Song:Navy Blue
Album:Hard To Find 45s On CD Vol. II: 1961-1964
Diane Renay had her only big hit with Navy Blue in 1964. I'm sure fans have heard the song but they probably think it's by Lesley Gore. Diane had one other chart hit and drifted into obscurity. She was born Renee Diane Kushner July 13, 1945 in Philadelphia. As a child, she took singing lessons from Danny and the Juniors manager Artie Singer. He told her parents that Diane could be a professional singer. Her parents owned a jewelry store and one of their customers was record producer Pete DeAngelis. He listened to her and got her a deal with Atco Records as Diane Renay. She was dropped after two unsuccessful singles. But on the second single, she worked with producer Bob Crewe. Crewe had success with The Four Seasons and was just becoming a very hot producer. He signed Diane to 20th Century Records and Navy Blue was released in late 1963. It reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1964 and topped the Adult Contemporary chart. Crewe wrote the song with frequent songwriting partner Eddie Rambeau who had his own hit single Concrete and Clay in 1965. Diane also had a top 30 hit with Kiss Me Sailor in 1964. She also recorded for MGM and Fontana. But by the late 60s, Diane wasn't getting anywhere and she quit the music business. You can get Navy Blue on this various artists comp from Eric Records. She returned to music in the 90s and even released a 2CD comp of her music in 1996. And she tours the nostalgia circuit. I think most fans will only want to hear Navy Blue. But it's always amazing how much mileage singers can get from one big hit. Here's a video for Navy Blue by Diane Renay.
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