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60 minutes 12 year old music prodigy6/9/2023 In the late forties the group toured with Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, and made some very early TV appearances with Ed Sullivan and Milton Berle. The members for most of the life of the group were Harry Douglas, Jimmy Lundy, Ed Ware, and Vernon Gardner. During the Second World War the group did extensive touring for the USO and provided entertainment for American troops overseas. This notoriety led to opportunities to appear on stage and in radio. They found their first success in winning radio's "Amateur Hour" competition. The Deep River Boys had their genesis on the campus of Hampton Institute in Virginia in the mid thirties. Their very first recordings as the De Castro Sisters were from 1952 on the Tico label and included "I Do" and Jumbalato" with Tito Puente. Did they speed up their voices, or was it really their natural sound? They appeared in the 1947 film Copacabana, and several others including The Helen Morgan Story. They were also the voices that sang Zip A Dee Doo Dah in Disney's 1946 film Song Of The South. Their act included comedy, both intended and unintended, singing, dancing and apparent acting on stage. They were singing and dancing by the early 40's and used several different variations of names as performers, including The Americanitas, The Marvel Sisters, The Fernando De Castro Sisters, and finally they shortened it to their family name of the De Castro Sisters. The De Castro sisters grew up in Cuba, though each was born in a different country - Margarita Dolores, known as Peggy, was born in the Dominican Republic, Cherie - the United States, and Babette - in Cuba. The Singers continued to record and tour straight through the '60s, even managing to issue several of their own albums, including Anita Kerr Singers Reflect on the Hits of Burt Bacharach & Hal David, Velvet Voices and Bold Brass, and Simon & Garfunkel Songbook, among others. Around the same time, Chet Atkins (then the head of RCA Records' country division) took the group under his wing, which led to the quartet appearing on countless recordings by renowned artists. In 1956, the Anita Kerr Singers landed a spot on the New York-based Arthur Godfrey Talent Scouts TV show, which led to further broadcast appearances (although the group never let their session work for others subside). Kerr was the group's leader, but was joined by alto Dottie Dillard, tenor Gil Wright, and baritone Louis Nunley, as the quartet initially gained attention by performing on the NBC radio program Sunday Down South in the early '50s, which led to a contract with Decca Records. You can watch Lucy's audition in full on the second episode of The Piano, on Channel 4 on Wednesday (9pm).In the 1950s and '60s, the Anita Kerr Singers were one of the most popular group of backup vocalists in all of country music, appearing on countless recordings by renowned Nashville artists. During her performance in front of presenter Claudia Winkleman, Lucy appears to be ensconced in the music. The little girl was referred to Daniel Bath, a specialist music teacher who helped develop her skills. And her mum Candice noticed how quickly she was learning to play by ear and touch. Frequently in hospital during her very early life, Lucy was given a toy keyboard to play with. Lucy was born with tumours in her eyes, an extra chromosome, which causes autistic traits, and she struggles to communicate, The Mirror reports. "Well done Lucy, we are so proud of you." Ravenscliffe High School, Calderdale's only special secondary school, said: "This is the incredible moment Lucy, a 13-year-old who is blind and neurodiverse, played a highly-complex Chopin piece, leaving Mika and Lang Lang speechless. And it took a 13-year-old girl to show us how to do that." Mika, who has had three UK top 20 albums and a number one single, Grace Kelly, said: "She was basically turning a tuned percussion instrument into a breathing living vocal instrument. Wide-eyed and stunned Lang Lang, a former musical prodigy who performs at some of the world's most prestigious recitals, said: "How does she study? This is incredible. Read more: Barnsley revenge porn victim's life 'destroyed' as she calls for a major law change Passengers waiting for their trains went misty-eyed while Lang Lang's jaw dropped as he watched the performance via video link. The student of Ravenscliffe High School, Halifax, performed Chopin's Opus 9 Number 1, an elegant and very technical piece, in the concourse of Leeds Station. Lucy, 13, left world-class pianist Lang Lang and singer-songwriter Mika stunned with her audition for Channel 4's The Piano. A blind Yorkshire teenager left TV judges speechless with a flawless piano performance.
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