Norma Tanega

Norma Cecilia Tanega (born January 30, 1939, Vallejo, California) is an American folk/pop singer/songwriter. She was a camp counselor in the Catskills when she signed to New Voice Records in 1966. Her debut single, "Walkin' My Cat Named Dog", reached No. 22 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, but she never came close to charting there again. In Canada it reached No. 3 in the RPM Magazine charts and in the United Kingdom it peaked at No. 22 on the UK Singles Chart. Not overtly comedic, the tune's title lyric contributed to its success as a novelty song, but one that was quickly forgotten as a one-hit wonder. Tanega continued recording folk and folk pop material, however, including an album for RCA Records after moving to the UK in the 1970s. When she returned to the U.S., she got her Master of Fine Arts in painting and began teaching art in Claremont, California. She also began working with ceramic percussion instruments, and recorded with Brian and Amanda Ransom. She was also a member of world music ensemble Hybrid Vigor.