Little Eva Biography
Eva Narcissus Boyd, 29 June 1943, Bellhaven, North Carolina, USA, d. 10 April 2003, Kinston, North Carolina, USA. Discovered by songwriters Carole King and Gerry Goffin, Little Eva shot to fame in 1962 with the international hit single "The Loco-Motion", a driving, dance-based song that was the first release on the Dimension Records label. Its ebullient, adolescent approach was muted on a follow-up single, "Keep Your Hands Off My Baby", but although further releases from the following year, "Let's Turkey Trot" and "Old Smokey Locomotion", revived its novelty appeal, they lacked its basic excitement. Little Eva continued to record until 1965, but her only other substantial hit came with "Swinging On A Star", a duet with Big Dee Irwin, on which she was, unfortunately, uncredited. She made a UK chart comeback in 1972 with a reissue of "The Loco-Motion", which peaked at number 11, and the song's lasting appeal was reaffirmed in 1988 when Kylie Minogue emulated Eva's original UK chart position. The following year, Little Eva returned to the recording scene with an album on the Malibu label and during the rest of the decade enjoyed some success on the oldies circuit. She succumbed to cervical cancer in April 2003.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin. Licensed from Muze.
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