Betty Clooney was an American singer, TV presenter and pioneer who briefly rose to fame in the 1950s with sister Rosemary Clooney. She led a very brief solo career, with songs like "Kiki" and "You're All I See". She married actor and musician Pupi Campo in 1955, and they had four children.
Early years
Elizabeth Ann Clooney was born in Maysville, Kentucky. She was the second of three children, her older sister was Rosemary Clooney, her younger brother was Nicholas Joseph Clooney and her nephew was actor George Clooney. Her father was a house painter who drank a lot, and had a troubled marriage with his wife. Frances divorced Andrew Clooney in the late 1930s, and Frances remarried William Stone in 1939 and they had one daughter Gail in 1945. Frances & Bill lived in Oakland, California. The family resided in the John Brett Richeson House in the late 1940s. Clooney's paternal grandfather sang in his mayoral election campaigns, which he won three times. The two sisters were close.
Career
Sister act
Rosemary and Betty Clooney were a close sister act, and sang together. The family lived in Cincinnati in the early 1940s, where the girls continued to vocalize. In 1945, the sisters won a spot on Cincinnati's WLWRadio Station as singers. One day they were heard by bandleader Tony Pastor. The bandleader originally hesitated on hiring both sisters, but soon relented and so The Clooney Sisters hit the road with the Pastor band. They appeared in a movie short with the Pastor Orchestra in 1947. The Clooney Sisters recorded a number of songs for Columbia with the Tony Pastor Band like "The Secretary Song", "I'm My Own Grandpa", and "If I Had A Million Dollars". In 1948, Rosemary was called to New York City to record "Come On-a My House" and Betty returned home to Cincinnati. She became a television pioneer on the city's first station, WLWT. Not only was she a featured singer on the station's main program, she also hosted her own shows called "Teen Canteen" and "Boy Meets Girl".
Solo career
Betty also pursued a brief solo career, far from the huge success of sister Rosemary. Betty signed to the local legendary R&B label King Records, releasing several singles including "Sisters" and "Kiki". In the early 1950s, she was featured on the 15-minute weekday radio programThe Three Suns With Betty Clooney on the Mutual Broadcasting System. A nightclub career followed, including appearing at the Starlight Roof at the Waldorf Astoria New York. A 1954 review of her performance at the Black Orchid in Chicago, Illinois, commented, "Betty Clooney, a much more vibrant and projecting personality than her sister, Rosemary, opened here to an audience that fell immediately to her contagious charm." In 1952, Clooney became the mistress of ceremonies of a new program, Goin' Steady, on WXYZ-TV in Detroit. The program was "said to be the most elaborate locally sponsored variety show on the air." She was a regular on three CBS television programs in the 1950s:
Good Morning! with Will Rogers, Jr., Mondays - Fridays
The Robert Q. Lewis Show, Mondays - Fridays
She also appeared on countless variety shows in the 1950s where she sang, danced and acted in skits that showcased her beautiful voice and brilliant sense of humor. She recorded for several more record labels including RCA's X label, Decca's Coral label and Columbia's Children's Records. She also filmed several Soundies of popular hits. Although Betty recorded the hit song "Sisters" from the film White Christmas with Rosemary for Columbia's single release, in the movie Vera-Ellen's singing voice was dubbed by singer Trudy Stevens. Not one to really seek fame, she subsequently retired from showbiz to raise her family appearing only sporadically on television until her death.
After Clooney's death, her family established the Betty Clooney Foundation for Persons with Brain Injury. It operates the Betty Clooney Center for Persons with Traumatic Brain Injury near Los Angeles. Additional funds were raised by staging annual concerts to benefit the foundation.
