Linda Scott

In 1959, an audition victory secured American pop vocalist Linda Scott a recurring role on Arthur Godfrey's popular CBS radio program. Born Linda Joy Sampson in Queens, New York, the New Jersey teenager soon joined Epic Records and issued her first single, "In-Between Teen," while still attending high school. A subsequent contract with the fledgling Canadian-American label brought further success when the 16-year-old delivered a million-selling rendition of the Oscar Hammerstein II and Jerome Kern classic "I've Told Every Little Star," credited under her stage name Linda Scott. Scott herself produced the track, which earned her a gold album in 1961; that same year she added two more hits to her tally with "I Don't Know Why" and "Don't Bet Money, Honey," the three songs ultimately becoming her signature successes. She continued releasing material for both Canadian-American and its newly formed subsidiary Congress Records, including a contribution to the Chubby Checker film Don't Knock the Twist titled "Yesiree." Her only later chart entry arrived in 1964 with the Hal David and Burt Bacharach composition "Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed." By 1965 Scott had taken on co-hosting duties for the rock television series Where the Action Is alongside Steve Alaimo, after which she issued just a few additional recordings, the final one being the 1967 RCA single "They Don't Know You." She remained active in music for several more years, primarily supplying backing vocals, before stepping away in the early 1970s to study theology.