Sunny Gale
| Sunny Gale | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Selma Sega |
| Born |
February 20, 1927 Clayton, New Jersey, United States |
| Genres | Pop music |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Years active | c.1943–late 1950s |
| Labels | Derby, RCA Victor |
Sunny Gale (born Selma Sega, February 20, 1927) is a retired American pop singer who was popular in the 1950s. Gale reached the Billboard Hot 100 several times throughout the earlier half of the decade, scoring her biggest hit with a cover version of "Wheel of Fortune" in 1952.
She was born as Selma Sega in Clayton, New Jersey, where she competed in singing contests at an early age, sometimes against future musicians Eddie Fisher and Al Martino. After participating in the Miss Philadelphia beauty contest at 16 years-old, and reaching the finals with her vocal prowess, Sega began receiving contracts to establish herself on the city's nightclub circuit. Sega performed in Philadelphia for five years, and employed the stage name Sunny Gale as early as August 1948, which is evident by her early photoshoots. In 1949, Gale joined bandleader Hal McIntyre's orchestra on a series of successful concerts across the United States and Canada.
Gale's manager Gary Romero secured a recording contract with Derby Records in 1951. In accordance with Romero's suggestion, Gale recorded "Wheel of Fortune", a song written by Bennie Benjamin and George David Weiss. However, as soon as other rival record companies saw the potential of a hit, several artists recorded the composition in rapid succession, including Sammy Kaye, the Bell Sisters, and the Cardinals. Gale's rendition, nonetheless, managed to chart at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100, but was soon overtaken by Kay Starr's novelty take on "Wheel of Fortune", which became a number one hit.
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