Eartha Kitt - Lounge Music's Exotic(a) Girl ??

OK, maybe not Polynesian-Pop "exotic", but I'd place her in the same related category with Les Baxter, Yma Sumac, and leopard-print Witco furniture. She gets scant recognition here on the TC Music Forum so I hope this post encourages more people to seek her out.

Two chief reasons:

1. First, she was a real-life Exotica girl. I always got the feeling Sandy Warner went back to being a suburban house wife after taking off the animal skin. Eartha's real-life persona on the other hand, exuded sex, mystery, and an exotic foreignness even though she was born in America. She was such an authentic feline femme fatale that she was cast as Catwoman in Season 3 of Batman.

She didn't just play Catwoman, she WAS a Catwoman.

Here's some interesting quotes:

• Orson Welles: "The most exciting woman in the world"

• Batman: "She may be evil but she is attractive"

• Lady Bird Johnson: (crying) - Eartha made the First Lady cry at a White House luncheon when she told her "You send the best of this country off to be shot and maimed ...." Eartha was black-balled for almost 10 years after that.

• CIA: "A sadistic nymphomaniac" :D

2. Second, she performed some of the most "exotic" Lounge Music. Her ability to sing in 4 languages gave her one of the most distinctive voices around. Not only did she do recorded work in French, Spanish, and Turkish, she could also affect a Caribbean and an Irish (!!) accent. Her song "African Lullaby" is like vocal rendition of instrumental Exotica, and if must have a Poly-Pop connection, please reference "Honolulu Rock & Roll". And let's not forget her famous double entendre "Santa Baby", and my favorite "I want to be Evil". If that song doesn't represent the mid-century Tiki spirit then I don't know what does.

Eartha should be essential listening on the Tiki Bar Exotica/Lounge play list. Also here's a coincidence, her best chart-topping year of 1953 was arguably when classic Tiki-style began.

"Purr-fect". :)

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2010-06-02 23:21 ]

Great photos of Ella, that leopard one would have been a close contender for my Jackie Susann/ Cruella DeVille photo in Tiki Modern! That and her feline demeanor makes me regret now that I did not use her for that section.

I always loved African Lullaby and Uskadara too, but most of Ella's exotic songs are on that ONE great album, her 1956 "That Bad Eartha", which gave her that jet set/ports of call international flair. Basically I am in agreement with your Ella adulation, but as you said, I would really keep her in the Lounge category, not Exotica, and not Polynesian pop. And as we know, Lounge is a neighboring islet of Exotica. :)

Also I am not so sure that Tiki began in 1953: After surveying much more Post-BOT evidence, the Luau stayed Tropics-style/Pre Tiki for a while, then Tiki Bob's opened in 1955, so that connection to her hit is tenuous. It was in the mid to late 50s that the Luau went fully Tiki, together with its expansion to the Kon-Tikis.

Who's "Ella" ? :)

Thanks for the clarification on Tiki-style Year 1.

I know BOT doesn't call out the date specifically but I attempted to infer it based on stated text.