Pop/jazz-singer Norah Jones is celebrating triumphs with her debut album Come away with me. Norah is daughter of Ravi Shankar, the sitar player who was very successful in the 1960’s thanks to his collaborations with The Beatles and after performing at a.o. the Monterey Popfestival and the Concert for Bangladesh. Below some more successful daughters of famous fathers.
1. Nancy Sinatra
Nancy with the laughing face was Frank Sinatra’s hit in 1945. It was dedicated to his then five year old daughter, who was to follow her father’s example in her teens. At the end of the 1950’s she performed with Elvis Presley in her father’s TV show, but in 1966 she had a major breakthrough. These Boots are made for walking was a no. 1 hit, and that was never equalled by her father: he never got to no. 1 in our country.
2. Sam Brown
Sam Brown does not only have a famous father (soul singer Joe Brown), but also a famous mother: Vicki Brown. Joe had a few British hits in the 1960’s, but was most famous as a session musician. Mother Vicki was a popular backing singer in the 1960’s and 1970’s until she had a breakthrough in our country as a singer for the New London Chorale. The children had no other choice than to get into music as well. Sam Brown recorded the single Stop in 1988 and reached the first place in the Top 40 with that. Abroad her success was much less, much alike her mother.
3. Kim Wilde
Some daughters have no desire to be compared to their fathers, which causes them to use a different name than their fathers. Norah Jones is a good example. Other singers feel good about it, and even use the same pseudonym as their father. Nathalie Cole (daughter of Nat ‘King’), Willeke Alberti and Kim Wilde are examples of that. Kim is the daughter of Marty Wilde (real name: Reginald Smith), who had hits in the 1960’s with Abergavenny and Sea of Love. Kim’s career was a real family business, because her father wrote her hits with brother Ricky.
4. Linda Womack
Linda is daughter of Sam Cooke, who was shot to death in 1964. In the years before his death he collaborated a lot with The Valentinos. This was a family band of the brothers Womack, Bobby and Cecil among them. Years after Sam’s death Cecil and Sam’s daughter Linda got married and formed the duo Womack & Womack. In 1988 they had a no. 1 hit with Teardrops. Linda and Sam are the only father and daughter who both had a no. 1 hit; Sam was no. 1 in 1986 with Wonderful World. By the way, Cecil Womack is not only Linda’s husband, but also her foster uncle: in 1965 his brother Bobby’s married Linda’s mother.
5. Wilson Phillips
The older first generation pop stars (from the 1960’s) get, the bigger the chances that their offspring start working in music. Wilson Phillips was a group consisting entirely of daughters of famous people: Carnie and Wendy Wilson are daughters of Brian Wilson from the Beach Boys and Chynna Phillips is the daughter of Michelle and John Phillips from the Mama’s & Papa’s. It wasn’t a guarantee for success, because after their successful debut album (1990) Wilson Phillips descended into anonymity.