TONI HARPER

Toni Harper is a black African American singer, born in Los Angeles in 1937. She was performing on stage at the age of 8 with Herb Jeffries and Cab Calloway among many others. In 1946, she had a platinum record with "Candy Store Blues" and she appeared in two movies in 1948 and 1949, and made three appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show at this time. When she turned 18, she recorded an album and made two more several years later. She toured in Japan with Cannonball Adderley in 1963, and had a small part in 1965's "How to Stuff a Wild Bikini", and then she completely retired from show business when she was 29. As of 2021, she is still alive at the age of 83!