Lena Zaveroni, a tragic Scottish Karen Carpenter
Posted: May 18th, 2008, 1:02 pm
they really wern't really simaliar musically, but Lena Zaveroni and Karen Carpenter both died young after suffering from eating disorders. i know most in America won't know of her, but i hope you bear with me as i pay tribute to a sadly missed young lady.
at the age of 9 Lena appeared on Hughie Green's Oportunity Knocks talent show winning a record number of shows, performing with a booming voice similiar to Shirley Bassey. this led to a big hit Ma He's Making Eyes At Me and a trip to Hollywood, meeting Frank Sinatra and appearing on Johnny Carson's Tonight show and singing her hit song.
there were rumours of an eating disorder even then, because she had a bit of puppy fat she wanted rid off. however, in her early teens, her career appeared in full swing singing There's Something About You Baby I like with comic legends Morcambe And Wise and Be A Clown with Bruce Forsyth on their respective tv shows. as well as being a great singer, Lena was also a great mimic and could do May West and Lulu. i believe Lulu is the best female artist to come out of Scotland, but Lena had more natural talent and had she lived a normal healthy life would have acheived true greatness, at least IMO. as a singer she was maturing into another Judy Garland.
Lena enrolled at a stage school with another Oportunity Knocks winner and child star Bonnie Langford. both co-hosted their own tv special while still at the school and while Lena was the more gifted of the two it has been Bonnie, now in her 40s, who has acheived her potential, becoming one of Britian's greatest female all-round entertainers.
Lena then had her own successful tv series and she was bloosming into a beautiful young woman, but the pressures of hosting her own series at 16 took their toll and the eating disorder returned with Lena retiring from show buisness.
a few yrs later she made a great comeback on the Des O'Conner Tonight chat show talking about her illness, before singing a brilliant version of Andrew Llyod Webber's Memory. however, it was short lived and she appeared to retire again. there were other attempts at a comeback, appearing in Summer seasons, but eventually she gave it all up for good, though wheather she still thought she'd come back is now speculation. the fact anytime she wanted to come back to performing, it was clear she'd be welcomed back with open arms is testement as to how good everyone thought she was as a performer.
sadly Lena died at 35. i just wished i could have written and sent an email telling her as i said earlier that she was potentially the best singing star to come out of Scotland.
at the age of 9 Lena appeared on Hughie Green's Oportunity Knocks talent show winning a record number of shows, performing with a booming voice similiar to Shirley Bassey. this led to a big hit Ma He's Making Eyes At Me and a trip to Hollywood, meeting Frank Sinatra and appearing on Johnny Carson's Tonight show and singing her hit song.
there were rumours of an eating disorder even then, because she had a bit of puppy fat she wanted rid off. however, in her early teens, her career appeared in full swing singing There's Something About You Baby I like with comic legends Morcambe And Wise and Be A Clown with Bruce Forsyth on their respective tv shows. as well as being a great singer, Lena was also a great mimic and could do May West and Lulu. i believe Lulu is the best female artist to come out of Scotland, but Lena had more natural talent and had she lived a normal healthy life would have acheived true greatness, at least IMO. as a singer she was maturing into another Judy Garland.
Lena enrolled at a stage school with another Oportunity Knocks winner and child star Bonnie Langford. both co-hosted their own tv special while still at the school and while Lena was the more gifted of the two it has been Bonnie, now in her 40s, who has acheived her potential, becoming one of Britian's greatest female all-round entertainers.
Lena then had her own successful tv series and she was bloosming into a beautiful young woman, but the pressures of hosting her own series at 16 took their toll and the eating disorder returned with Lena retiring from show buisness.
a few yrs later she made a great comeback on the Des O'Conner Tonight chat show talking about her illness, before singing a brilliant version of Andrew Llyod Webber's Memory. however, it was short lived and she appeared to retire again. there were other attempts at a comeback, appearing in Summer seasons, but eventually she gave it all up for good, though wheather she still thought she'd come back is now speculation. the fact anytime she wanted to come back to performing, it was clear she'd be welcomed back with open arms is testement as to how good everyone thought she was as a performer.
sadly Lena died at 35. i just wished i could have written and sent an email telling her as i said earlier that she was potentially the best singing star to come out of Scotland.