Rose Murphy

Rose Murphy occupies a singular niche in the annals of popular song. She earned the nickname “the Chee Chee Girl” after inserting the phrase “chee chee” in her piercing upper register into almost every performance. Although she played piano with considerable skill, her reputation rested chiefly on her idiosyncratic vocal mannerisms. Public recognition arrived only after “I Can't Give You Anything But Love” emerged as her signature number in the mid-1940s. Her delivery remained effervescent, punctuated by playful drum-like effects, laughter, and high-pitched exclamations. Listeners either found the approach endearing or grew irritated within moments. Throughout the mid-1940s she maintained a steady presence on network radio. Among the most notable sides she cut for Majestic, Victor, and MCA were “When I Grow Too Old to Dream,” “Girls Were Made to Take Care of Boys,” “Me and My Shadow,” “Busy Line,” “A Little Bird Told Me,” and “Button Up Your Overcoat.” After 1950 her studio activity dwindled to single albums for Verve in the mid-1950s, United Artists in 1962, and Black & Blue in 1980. By the 1960s she had faded from American awareness, though Ella Fitzgerald continued to include a faithful impression of her on every rendition of “I Can't Give You Anything But Love.” Across the Atlantic, however, “the Chee Chee Girl” sustained her following and performed regularly in Europe throughout her final thirty years.