Little Eva

Known for her hit The Loco-Motion, Little Eva is a case study in being in the right place at the right time. In 1962, Eva Boyd moved to Brooklyn to stay with some family. There she met members of an after-school group named the Cookies. When one of the girls couldn't get out of class, Eva would fill in for her on stage.

Looking to earn more money, she began babysitting for the songwriting duo of Gerry Goffin and Carole King. Carole and Gerry had written a song for Dee Dee Sharp (Warning: may cause eyes to catch on fire. Here is a better one)Upon hearing Eva sing, they decided to record a demo with Carole singing backup. Music producer Don Kirshner liked it as is and a smash hit was born.

Some say that Eva's crazy dance moves inspired the song in the first place. Little Eva certainly did inspire another song written by King and Goffin. After learning that Eva's boyfriend regularly beat her, she told them it was a sign that he truly loved her. It inspired the song He hit me (and it felt like a kiss) that was recorded by The Crystals under the guidance of Phil Spector. The song was a flop due to the creepy nature of the lyrics. A recent cover of the song by Grizzly Bear does, in my opinion, a better job of interpreting the song.

Little Eva did a bit of recording with the Cookies, who eventually had a few hits of their own, but never had another success like she did with the Loco-Motion. She passed away in 2003.