2009 Cyndi Lauper

Cyndi Lauper was born in Brooklyn with the full name Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper Thornton. At the age of twelve she started to learn the guitar and even write her own songs. She started on the road to stardom humbly, just as many do. She began singing with cover bands in the mid 1970s in the New York City area, mimicking bands like Jefferson Airplane, Led Zeppelin, Bad Company, and other popular songs of the day.

Lauper's career took a new turn in 1980 when she joined up with John Turi and formed the band Blue Angel. They released a self-titled album featuring 'Maybe He'll Know' and 'I'm Gonna Be Strong'. After a few years of moderate local success with Blue Angel, Lauper signed as a solo artist with Portrait Records and released her first solo album, titled She's So Unusual. Cyndi Lauper was now a star.

Her debut album sold over 4.5 million copies in the United States alone. The album rocketed to the top of the charts with such great hits as 'Girls Just Want To Have Fun', 'Time After Time', 'She Bop', and 'All Through The Night'. At the very beginning of her career she also became the first female artist to score four Top Five singles from her debut album. Her achievements did not go unnoticed. Lauper received many awards for her outstanding musical talent, including the American Music Award for Favorite Female Vocalist, a Grammy for Best New Artist, MTV's Best Female Video Award, as well as many others.

In 1984, Cyndi Lauper concentrated on promoting her albums through touring. Tickets to her concerts were a hot commodity. Lauper toured all over the country doing over 300 shows in over 150 cities across the US. As her songs became more popular and her image became more recognizable, she was asked to appear in a movie in 1985 that gained her a new and younger audience. The movie was the cult classic The Goonies, for which Lauper provided the theme song 'Good Enough'. The song made it into the top 10 on the national charts. In 1986 True Colors was released. For the album, Lauper collaborated with some of pop's greatest like Billy Joel, The Bangles, and Nile Rodgers to produce this Grammy nominated album that Lauper co-produced herself.

Cyndi Lauper fans in the US cheered in 1988 when she appeared in the film Vibes beside Jeff Goldblum. Crossing the line into the movie industry didn't stop Lauper from keeping her music career first in line. In 1989 she produced another hit album called A Night to Remember. The single 'I Drove All Night' received a Grammy nomination. Despite her busy recording schedule, Lauper still dedicated time to her fans and continued touring. She appeared in events like 'The Wall' as well as her own solo tour. Tickets sold out quickly to many of her shows in venues across the country.

Throughout the 90s Lauper continued to produce hit albums. In 1991 she released Hat Full of Stars, which became an instant hit. In 1994 another hit album, Twlve Deadly Cyns'¦And Then Some, was well received by fans and critics. Again crossing media lines, Lauper appeared in the TV series Mad About You and was even nominated for an Emmy. Sister of Avalon, her Christmas album, Disco Inferno, and Shine were all released worldwide in the 90s to much fanfare. Lauper toured with Cher in 1999 and continues her solo touring. Critics and fans can agree that Cyndi Lauper is a superstar that spans the decades with grace and continues to produce powerful and pleasing music for all of her adoring fans.