Carla Thomas - Gee Whiz

Carla Thomas was born in Memphis TN in 1942 to Lorene and Rufus Thomas. She and siblings Marvell and Vaneese were exposed to music from a young age as dad was MC at the nearby Palace Theartre on amateur nights. She joined the Teen Town Singers there at the unusually young age of 10 due to her father's influence and stayed with them until the end of high school. Her first recording with brother Marvell at the keyboard caught the attention of Jerry Wexler of Atlantic Records .Her work with Atlantic and subsidiary Stax was well received and she appeared on American Bandstand when still in first year at University of Tennessee in Nashville. She toured extensively in the 1980s and was heavily involved in a project which opened up music to school children. She appeared with dad Rufus at Porretta Terme Soul Festival in Bologna Italy. She received one Grammy nomination in 1968. She continues to live in Memphis. This clip was done at an Atlantic celebration in 1988. As announced this was actually Atlantic's first big hit.