Thelma Camacho Ivie is an American opera and rock and roll singer known for her membership in the groups

the New Christy Minstrels The New Christy Minstrels are an American large-ensemble folk music group founded by Randy Sparks in 1961. The group has recorded more than 20 albums and scored several hits, including " Green, Green", "Saturday Night", "Today", "Denver", and ...

and the First Edition. As a teenager in

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United Stat ...

, Camacho was Miss Teen San Diego and sang in Starlight Theater productions. She sang lead with the San Diego Civic Light Opera by the age of 14. She turned down a scholarship to study opera in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

, joining

The Young Americans The Young Americans is a non-profit organization and performing group based in Southern California. First founded in 1962 by Milton C. Anderson, the group was credited with being the first show choir in America, mixing choreography with choral ...

and then the New Christy Minstrels. At age 18, in 1967 Camacho and

Kenny Rogers Kenneth Ray Rogers (August 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Rogers was particularly popular with country audiences but also charted m ...

formed the First Edition with

Mike Settle Michael Ward Settle (born March 20, 1941) is an American songwriter, journalist, broadcaster and singer. Settle began his musical career as a solo singer and a member of The New Christy Minstrels. His debut solo album ''Folk Sing Hallelujah'' ...

Mickey Jones Mickey Jones (June 10, 1941 – February 7, 2018) was an American musician and actor. He played drums with acts such as Trini Lopez and Bob Dylan, with whom he played on his 1966 world tour. He became a founding member of The First Edition ...

, and Terry Williams. Camacho sang lead on songs such as "I Get a Funny Feeling", notably on ''

The Smothers Brothers Show ''The Smothers Brothers Show'' is an American fantasy sitcom featuring the Smothers Brothers that aired on CBS on Friday nights at 9:30 p.m. ET from September 17, 1965, to April 22, 1966, co-sponsored by Alberto-Culver's VO5 hairdressing ...

'' and ''

The Ed Sullivan Show ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the '' CBS Sunday Night M ...

'' in 1968. She appeared on the first three albums by the group, writing six of their songs. She was dismissed from the First Edition for disputed reasons. In his book ''With Luck or Something Like It'', Rogers wrote that Camacho was "let go because she had fallen in love, was tired of touring and perhaps didn't agree with certain decisions." She then retired from the music business. After Camacho left the First Edition, her spot was taken by her roommate, Mary Arnold, after singer

Karen Carpenter Karen Anne Carpenter (March 2, 1950 – February 4, 1983) was an American singer and drummer, who formed half of the sibling duo the Carpenters alongside her older brother Richard. With a distinctive three-octave contralto range, she was prais ...

auditioned for the role. After marrying producer Robert Ivie, she moved to Europe in the 1980s and designed costumes for Bavaria Film Studios in Munich and Haute Couture Ateliers in Cologne. She owns a jewelry shop in San Diego's Spanish District.

References

Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American opera singers American women rock singers Kenny Rogers and The First Edition members People from San Diego The Young Americans members The New Christy Minstrels members Singers from California Classical musicians from California 21st-century American women {{Pop-singer-stub