Connie Francis is the US-born popular singer best known for her hit “Who’s Sorry Now”. The record helped launch her on an international career during which she has released over 70 studio albums. Her success has put her in the top five of best-selling female artists.

Connie Francis’ interest in music began as a child. She was encouraged by her father to learn the accordion, as a route to an independent future. Such was her talent that she got a slot on the TV show Startime when she was aged ten. After a few weeks as the show’s accordion player, she swapped her birth name of Franconero for Francis, and the accordion for singing. She spent the next four years on the show.

At 16 Francis secured a deal with MGM, though by 1957 her contract was coming to an end, after a series of unsuccessful releases. Her last recording for them, “Who’s Sorry Now?” became a worldwide hit and was the first of 35 Top 40 hits she would have over the following years.

She took a break in 1969, initially to concentrate on her home life, but a series of events including her rape, loss of voice, the murder of her brother and finally her diagnosis with manic depression kept her away from performing until 1989. She still performs to big crowds today.