf! Arf!, recorded from a vinyl source and produced by

Irwin Chusid Irwin Chusid (born April 22, 1951 in Newark, New Jersey) is a journalist, music historian, radio personality, record producer, and self-described "landmark preservationist". His stated mission has been to "find things on the scrapheap of history t ...

, catalogue #AA-037) to greater acclaim. According to Chusid, "Lucia's performances are spirited and energetic, without an ounce of self-consciousness." She also produced a cartoon coloring book, ''Into Outer Space with Lucia Pamela in the Year 2000''. In 1994, the pop group

Stereolab Stereolab are an Anglo- French avant-pop band formed in London in 1990. Led by the songwriting team of Tim Gane and Lætitia Sadier, the group's music combines influences from krautrock, lounge and 1960s pop music, often incorporating a repeti ...

recorded a tribute to her, "International Colouring Contest", on their album '' Mars Audiac Quintet''; the intro of the song includes a voice sample of Pamela herself. She died in 2002, age 98, in Los Angeles. Later that year,

Tony Kushner Anthony Robert Kushner (born July 16, 1956) is an American author, playwright, and screenwriter. Lauded for his work on stage he's most known for his seminal work ''Angels in America'' which earned a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award. At the turn ...

wrote a short play about Lucia Pamela called "Flip Flop Fly". The play imagines Pamela meeting Queen Geraldine of Albania (who also died in 2002) on the Moon.

Family

Her daughter was

Georgia Frontiere Georgia Frontiere (born Violet Frances Irwin; November 21, 1927 – January 18, 2008) was an American businesswoman and entertainer. She was the majority owner and chairperson of the Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams NFL team and the most prominent fema ...

(1927–2008), owner of the Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams, and her son is Kenneth Francis Irwin. Lucia and Georgia performed duets as the Pamela Sisters."Epitaph: Lucia Pamela (1904–2002)", Vol. 47, No. 11. ISSN 1522-9149.

References

External links

*
IntoOuterSpace.com: All Hail Lucia Pamela!
, ''IntoOuterSpace.com''. Contains link to the coloring book

an

Accessed: October 7, 2016.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pamela, Lucia 1904 births 2002 deaths American bandleaders American children's musicians Outsider musicians Ziegfeld girls Musicians from St. Louis Nightclub performers American illustrators American women illustrators Place of birth missing 20th-century American musicians 20th-century American women artists