Thursday, January 1, 2015

Every Night


Rita Renay
with the Eddie Beal Orchestra


Liberty 55073
1957

Penned by Ronnie Rae, Ed Townsend and Scott J. Johnson, Jr.  "Every Night" is a song first recorded by Peggy Lee for Capitol Records and issued about one month before the Rita Renay version.  Etta James also recorded the song the following year for Kent Records.  According to some, the Rita Renay version is the best one.

Her Liberty record was also issued on London Records in Australia just before her tour in that country with headliner Billy Eckstine in October 1958. The Australian release was credited to Renee Renor, the name whereby she was most widely know.

Born Tia Camarillo,of Mexican-american lineage. she mainly performed in night-clubs with bands such as Franke Rapp, The Exciting Singing and Rhythms of Ed Domingo, Jack Costanzo...). in Texas, Nevada, Arizona and California during the fifties and the sixties, using various aliases.
 
She recorded as Renee Medina for 4 Star (1963) and Challenge (1964). 

From 1964 to 1972, she was Harla Day on stage (Las Vegas, Santa Cruz, El Paso, Pasadena, Phoenix,...).

And finally she settled down in Phoenix, Arizona (1972) after a last (?) single for RCA.  She had at that time the same manager as Charley Pride :
TIA CAMARILLO Vocal, single act. Concerts, Fairs, Night Clubs, Club Dates. Jack D. Johnson Talent, Inc., Don M. Kelrns, responsible agent. Jack D. Johnson, personal manager. RCA Records, "Somewhere In This Town". 
 
In 1955, she had a small part in "Guys and Dolls", a movie directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz,, starring Marlon Brando and Jean Simmons (1955) : she sings in the Havana Cafe scene (see picture below).

But is she also the dancer ? (I'd like to think that the answer is yes, but I'm really not sure)


Rita Renay
 a.k.a. Renee Renor, Renee Medina, Harla Day and Tia Camarillo



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1 comment:

  1. Inter3sting to see this. I backed her for a wkend or 2 in 9/70 at Highland Springs Resort.

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