Who Is Betty Boo?
Betty Boo is a singer, songwriter and rap artist who became popular in the late 1980s and early '90s. Boo was a symbol of "Girl Power" long before the emergence of The Spice Girls. In fact, a newspaper advertisement seeking auditioners for a new group called The Spice Girls asked for "Five Betty Boos," according to Planetboo.com. Pop icon Madonna once called Boo "criminally overlooked," and, although pop culture seems to have, indeed, overlooked her, Boo has since become a successful songwriter and continues to perform today.
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Early Years
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Betty Boo, born Alison Clarkson on March 6, 1970, began her music career studying music engineering at college and rapping with the group, "The She Rockers." Clarkson originally used the stage moniker, "Betty Boop," due to a resemblance to the cartoon character, but soon changed the name due to legal objections from lawyers representing Betty Boop.
Rhythm King Label
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Betty Boo signed a record contract with the Rhythm King label and had her first success as a guest vocalist on The Beatmasters "Hey DJ--I Can't Dance (To That Music You're Playing)" which charted at number 7 in Britain. The Beatmasters repaid the favor by appearing in Boo's low-budget video for her song, "Doin' the Do," which also reached number 7 in the charts.
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Release, Award and Tour
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Betty Boo released her next single, "Where Are You Baby?," which reached number 3 in the British charts. The accompanying video featured Boo wearing a spacesuit in a "kitschy sci-fi set, riding a rocket," according to Planetboo.com. Her full-length debut album, "Boomania," went on to reach platinum status in the UK. The same year, Boo won the 1991 Brit Award for Best Pop Artist and famously accepted the award wearing a dress covered in mirrors. Boo soon signed a new record deal with Warner Brothers/Sire Records. A world tour ensued but, in Australia, audiences discovered that Boo had been lip-synching during her performances. Consequently, she pulled the plug on the tour and took some time away from the limelight.
Second Release
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In 1992, Boo released her second full-length record, "Grrr! It's Betty Boo," which was a commercial disappointment, reaching only number 62 in the charts. However, it did spawn the singles "Let Me Take You There" and "I'm On My Way," which were well-received by the media but not the record-buying public. It was also at this time that Boo turned down an offer from Madonna to sign with Maverick Records; instead, she took time off to care for her mother, who was suffering from health problems.
Return of Betty Boo
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Boo returned to the music industry as a background singer for Kilo Ali on her album, "Organised Bass." Soon after, Boo found success writing songs for other artists, such as Hear N' Say, Girls Aloud and The Spice Girls. In 2006, Boo began working with Alex James, from the band Blur, on a project called "WigWam." Boo and James released the first single, also entitled "WigWam," in April 2006 on Instant Karma Records, but the single did not chart.
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