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Kathy Linden is a Jersey girl from Burlington who had one of the sweetest voices in pop music and who became a sensation in 1958 with her catchy and memorable recording of "Billy." But, unbeknownst to most, she had created a firm musical foundation in the years prior to her so-called "overnight success."
Kathy first appeared in public as a tap and ballet dancer at the age of five. She started taking piano lessons at age six and sang her first vocal solo at age 11. The following year, Kathy started learning to play the violin. During her junior and senior years she sang in chorus and played in orchestras throughout high school, most notably with a string quintet called the "Singing Strings," who entertained many organizations in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. In 1955 Kathy played in the University Of New Hampshire Youth Orchestra. She was also a soprano soloist with the All-State Chorus and studied at the Philadelphia Conservatory of Music. Her ambition at the time was to become a "serious" violinist; however, that ambition would soon be abruptly changed. She was singing with a small band in a restaurant in New Jersey in 1957. A songwriter heard her and took her to meet bandleader-producer-musician Joe Leahy who was with National Records. Joe signed Kathy up at their first meeting and her first release, a ballad entitled "It's Just My Luck To Be Fifteen," became a regional hit selling 35,000 records. But she didn't hit the jackpot until the next release, produced and arranged by Joe, which came out on Felsted Records. Because "Billy" fit Kathy like a glove, most people who heard her recording probably assumed that it was written especially for her. But actually the song had been written back in 1911, by Joe Goodwin, James Kendis and Herman Paley, and first appeared on cylinder recordings. Joe Leahy decided that Kathy should record it and he encouraged her to sing it in a way that sounded younger than her "real" voice. Her 1958 version of "Billy" (including a backup vocal by Joe that is heard throughout the record) took the nation by storm, getting to #7 on the Billboard national chart. Kathy was now a recording star and from that point on her violin was primarily in her rear view mirror. Her follow-up single, her rendition of Irving Berlin's "You'd Be Surprised" in which she used a similar "young" vocal style, also made the Billboard national chart. At that time Kathy was appearing on all of the top TV music shows. They included those hosted by Ed Sullivan, Lawrence Welk, Dick Clark and Steve Allen and regional shows throughout the country. As for Steve Allen, he took a special shine to Kathy and he wrote several "boy" songs for her first album, on Felsted, entitled "That Certain Boy." In the spring of 1959, Kathy had her second major hit with a wistful ballad entitled "Goodbye Jimmy, Goodbye." It was the only hit tune ever written by Jack Vaughn, at the time a radio program director at WNAX in Yankton, South Dakota. Kathy was especially happy because she was allowed to record it using her "real" voice. Her touching recording reached #11 on the Billboard national chart. The individual sides of her follow-up record, "You Don't Know Girls" and "So Close To My Heart," appeared on different trade paper charts: "Girls" made Billboard and "Heart" made Cash Box. Largely because Kathy wanted to record country music and to work with the top creative people in that field, she signed with Monument Records in 1960. While recording at their RCA Studios, Kathy was backed by the absolute cream-of-the-crop personnel including guitarist Chet Atkins, pianist Floyd Cramer, saxaphonist Boots Randolph, bass player Bob Moore and the Anita Kerr Singers. Several songs that Kathy recorded in Nashville became regional hits, most notably "Midnight" - her personal favorite - which was written by Chet Atkins and Boudleaux Bryant and, according to Kathy, is still getting significant airplay in Texas. Kathy moved to California in 1961 and re-united with Joe Leahy, releasing "Put This Ring On My Finger," a song that she wrote by herself, on the R.P.C. label: it received a lot of regional attention across the country. She then signed with Capitol Records in Hollywood. After a few releases, she decided to retire from show business. She lived on a ranch with her husband and their three sons. They had three horses and her favorite was Shane. Her greatest joy during those years was riding Shane on an English saddle all over the valleys and mountains near their ranch. Kathy says that her life changed enormously around 1980 when she became a Christian and started writing inspirational songs and singing and speaking wherever she was invited. In 1985 she was interviewed and sang on the "Joy Program" on TV. In 1992 she made a pilgrimage to Israel and led the music on the boat on the Gallilee and at "other famous places where our Lord walked." Borrowing a leaf from Johnny Cash, Kathy led music in the prisons of Southern California for three years. In her own words: "What an experience; from the highest security prisons, and some of the least security. I have a hanging wooden art work from one prison that the inmates made which said 'Kathy, Our Lord's Singing Angel.' Isn't that sweet? I have it in my den. I am so blessed by that." Though she is not presently doing performances as a pop singer, Kathy she has been keeping very busy musically. In addition to her extensive activites as a worship leader, she has continued writing many inspirational and country and western songs and instrumentals for films. She has been recording many of them over the past few years. Up until now she has shared them privately with her family and closest friends. FLASH: Kathy has a brand new official website - kathylinden.com - and with encouragement of those closest to her, has decided to share many of her musical creations with the world! She has created a downloadable album with 22 of her original compositions called The Love That's In My Heart. This is her first released recorded product in over 55 years! It includes 13 inspirational songs, three country songs and six instrumentals. She wrote and sang and played piano on all 13 inspirational songs; she wrote and sang and played piano on the three country songs (she co-wrote "Bay Johnny," a heartwarming story song about a heroic horse, with Jim Hancock); and she wrote and played piano on the six instrumentals. This digital album, all of whose songs which are downloadable, will soon also be available as a "hard" CD. Kathy hopes that other artists will consider recording some of these songs. She continues to write and record new material in the genres mentioned and promises "real big surprises" in the future! |
