Legendary & Twice Oscar Nominated Singer & Songwriter Carol Connors
Twice Oscar Nominated Carol Connors shines not only in Hollywood but all around the world. She is a huge supporter of Independent Arts and a firm believer in helping others shine with their God given talents. Having had her dreams come to life, she goes out of her way to make sure that she can mentor and motivate others to not let their dreams go. She’s a legend in her own right.
Carol’s career started at the age of only sixteen. She was fortunate to experience what millions could only dream about. Having been blessed with the voice of angel, she launched her singing career with a ten dollar loan from her parents. At the time, Phil Spector fell in love with her voice and wrote the song “To Know Him Is To Love Him” just for her voice. The song touched millions and ended up #1 on the Bill Board Charts. Apparently, Phil was not the only person to love Carol’s voice. While in the army and overseas, The King of Rock & Roll himself fell instantaneously in love with Carol’s voice and shortly thereafter, the two started to date. The love affair lasted for nine months. Today, “To Know You Is To Love You is #76 on Billboards Magazine Top 5,000 Rock & Roll Hits.
Later, Carol became the only woman to have co-written a mega hit during the era of “Hot Rod” called “Hey Little Cobra” that was recorded by the Rip Chords. Today the song remains an American Car song classic and according to Billboard Magazine, it is considered the most important song of the Hot Rod Era.
Having already reached greatness with her number one hit songs and having dated Elvis Presley, Carol took things one step further. With music and lyrics always on her mind, she helped to mastermind and co-wrote everyone’s favorite Rocky Theme “Gonna Fly Now” along with Bill Conti and Ayn Robbins. As everyone knows the song became a super nova giant and it acclaimed several Academy Award Nominations, Grammy Nominations and won the ASCAP Award of Excellence.
Since then, Carol has managed to get receive several other awards and accolades for films such as “Looking For Mr. Goodbar”, “Dressed To Kill’, Walt Disney’s Oscar Nominated “The Rescuers” and Dino De Laurentiis's film "Orca",which brought about a cult classic With My Love We Are One. These are only to name a few.
With such fanciful and creative mind, Carol was the person to co-pen the themes “You Can Be A Star” for The TV Show Star Search and “Champagne Wishes And Caviar Dreams” sung by Donne Warwick for Robin Leach’s
This past August at the 2nd Annual WMIFF Awards in Washington DC, Carol was welcomed with standing ovations after her performance. It was obvious how much she is adored as the audience cheered her on as she received the "Legends of Legends in Music Award”. At the awarding, Carol was also up for Best Supporting Actress in a Feature Film called “True Bromance” directed by Sebastian Doggart. The film is a “mocumentary” documentary about film star, Devin Ratry falling madly in love with Secretary of State Condaleezza Rice. As Director Sebastian Doggart follows Devin with the camera, he also assists him on finding ways to meet her in person so that he can lovingly woo her. During the film, Sebastian takes Devin to see Carol, who is known for her famous “Peanut butter fudgy wudgy” brownies and her notorious dolphin mating call. The documentary is hilarious and has won several awards nationwide.
Aside her passion for music and working with Independent Arts, Carol dedicates some of her spare time to helping charitable organizations. She was the sole recipient of an Honorary Doctorate in Fine Arts and Public Service awarded by the President of the John F. Kennedy University in 2000.
For years, Carol has often been dazzled into the deep blue ocean to dive professionally and to swim with the dolphins. Now, one would consider swimming with the dolphins pretty remarkable but too boot, Carol also mastered the sound of a dolphin. When she makes this sound, the dolphins come! Her dolphin call is so good that she was seen by millions on Victoria Beckham’s TV Special “Coming To America.” To this day, people and children come up to Carol asking her to do her dolphin call.
This past summer, Carol was amongst a special chosen few to perform for the “Wounded Warriors Trust” at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. She conducted a 177 Piece Orchestra to the Theme from Rocky "Gonna Fly Now" and received a five minute standing ovation. It was truly her "Rocky Moment!"
Shortly, thereafter she headed off to Key West to dive into the sea as “Lady Liberty” joined by Army
Colonel Jason Psaltides, famed Diver Captain Spencer Slate of Atlantis Dive Center in Key Largo and other Wounded Warriors to raise awareness and funds for this charitable organization. While under the sea, Carol passed a torch to all of us to dive deep into our pockets to honor the many soldiers who have given so much to all of us to keep us free.
Carol is also known to have written the theme song “The Dolphins Are Coming (Let The Magic Begin)" as a tribute to her great nephew Miles Isaac Medow, who was born with Down Syndrome.
As it turns out, Miles is very much a water baby like his great auntie Carol, who is literally a beautiful mermaid in disguise.
Miles Isaac Medow taking after His Great Auntie Carol
“The Dolphins Are Coming (Let The Magic Begin)"
Without a shadow of a doubt, Carol’s true pride and joys are her two beloved Abyssinian cats, music*NLYRICS. Together they make the purrfect trio. Carol is a huge cat lover and when you watch the video below you’ll see why.
music *NLYRICS, cats to the "Queen" Of Beverly Hills
When Carol was young, she saw a cat on a house boat and asked the owner what kind of cat it was. His reply was an Abyssinian cat. Carol asked "What's that?" and the man replied that they were the cats to the Queen of Egypt. At that point, she promised herself that one day when she had enought money that she would buy them and she did.
The first two Abyssinian cats were Songbird and Harmony. One night Carol had a dream that told her that Harmony had to go. At first Carol refused but in her dream she was told that Harmony had to go with her father who had passed on. When she heard this she said OK and said that she planned on getting to get another Abyssinian cat. The reply to her said, "Yes you will and it will be a male."
Later, she adopted Minstrel and MAESTRO. Minstrel took a very special place in Carol’s heart and she called him "M, The wonder cat." Their bond was so strong that they did two TV shows together. As Minstrel got older, he began to lose his eye site, so Carol changed his name to "M The Stevie Wonder Cat". Not too long after Carol had to deal with the demise of MAESTRO who died from eating a turkey string. She had both cats for just over fifteen years and they hold two special places in Carol's heart.
Today, Music is twenty years old *NLYRICS is ten years young . They are her family and her best friends.
On November 10th, 2011, CC will be honored with the 2011 Hollywood F.A.M.E Lifetime Achievement Award in Music Composition. It is a division of the Los Angeles Music Awards featuring excellence in Film Animation Music and Entertainment sectors. This is the fifth year for this award and it is the only award sanctioned to use the Hollywood Star through the Hollywood Walk of FAME Foundation, Chamber of Commerce and Hollywood.
For those who have had the honor to meet Carol, you would be amazed at how humble she really is. She has given all of us wonderful gifts with just her music. Her path and journey is to help others and as she does, one would not be surprised as to where she will be honored next.
To find out more about CC and about her passion for the arts and cats, you can follow her on facebook and go to her website at http://www.carolconnors.com
