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GEE WHIZ
Written by Carla Thomas
--BIOGRAPHY--
(courtesy of Wikipedia)
Carla Thomas was born December 21, 1942, in
Memphis, Tennessee. She is often referred to
as the Queen of Memphis Soul.
At the age of 17, she recorded a duet with
her father Rufus Thomas, "Because I Love
You," which became a Southern hit and gave
the Satellite record label (later Stax
Records) its first real success. In 1961 she
rose to national prominence with "Gee Whiz
(Look in His Eyes)," which reached the Top
Ten in both the R&B and Pop categories,
becoming the first Memphis soul record to
have an impact nationwide and insuring the
success of the Stax Records label.
In the next ten years, she had twenty two
singles on the national charts, including
"I'll Bring It on Home to You" (an answer to
Sam Cooke's "Bring It on Home to Me"), "Let
Me Be Good to You," and Isaac Hayes'
"B-A-B-Y." She is well-known for her duets
with Otis Redding, from the album King &
Queen, including the recordings of the Lowell
Fulson composition "Tramp" and the Steve
Cropper/Eddie Floyd song, "Knock on Wood".
In 1993 Carla Thomas received a Pioneer Award
from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation. Carla
Thomas co-starred in the 2003 D.A. Pennebaker
directed documentary "Only the Strong
Survive," a selection of both the Cannes and
Sundance Film Festivals.
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