Artist:Sue Thompson
Song:Norman
Album:Suzie: The Hickory Anthology 1961-1965
Norman was one of two 1961 top five hits for Sue Thompson. Norman is one of those songs that still get oldies radio play but most listeners know nothing about the record. Sue went on to have a significant career in country music. She was born Eva Sue McKee July 19, 1925 in Nevada, MO. As a child, she sang and played guitar on stage. After her family moved to San Jose, CA, Sue performed on the local TV show Hayride. During WWII, she worked in a defense plant. Then she got married, had a daughter and got divorced. She sang in local clubs as Sue Thompson. She won a talent contest and got the attention of bandleader and TV host Dude Martin. They married and released several singles for Mercury. They went nowhere. After they divorced, Sue married comedian and singer Hank Penny. Sue recorded for Decca which also went nowhere. In 1960, Sue signed with Columbia. They released one single under the name Taffy Thomas. Then Sue signed with Hickory Records. Hickory was owned by country music star Roy Acuff and Wesley Rose. They owned a publishing company. They were distributed by Columbia. Mostly they released country music. Sue finally had success when the 1961 single Sad Movies (Make Me Cry) reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Norman reached #3. Both songs were written by songwriting legend John D, Loudermilk. The 1961 album Meet Sue Thompson was produced by Rose and Penny. The records were popular with teens because Sue sounded like a teen similar to Brenda Lee though she was much older. Sue had a few more chart singles before leaving Hickory in 1965. This Ace Records comp covers those years. Sue returned to Hickory in the 70s and had country chart success when she recorded two albums with country music legend Don Gibson. Sue last recorded in 1976. She continued to perform in clubs mostly in Las Vegas where she lived. She died on Sept. 23, 2021 at age 96. Here's Sue Thompson performing Norman.
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