Biography
Born on 14 March 1951 in Burbank, California, she demonstrated early mastery of juggling and unicycle riding by age six, joining the Crazy Lehrs Family vaudeville troupe founded years before by her father. She later incorporated bullwhip routines into these performances. As television eroded vaudeville audiences across the United States, the family act shifted its focus to extensive tours throughout Europe and the Far East. Following her parents’ retirement, she performed alongside her two brothers and a sister-in-law under the name Young Lehrs until her father’s passing brought the group to an end. She then pursued singing and dancing instruction while appearing in television commercials, eventually securing an audition for the Hee Haw television series by arriving on a large unicycle, which secured her a spot on the program. After two years there, she launched solo appearances across the Las Vegas–Lake Tahoe casino circuit. Her 1977 move to Nashville led to recordings with RCA Records and an initial chart success, reaching the Top 10 with her rendition of Dolly Parton’s “Two Doors Down.” By the time she departed the label in 1980, eight additional hits had followed, the strongest being “Danger, Heartbreak Ahead” at number 20 and “Rodeo Eyes” at number 25, though RCA never issued a full album of her work. From 1981 to 1983 on Columbia Records she scored four further chart entries, among them a Top 16 placement with “Feedin’ the Fire.” Her 1984–85 tenure with the Compleat label produced her last two chart appearances. Throughout the decade she traveled with her band the Gypsy Riders, including visits to Australia in 1988 and 1989, and in subsequent years she adopted the shortened professional name Zella.
Albums
