Pat Suzuki

Pat Suzuki (born Chiyoko Suzuki; , Hepburn: ; September 22, 1930) is an American popular singer and actress, who is best known for her role in the original Broadway production of the musical Flower Drum Song, and her performance of the song "I Enjoy Being a Girl" in the show.

Early life Suzuki is a Nisei or second-generation Japanese American, and was born Chiyoko Suzuki,

In February 1942, a few months after the United States entered World War II, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066. Under XO 9066, the Suzuki family and more than 110,000 other Japanese American residents of the U.S. Pacific coast states were forced to evacuate their homes and enter American internment camps. The Suzukis were sent to the Merced Assembly Center and later, the Granada War Relocation Center in Colorado. The Suzuki family left Granada to work on a sugar beet farm and returned to California after the war.

During the early 1950s, Suzuki attended five colleges, earning teaching credentials for elementary and secondary schools. appearing for three years and more than 2,000 consecutive performances.

After appearing on Jack Paar, Richard Rodgers called Suzuki to offer her the role of Linda Low, Suzuki's rendition of "I Enjoy Being a Girl" is deemed to be the definitive recording. Suzuki and Flower Drum Song costar Miyoshi Umeki were photographed by Philippe Halsman for the December 22, 1958 cover of Time.

I was seven months pregnant at the time and I would have had some trouble playing a stripper. — Pat Suzuki, on not playing Linda Low in the 1961 film Flower Drum Song, from a 1963 interview with Bob Thomas and had given birth to their son David shortly before the film was being shot; in addition, Kwan had recently become notable for starring in The World of Suzie Wong.

In 1960 Suzuki was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Female Pop Vocal Performance category, for her album "Broadway '59". When Shaw was serving as the photographer for John F. Kennedy, the couple became close friends with the Kennedys, and Suzuki performed at Kennedy's inaugural ball in 1961 as a Hawaiian politician in a stereotypical accent, which Suzuki later described as "pretty corny."

However, Suzuki had largely retired from show business after David's birth. She returned to touring nightclubs in 1963 (including several on the Sunset Strip), Reportedly, Shaw had returned home one day to the New York apartment they shared with their son and, after describing his exciting fashion shoot earlier that day, enquired about Suzuki's activities, prompting her to launch the nightclub tour.

Throughout the 1970s, Suzuki appeared regularly on stage. She played the role of Ma Eng in the off-Broadway production of Frank Chin's The Year of the Dragon.

In 1999, Taragon Records released The Very Best of Pat Suzuki on compact disc. The compilation album collected recordings originally made for her first four albums on RCA Victor, including a performance of "Love, Look Away", the torch song for the character of Helen Chao in Flower Drum Song (music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II), originally issued on her 1959 album, Pat Suzuki's Broadway '59. The cover is anachronistically featured in the motion picture Biloxi Blues during the opening credits

Personal life Suzuki married photographer Mark Shaw in March 1960. The couple divorced in 1965.

Discography 1958 - The Many Sides of Pat Suzuki (Vik) 1958 - Pat Suzuki (Vik) 1959 - Pat Suzuki's Broadway '59 (RCA Victor) 1959 - Flower Drum Song (Original Broadway Cast) (Columbia) 1960 - Looking at You (RCA)