Sunny Gale (born Selma Segal, February 20, 1927) is a retired American pop singer who was popular in the 1950s. Gale reached the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 several times throughout the earlier half of the decade, scoring her biggest R&B hit with "

Wheel of Fortune The Wheel of Fortune or ''Rota Fortunae'' has been a concept and metaphor since ancient times referring to the capricious nature of Fate. Wheel of Fortune may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Art * ''The Wheel of Fortune'' (Burne-Jo ...

" with the Ed Wilcox Orchestra in 1952.

Biography

Gale was born as Selma Sega in

Clayton, New Jersey Clayton is a borough in Gloucester County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the borough's population was 8,807, an increase of 628 from the 2010 census count of 8,179,Eddie Fisher Edwin Jack Fisher (August 10, 1928 – September 22, 2010) was an American singer and actor. He was one of the most popular artists during the 1950s, selling millions of records and hosting his own TV show, ''The Eddie Fisher Show''. Actress Eli ...

and

Al Martino Al Martino (born Jasper Cini; October 7, 1927 – October 13, 2009) was an American singer and actor. He had his greatest success as a singer between the early 1950s and mid-1970s, being described as "one of the great Italian American pop croone ...

. After participating in the Miss Philadelphia beauty contest at 16 years-old, and reaching the finals with her vocal prowess, Sega began receiving contracts to establish herself on the city's nightclub circuit. Sega performed in Philadelphia for five years, and employed the stage name Sunny Gale as early as August 1948, which is evident by her early photoshoots. In 1949, Gale joined

bandleader A bandleader is the leader of a music group such as a rock or pop band or jazz quartet. The term is most commonly used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues or ...

Hal McIntyre Hal McIntyre (born Harold William McIntyre; November 29, 1914, Cromwell, Connecticut – May 5, 1959 Los Angeles, California) was an American saxophonist, clarinetist, and bandleader. McIntyre played extensively as a teenager and led his ow ...

's orchestra on a series of successful concerts across the United States and Canada. Gale's manager Gary Romero secured a recording contract with

Derby Records Derby Records was an independent record label founded by Larry Newton in 1949. The label's logo featured a Derby hat. First headquartered in New York City, it moved to Los Angeles shortly before going out of business in 1964. The label offered s ...

in 1951. In accordance with Romero's suggestion, Gale recorded "

", a song written by

Bennie Benjamin Claude August "Bennie" Benjamin (November 4, 1907 – May 2, 1989) was a Virgin Islands-born American songwriter. He had particularly successful songwriting partnerships with Sol Marcus, with whom he wrote "I Don't Want To Set The World On Fi ...

and

George David Weiss George David Weiss (April 9, 1921 – August 23, 2010) was an American songwriter and arranger, who was a president of the Songwriters Guild of America. He is an inductee in the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Biography Weiss was born in a Jewish fa ...

. However, as soon as other rival record companies saw the potential of a hit, several artists recorded the composition in rapid succession, including

Sammy Kaye Sammy Kaye (born Samuel Zarnocay Jr.; March 13, 1910 – June 2, 1987) was an American bandleader and songwriter, whose tag line, "Swing and Sway with Sammy Kaye", became one of the most famous of the Big Band Era. The expression springs fr ...

the Bell Sisters The Bell Sisters were an American singing duo, popular in the 1950s, consisting of the sisters Cynthia and Kay Strother, who adopted their mother's maiden name of Bell. History The sisters are the daughters of Eugene Rex Strother (1908–1988) and ...

, and

the Cardinals The Cardinals were an American R&B group of the 1950s. Sharing a legacy with the Orioles, The Cardinals are remembered as one of the best R&B ballad acts to come out of Baltimore. Origins The Cardinals’ career began in 1946 (one year before ...

. Gale's rendition, nonetheless, managed to chart at number 13 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, but was soon overtaken by

Kay Starr Katherine Laverne Starks (July 21, 1922 – November 3, 2016), known professionally as Kay Starr, was an American singer who enjoyed considerable success in the late 1940s and 1950s. She was of Iroquois and Irish heritage. Starr performed multip ...

's novelty take on "Wheel of Fortune", which became a number one hit. Gale's chart battle with Starr resulted in bookings across the East Coast, including a stint at the Paramount Theater in New York City. Gale recorded two additional singles for Derby, "A Lasting Thing" and "My Last Affair", but the small label could not effectively promote the releases as well as "Wheel of Fortune". Despite the commercial successes of Gale and label-mates Trudy Richards and

Bette McLaurin Bette McLaurin (born c. 1929) is an American singer best known for her jazz-influenced ballad and R&B performances in the 1950s. Two of her recordings, "I May Hate Myself In The Morning" (1952) and "Only A Rose" (1953) reached the ''Billboard'' ...

