Karen Chandler

Pop chanteuse Karen Chandler — also known under her previous stage name, Eve Young — was born Eva Nadauld in Rexburg, ID. She began singing professionally while a student at Brigham Young University, and the school name may have influenced her decision to rechristen herself Eve Young by the time she made her national debut on July 8, 1946, singing "I Don't Know Why" on bandleader Benny Goodman's NBC radio showcase. Young served as a featured vocalist with Goodman's orchestra for the remainder of the year, making her recorded bow with "For You, for Me, for Evermore" — replaced by Jeannie McKeon on New Year's Day 1947, she joined the cast of the television showcase Musical Merry-Go-Round and signed to RCA Victor as a solo act, charting a year later with "Cuanto la Gusta." Drugstore Cowboys vocalist Jack Lathrop sang a duet with Young on the follow-up, "My Darling, My Darling" — the record was also a success, but subsequent efforts including "Laughing Boy" and "It's Me" fared poorly, and in 1950 RCA terminated her contract.

The newly blonde singer resurfaced in late 1952 under the name Karen Chandler, signing to Coral Records (where husband Jack Pleis served as a staff arranger and conductor). Her label debut, "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me," proved an enormous hit, selling over a million copies and ascending to the number five spot on the Billboard pop chart. Its follow-up, "I Hear the Music Now," fared miserably, but in the spring of 1953 Chandler returned to the charts with "Goodbye Charlie, Goodbye," which climbed into the Top 40. Follow-ups "Rosebud" and "Transfer" went nowhere, and in early 1954 Chandler scored her final solo hit, "Why?" — subsequent efforts "Positively No Dancing" and "Why Didn't You Tell Me?" went nowhere, and in 1956 she shifted gears, teaming with country singer Jimmy Wakely for one last hit, the duet "Tonight You Belong to Me." Another duet, "As Far as I'm Concerned," paired Chandler with Eddie Reardon, and appeared at year's end. With rock & roll now in full ascent, Chandler's 1957 Decca singles "Love Is the $64,000 Question" and "Free Little Bird" essentially fell on deaf ears, and her recording career ground to a halt.