Biography
Young grew up in a Northeast Philadelphia, Pennsylvania rowhouse. Before becoming an international recording star with "Hot Shot," she recorded jingles and background vocals for the Philadelphia based production companies. In the early 1970s Young performed with the group Sandd, featuring Frank Gilckin (lead guitar), George Emertz (rhythm guitar), Frank Ferraro (bass guitar) and Dennis Westman (drums).
The song "Hot Shot" peaked at #67 on Billboard's Hot 100 in 1978, after enjoying two weeks at #1 on that magazine's Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, thus qualifying Young as a one-hit wonder. "Hot Shot" was written, produced and arranged by Philadelphians Andy Kahn and Kurt Borusiewicz, with Walter "Kandor" Kahn as executive producer. An album, also entitled Hot Shot, followed, both released by West End Records of New York. "Hot Shot" was featured in the 1990 film, Reversal of Fortune. The song was later used as a sample in Daft Punk's song "Indo Silver Club" on their album Homework. Various "Hot Shot" remixes were released in 2007. One such, entitled "Hot Shot - The Karen Young Reheat," held the #7 position for two weeks on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, achieving five weeks on that chart's Top 10.
"Rendezvous With Me," a song written by Kahn in 1979 was intended as her follow-up to "Hot Shot," but was never finished. Discovered in Kahn's tape vault, "Rendezvous With Me" was released by MaxRoxx Music for the first time in March 2009.
Young died of a bleeding ulcer in January 1991, at age 39.
Read more about this topic: Karen Young (American Singer)
Famous quotes containing the word biography:
“There never was a good biography of a good novelist. There couldn’t be. He is too many people, if he’s any good.”
—F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896–1940)
“Had Dr. Johnson written his own life, in conformity with the opinion which he has given, that every man’s life may be best written by himself; had he employed in the preservation of his own history, that clearness of narration and elegance of language in which he has embalmed so many eminent persons, the world would probably have had the most perfect example of biography that was ever exhibited.”
—James Boswell (1740–95)
“Just how difficult it is to write biography can be reckoned by anybody who sits down and considers just how many people know the real truth about his or her love affairs.”
—Rebecca West [Cicily Isabel Fairfield] (1892–1983)