1972 Joey Heatherton – Gone
Ray Heatherton was a famous actor and singer on Broadway who starred in an early television show, The Merry Mailman. He and Davenie Ross Watson met and appeared together in the Broadway play Babes in Arms, and they married in 1941. They had a daughter, Davenie Johanna Heatherton, in 1944. She began studying ballet when she turned six and later progressed to modern jazz dance, singing, and acting.
She used the name Joey Heatherton when she began appearing on television shows as a child actor. She first appeared on her Dad’s show, and at 15 she became an understudy on Broadway in the original version of The Sound Of Music.
In 1960-1961, Joey had a recurring role on Perry Como’s television show. She played a teenager who had a crush on Perry. On one episode, she talked and sang a duet with Brenda Lee (a young singer with a number one record who seemed surprised that Joey didn’t have a hit record yet since she was already 16).
Joey visited The Tonight Show a few times and even tried to coach Johnny on “modern” dances.
They chose Joey to sing the song and introduce the dance that was named after the show Hullabaloo. The song became one of her early singles, but neither the song nor the dance caught on.
From 1965 to 1977, Joey appeared with Bob Hope on his USO tours and in many of his television specials. Joey appeared multiple times singing and dancing on the Hollywood Palace, the Mike Douglas Show, the Merv Griffin Show, and she was the co-hosted the summer replacement show for the Dean Martin Show.
She finally got a hit single of her own in 1972. She covered the 1957 Ferlin Husky song Gone. Joey’s single peaked at #24 on the Hot 100. Joey recorded an album that was re-released in 2004; the new album cover used a topless picture of Joey that is snuck into a lot of the YouTube videos (but not the one I’ve linked in).
Ironically, Joey’s only other visit to the Hot 100 came later that year when she covered Brenda’s chart-topping song I’m Sorry. Sadly, Joey’s single peaked at only #87.
Joey continued appearing regularly on television and in films. Her last major role came in 1990 in John Waters’ film Cry-Baby.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joey_Heatherton
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