, Derby filed for bankruptcy in October 1954, although by then Gale had already signed with

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

two years prior. With RCA's backing, Gale recorded a string of national charting hits between 1952 and 1956, including "I Laughed at Love", "Teardrops on My Pillow", "Love Me Again", " Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight". During this time, Gale appeared in clubs operated by business owner

Frank Palumbo Frank Palumbo (May 23, 1911 – February 12, 1983) was an American power broker, political boss, entrepreneur and racketeer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is best known as the owner of Palumbo's, an entertainment complex in South Philadelphia, ...

, including his entertainment complex

Palumbo's Palumbo's was a popular 20th century restaurant with nightclub entertainment located near the Italian Market section of South Philadelphia, Palumbo's included a banquet hall and Nostalgia's Restaurant. The format basically was an adaption of th ...

, and at the

Brooklyn Academy of Music The Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) is a performing arts venue in Brooklyn, New York City, known as a center for progressive and avant-garde performance. It presented its first performance in 1861 and began operations in its present location in ...

in an all-star benefit show which also featured

the Ink Spots The Ink Spots were an American pop vocal group who gained international fame in the 1930s and 1940s. Their unique musical style presaged the rhythm and blues and rock and roll musical genres, and the subgenre doo-wop. The Ink Spots were widely a ...

Red Buttons Red Buttons (born Aaron Chwatt; February 5, 1919 – July 13, 2006) was an American actor and comedian. He won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his supporting role in the 1957 film ''Sayonara''. He was nominated for awards for his acting work i ...

Lena Horne Lena Mary Calhoun Horne (June 30, 1917 – May 9, 2010) was an American dancer, actress, singer, and civil rights activist. Horne's career spanned more than seventy years, appearing in film, television, and theatre. Horne joined the chorus of th ...

, and several others. By mid-1956, Gale had signed with

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...

, debuting with a rendition of

Otis Williams and the Charms Otis Williams and the Charms were an American doo-wop vocal group in the 1950s, who were originally billed as The Charms. Williams is not related to Otis Williams of The Temptations. Career Otis Williams (born June 2, 1936, in Cincinnati, Ohio ...

' "Two Hearts". But for Gale, subsequent releases on Decca, Warwick Records, and Blaine Records could not propel her back into the national charts. Also in 1956, she appeared on the Dorsey Brothers’ stage TV show. As of 2015, Gale was residing in a retirement home in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. Despite being a major presence in 1950s

pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describe ...

, it was not until the late 1990s that

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

s, such as ''The Story of Sunny Gale'' and ''Sunny Gale Sings'', began to document Gale's recording career.

Charting singles

*Feb. 1952: "

" (with

Eddie Wilcox Eddie Wilcox (December 27, 1907 – September 29, 1968) was an American jazz pianist and arranger. Biography Born in Method, North Carolina, Wilcox studied at Fisk University, where he met Jimmie Lunceford. He played with Lunceford in college ba ...

Orchestra) - Derby 787 - ''Billboard'' #13 *Sept. 1952: "I Laughed at Love" (with

Ralph Burns Ralph Joseph P. Burns (June 29, 1922 – November 21, 2001) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. Early life Burns was born in Newton, Massachusetts, United States, where he began playing the piano as a child. In 1938, he attend ...

Orchestra) - RCA Victor 4789 - #14 *Jan. 1953: "Teardrops on My Pillow" / "A Stolen Waltz" (with Ralph Burns Orchestra) - RCA Victor 5103 - #12 / #15 *Sept. 1953: "Love Me Again" / "Before It's Too Late" (with

Hugo Winterhalter Hugo Winterhalter (August 15, 1909 – September 17, 1973) was an American easy listening arranger and composer, best known for his arrangements and recordings for RCA Victor. Biography Hugo Ferdinand Winterhalter was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsy ...

Orchestra) - RCA Victor 5424 - #22 / #27 *July 1954: " Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight" (with

Joe Reisman Joseph Reisman (September 16, 1924, Dallas - September 15, 1987, Los Angeles) was an American musician (tenor and baritone saxophone, clarinet), bandleader, arranger, and record producer in the swing era. Reisman studied at Baylor University and ...

Orchestra) - RCA Victor 5746 - #27 *Sept. 1954: " Smile (Theme from ''Modern Times'')" (with Hugo Winterhalter Orchestra) - RCA Victor 5836 - #19 *Jan. 1955: "

Let Me Go, Lover! "Let Me Go, Lover!", a popular song, was written by Jenny Lou Carson and Al Hill, a pen name used by Fred Wise, Kathleen Twomey, and Ben Weisman. It is based on an earlier song called "Let Me Go, Devil", about alcoholism. Background "Let Me Go ...

" / "Unsuspecting Heart" (with Hugo Winterhalter Orchestra) - RCA Victor 5952 - #17 / #14 *Nov. 1955: "C'est La Vie" (with Joe Reisman Orchestra) - RCA Victor 6286 - #85 *Apr. 1956: "Rock and Roll Wedding" (with Joe Reisman Orchestra) - RCA Victor 6479 - #66

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gale, Sunny 1927 births Living people Singers from New Jersey People from Clayton, New Jersey American women pop singers 21st-century American women