Little Eva
b. Eva Narcissus Boyd, 29 June 1943, Bellhaven, North Carolina, USA. Discovered by songwriters Carole King and Gerry Goffin, Little Eva burst to fame in 1962 with the international hit, The Loco-Motion, a driving, dance-based song. Its ebullient, adolescent approach was muted on a follow-up single, Keep Your Hands Off My Baby, but although further releases from the following year, Let's Turkey Trot and Old Smokey Locomotion, revived its novelty appeal, they lacked its basic excitement. Eva continued to record until 1965, but her only other substantial hit came with Swinging On A Star, a duet with Big Dee Irwin on which she was, unfortunately, uncredited. She made a UK chart comeback in 1972 with The Loco-Motion re-issue peaking at number 11 and the song's lasting appeal was reaffirmed in 1988 when Kylie Minogue emulated Eva's original UK chart position.