Connie Francis

Who they were

Biography 1937–1955: Early life and first appearances Francis was born Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero on December   12, 1937, [ a ] to an Italian-American family (one of her grandfathers having emigrated from Reggio Calabria in 1905) [ 3 ] [ 4 ] in the Ironbound neighborhood of Newark, New Jersey , the first child of George Franconero (1911–1996) and Ida ( née  Ferrari-di Vito ; 1911–2000). She spent her first years in the Crown Heights,

Personal life Relationship with Bobby Darin Early in her career Francis was introduced to Bobby Darin , then an up-and-coming singer and songwriter. Darin's manager arranged for him to help write several songs for her. Despite some disagreement about material, after several weeks Darin and Francis developed a romantic relationship. Francis's strict Italian-American father, George Franconero, would separate the couple whenever possible.

Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero, known professionally as Connie Francis, was an American singer and actress. One of the top-charting female vocalists of the late 1950s and early 1960s, she amassed over 200 million records sold, placing her among the best-selling music artists in history.

Path and career

Work Musical genres While her singles were mostly kept in the then-current sounds of the day such as rock 'n' roll, novelty songs , the twist , torch ballads , or the girl group sound created by Brill Building alumni Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry , Francis's albums represented her in a variety of styles, ranging from R&B, vocal jazz , and country to Broadway standards , children's music, waltzes, spiritual music, schlager music , traditionals from various ethnic groups represented in the U.S.,

Why this date

Connie Francis appears on our July 16 calendar for 2025 as a death entry.