Connie Champagne
This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages)
|
Connie Champagne | |
---|---|
Born | Kelly Kay Brock November 23, 1959 |
Occupation | Actress |
Website | www |
Connie Champagne, née Kelly Kay Brock,
Career
Champagne was born and raised in Roseville, California. She got her start at 9 years old singing with Bob Ringwald (father of film star Molly Ringwald) at the Placer County Fair. Despite Champagne's chaotic and sometimes painful childhood, her grandfather, former Detroit Lions football star Ernie Caddel, encouraged her to pursue singing and acting as a career. Her early attempts at singing were with local rock bands, including 'The Innocents' with Ric Walz-Smith and her then boyfriend Eric Martin, vocalist of the band Mr Big. In Sacramento, Connie starred in a summer music workshop production of Jesus Christ Superstar with Eric Martin. She starred in the role of Mary Magdalene as Kelly Brock. Champagne spent the early 80s as a vocalist for avant garde rock group Clocks of Paradise which featured Michael Belfer of The Sleepers, Mark Isham, Brian MacLeod, and Benjamin Bossi from Romeo Void, which led her to a stint as a back-up singer for Debora Iyall, and eventually Romeo Void. She toured extensively with Iyall, including tours with Cyndi Lauper and Jim Carroll. Champagne then switched gears and decided to study acting, landing her first role at San Francisco's
In 1992, Champagne starred as Neely O’Hara in
Champagne has done numerous voiceover projects, including the voice of Budgie in the animated feature FernGully 2: The Magical Rescue, voice directed by Jack Fletcher and work with Nik Phelps and the Sprocket Ensemble.
Champagne also performed in the 2008 Dusty Springfield tribute show Brand New Me.[6] In 2009, Champagne reunited with Musical Director Scrumbly Koldewyn and began working with the award-winning underground theater group the Thrillpeddlers, and most recently appeared in Marat/Sade, directed by Russell Blackwood and produced by impresario Marc Huestis. In 2012, Champagne appeared in Trevor Anderson's Award-winning independent film The Man That Got Away, which was featured internationally, including at Berlinale Berlin, LA's OutFest, and Toronto's HotDocs Film Festivals.
In the spring of 2016, Champagne performed the role Judy Garland in Landmark Musical Theatre's Bay area premiere production of The Boy From Ozat the Great Star Theater.[7]
Champagne is slated to perform Easter Parade In Concert with Scrumbly Koldewyn of The Cockettes' fame in March/April 2018 at Michael Feinstein's club "Feinstein's At The Nikko in 2018. She is currently based in San Francisco.
Discography
- single ”Look Out Before the Word is No” (as Kelly Brock on Stymie Records)
- SF Compilation featuring Clocks of Paradise (Vet Records)
- La Strada (HeyDay Records) featuring original songs by They Might Be Giants and Jeff Trott (Sheryl Crow & World Party
- The Acoustic Music Project (HeyDay Records)
- Toast with The Electric Chairmen—(Weasel Disc) featuring Victor Krummenacher, Jonathan Segal, and John Kruth of Camper Van Beethoven
- The New Morty Show—Morty-Fied! (SlimStyle Records)
- Meet the Magnum Brutes featuring Connie Champagne (MG Records)
- Market Street Live (Du Nord Recording Company)
- Did Somebody Say Swing (Ripe Records)
- Pottery Barn Swing Compilation (Rock River, available through Pottery Barn)
- Imagine Judy Garland—An Evening with Connie Champagne (Castrobear Presents)
- Connie Sings Dusty (Appollo Records)
- Judy's Scary Little Christmas—(Original LA Cast Album)
- Judy—LIVE at the Rrazz Room! An Evening With Connie Champagne as Judy Garland (Adrian Records)
- Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas—Recorded at SF's Rrazz Room (Adrian Records)
References
- "Swing! The New-Retro Renaissance" V.Vale, V/Search Publications, (1998)
- "Hardcore California A History of Punk and New Wave", Peter Belsito and Bob Davis, Last Gasp Publications, (8th printing, October 2004)
- "Ferngully 2-The Magical Rescue” IMDb, Fox Video 1998
- ^ Whiting, Sam (June 17, 2010). "Connie Champagne almost a born Garland". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved February 12, 2013.
- ^ a b Lovendusky, Eugene (July 14, 2007), "Connie Champagne in 'Yellow Brick Road' at NCTC Opens 7/14", Broadway World, retrieved January 25, 2010
- ^ Genzlinger, Neil (November 27, 2001). "THEATER REVIEW; Dragging Out Essentials of a Holiday Perennial". The New York Times. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
- ^ Guthmann, Edward (June 26, 2003), "Singer Connie Champagne brings Judy Garland to life -- as she might have been today", San Francisco Chronicle, retrieved January 25, 2010
- ^ Lipton, Brian (March 7, 2008), "Hines, Lumbly, Payne, Ruta, Woods, et al. Win 2007 BACCA Awards", Theater Mania, retrieved January 25, 2010
- ^ Dodds, Richard (July 17, 2008), "Echoes of the Dusty Springfield songbook", Bay Area Reporter, retrieved January 25, 2010
- ^ "Our Upcoming Season". Landmark Musical Theatre. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
External links
- Official website
- Connie Champagne at IMDb