Conny Van Dyke

Conny Van Dyke

Conny Van Dyke (born September 28, 1945), sometimes credited as Connie Van Dyke, is an American singer and actress. Van Dyke was born in Cape Charles, Virginia, to Benjamin and Charlotte Elizabeth Van Dyke. When she was 15 years old, Van Dyke made recordings, worked as a fashion model, and made her first film, Among the Thorns. She worked as a songwriter and recording artist for Wheelsville Records in Detroit, Michigan. She entered and won Teen magazine's Miss Teen of the United States (unrelated to the current Miss Teen USA pageant) in 1960 and signed with Motown Records in 1961, making her one of the first white recording artists for the label. Her only Motown release appeared in early 1963, featuring "Oh Freddy", written by Smokey Robinson, backed with "It Hurt Me Too", written and previously recorded by Marvin Gaye. She was cast in Hell's Angels '69 with Tom Stern, Jeremy Slate, and several members of the Hells Angels motorcycle club. Her only sibling, Benjamin Van Dyke III, was killed in an auto accident near Salinas, California in 1969. Shortly after Hell's Angels '69 she married Robert Page and gave birth to a son, Bronson. She continued to pursue recording, and released a self-titled album in 1972. She co-starred in W. W. and the Dixie Dancekings in 1975 with Burt Reynolds. Another album, Conny Van Dyke Sings for You, followed the film.

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