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Candy Johnson | |
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| Occupation(s) | Singer; Dancer |
| Years active | 1963–1968 |
| Known for | Dancing in the Beach Party films |
Candy Johnson was an American singer and dancer who appeared in several films in the 1960s.
Candy was born Vicki Jane Husted on February 8, 1944 in San Gabriel, CA, to Jeannette (Rathmann) and Clarence Husted. After her mother remarried, she took her stepfather's surname of Johnston. In her San Gabriel High School yearbooks she was listed as "Candy Johnston." When she entered the entertainment world she changed her name to Candy Johnson.
Johnson's most notable films are several beach party productions by American International Pictures, in which she plays Candy, a girl who could dance so hard it would literally knock the guys off their feet. In Beach Party (1963) she is credited as the "perpetual motion dancer." She remained a part of the series for the next three films, with her final appearance being in 1964 in Pajama Party , where she had a small cameo role. [1]
She also recorded under the name "Candy Johnson´s Exciters." The Exciters were a band her agent (and future husband) Red Gilson managed and partnered her with. The recordings of Candy and the Exciters were released by Canjo Records, a private label started by Johnson and Gilson in 1964 to capitalize on her club and film appearances. Canjo was in business for about a year, releasing two albums and six singles.
The group performed across the country, including famous venues like the El Mirador Hotel in Palm Springs and the Thunderbird Lounge in Las Vegas.
Candy also appeared solo at the 1964 World's Fair.[ citation needed ] After seeing her perform there, the New York group The Strangeloves were inspired to write "I Want Candy," which became their biggest hit, reaching #11 on the Billboard "Hot 100" and #12 on the Cash Box "Top 100" in the summer of 1965.[ citation needed ] The song would be covered by dozens of artists over the years, from The Tremeloes, to Bow Wow Wow and Aaron Carter.[ citation needed ]
Candy retired from performing in 1968, eventually settling in Corona, California. At the request of friends, she attended a special showing of Muscle Beach Party at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles on June 10, 2008. When the movie ended, the event's organizer announced to the crowd that Candy was in attendance. She rose to take a bow and received a standing ovation.
After being diagnosed with brain cancer in May 2012, Johnson moved to a Corona convalescent hospital, where she died at age 68 on October 20, 2012. She was cremated and her remains brought to outer space on June 21, 2013, by the Houston-based, extraterrestrial-burial company called Celestis. [2]
Bertrand Russell Berns, also known as Bert Russell and (occasionally) Russell Byrd, was an American songwriter and record producer of the 1960s. His songwriting credits include "Twist and Shout", "Piece of My Heart", "Here Comes the Night", "Hang on Sloopy", "Cry to Me" and "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love", and his productions include "Baby, Please Don't Go", "Brown Eyed Girl" and "Under the Boardwalk".
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The Strangeloves were a band created in 1964 by the New York-based American songwriting and production team of Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein, and Richard Gottehrer. They initially pretended to be from Australia. The Strangeloves' most successful singles were "I Want Candy," "Cara-Lin", and "Night Time".
Muscle Beach Party is the second of seven beach party films produced by American International Pictures. It stars Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello and was directed by William Asher, who also directed four other films in this series.
Pajama Party is a 1964 beach party film starring Tommy Kirk and Annette Funicello. This is the fourth in a series of seven beach films produced by American International Pictures. The other films in this series are Beach Party (1963), Muscle Beach Party (1964), Bikini Beach (1964), Beach Blanket Bingo (1965), How to Stuff a Wild Bikini (1965), Ski Party (1965) and The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini (1966).
Daniela Romo is a Mexican singer, actress and TV hostess. During her career, she has sold 15 million records, making her one of the best-selling Latin music artists.
"I Want Candy" is a song written and originally recorded by the Strangeloves in 1965 that reached No. 11 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. It is a famous example of a song that uses the Bo Diddley beat.
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Donna Zukor, known professionally as Donna Loren, is an American singer and actress. A performer in the 1960s, she was the "Dr Pepper Girl" from 1963 to 1968, a featured female vocalist on Shindig!, and a cast member of the American International Pictures Beach Party movie franchise. She was signed to Capitol Records in 1964, releasing several singles and the Beach Blanket Bingo LP soundtrack, which included her signature song "It Only Hurts When I Cry".
Antonia Christina Basilotta, better known by her stage name Toni Basil, is an American singer, choreographer, dancer, actress, and director. Her song "Mickey" topped the charts in the US, Canada and Australia and hit the top ten in several other countries.
Gerald Goldstein is an American producer, singer-songwriter, talent manager, music executive, musician and entrepreneur. He was one of the members of The Strangeloves, the co-writer of "My Boyfriend's Back" and "Come on Down to My Boat", the producer and songwriter of War, and the former manager of Sly Stone. Goldstein produced a single with teenage singer, Nancy Baron in 1963 for the Diamond Record label. Goldstein was part of a three-person production team which wrote and produced numerous records which are referred to as "FGG" – Feldman, Goldstein and Gottehrer. The numerous artists and their work in collaboration with FGG are listed in a Discography included in the references below.
Bikini Beach is a 1964 American teen film directed by William Asher and starring Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello. The film belongs to the beach party genre of movies, popular in the 1960s. This is the third in the series of seven films produced by American International Pictures (AIP).
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