Betty Boo
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'''Alison Moira Clarkson''', better known as '''Betty Boo''' (born [[6 March]], [[1970]] {{Fact|date=June 2008}} in [[Kensington]], [[London]]) is an [[England|English]] [[dance music|dance]]-music artist, [[singer]], and [[songwriter]]
==Career==
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Clarkson studied [[audio engineering|sound engineering]] at [[college]] before having a string of [[chart-topper|hit]]s between [[1989]] and [[1992]]. Originally [[nickname]]d "[[Betty Boop]]" for her similarity to the [[fictional character|cartoon character]], she changed it to avoid [[trademark]] disputes with Boop's owners. Of mixed [[Dusun]] and [[Scottish people|Scottish]] descent, she had an unusual, striking look and dressed in mildly provocative and revealing outfits.
Boo started off working with the group the [[She Rockers]], before going [[solo (music)|solo]]. Her big break came with the 1989 number 7 [[United Kingdom|UK]] smash, "Hey DJ - I Can't Dance (To That Music You're Playing)", with the [[Beatmasters]]. "Doin' The Do" followed and was another [[Top 40|Top 10]] [[single (music)|single]] in 1990, also reaching number one on [[Billboard magazine|Billboard]]'s [[Hot Dance Music/Club Play|dance]] chart in the [[United States]]. Her [[debut album]] ''Boomania'' was hailed by many as a witty, contemporary [[popular music|pop]] masterpiece and sold very well. {{Fact|date=March 2008}} "Where Are You Baby?", Boo's biggest solo hit to date, reached number 3 in August of 1990. "24 Hours" (December 1990) was the last single from ''Boomania'', and although it was a hit, it was less so than previous releases.
Nevertheless, Boo still returned with a new [[recording contract|record deal]] with ([[Warner Music Group|WEA]]) in 1992, and her follow up album, ''GRRR! It's Betty Boo''. The album itself suffered very disappointing sales in the UK, reaching only number 62. It did, nevertheless spawn a hit single in the [[summer]] of 1992 - "Let Me Take You There". "I'm On My Way", which featured a musical quote from [[The Beatles]]' "[[Lady Madonna]]" (the brass riff using all the original players) was very well received by the [[mass media|media]] {{Fact|date=February 2007}}. It did not sell well though, and the next single, "Hangover" fared even worse, barely scraping the Top 50. In 1999 a ''Best Of'' compilation (effectively an expanded version of ''Boomania'' with extra remixes and a different running order) was released and sold moderately well.
After her solo career floundered, Boo turned to songwriting and had success co-writing the song "[[Pure and Simple]]" for [[Hear’Say]]. She has also written for [[Girls Aloud]], [[Louise Nurding]], [[Dannii Minogue]] and [[The Tweenies]].
In 2006 she formed a band called [[WigWam]], with [[Alex James (musician)|Alex James]], bassist from [[Blur (band)|Blur]]. They released a one-off single also entitled "WigWam".
In 2007 she appeared as an interviewee on [[BBC Three]]'s ''The Most Annoying Pop Songs...'' show passing comment on several songs that made the top 100 list.
As of August 2007, Betty Boo is in the process of releasing a new single entitled "Take Off", which is a joint project between Betty Boo and London based dance act Jack Rokka. The track is much more dance oriented than Betty's previous work. She performed along with some of her other songs at Manchester Pride 2007. The video sees Betty Boo's trademark look resurrected and even features the 'Boosters', Betty Boo's backing dancers, who always appear with identical hair and outfits to Betty, and the Betty Boo spiral. The song has been played on Radio 1's dance oriented shows but is yet to receive airplay during mainstream programming.
Betty Boo appeared on ITV's ''[[Loose Women]]'' on [[16 October]] [[2007]] to promote her latest single.
==Discography==
===Albums===
*''[[Boomania]]'' (1990) UK #4, AUS #68
*''[[GRRR! It's Betty Boo]]'' (1992) UK #62
*''[[Doin' the Do: The Best of Betty Boo]]'' (1999 - comprises tracks and remixes from ''Boomania'' only)
===Singles===
*''[[Hey DJ - I Can't Dance (To That Music You're Playing)]] / Ska Train'' (with the Beatmasters) (1989) UK #7
*''[[Doin' the Do]]'' (1990) UK #7, AUS #3
*''[[Where Are You Baby?]]'' (1990) UK #3, AUS #19
*"24 Hours" (1990) UK #25, AUS #94
*"Let Me Take You There" (1992) UK #12, AUS #97
*"I'm On My Way" (1992) UK #44
*"Hangover" (1993) UK #50
*"Catch Me" (1993)- not released as a single in the UK
*"Thing Goin' On" (1993)- not released as a single in the UK
*"Wigwam" (2006) ''as part of [[WigWam]] with Alex James'' UK #60
*"Take Off" (featuring Jack Rokka) (2007) UK #92
===Film===
*''[[The Boomin' Vids]]'' (1990)
==See also==
*[[List of Number 1 Dance Hits (United States)]]
*[[List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart]]
*[[WigWam]]
==References==
* [[Guinness Book of British Hit Singles]] - 16th Edition - ISBN 0-85112-190-X
* Guinness Book of British Hit Albums - 7th Edition - ISBN 0-85112-619-7
==External links==
*[http://www.myspace.com/bettyboomania Official MySpace page]
*[http://www.boomania.co.uk Betty Boo fan site - Boomania]
*[http://www.planetboo.co.uk/betty.htm Betty Boo fan site - Planet Boo]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boo, Betty}}
[[Category:Music from London]]
[[Category:1970 births]]
[[Category:English rappers]]
[[Category:English female singers]]
[[Category:Female rappers]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:English dance musicians]]
[[Category:British people of Malaysian descent]]
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