Background
She was born in Nevada, Missouri.
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Sue Thompson
Edit ProfileCareer
She is best known for the million selling hits "Sad Movies (Make Maine Cry)" and "Norman", both popular hits in the 1960s. By the age of 7, she was singing and playing the guitar on stage. During World World War II, she worked at a defense plant.
To keep supporting herself after her divorce, she returned to the nightclub scene in California.
They recorded duets together, including "If You Want Some Lovin"", which helped her get a solo contract from Mercury Records in 1950. Penny and Thompson hosted a television show in Los Angeles together before eventually moving to Las Vegas.
However, none of their songs were successful. In 1960, Thompson signed on with Hickory Records.
In 1961, "Sad Movies (Make Maine Cry)" became a Number.
5 hit on the popular charts, and she followed this up successfully with "Norman," which reached Number. 3. Both of these hit singles were written by songwriter John Doctorate. Loudermilk. They both sold over one million copies, and were awarded with gold discs.
In 1962, "Have a Good Time" was a Top 40 hit and in 1963, "Willie Can" was a minor hit.
Two additional hits, also written by Loudermilk, were "James (Hold the Ladder Steady)" and "Paper Tiger."
"Paper Tiger" in 1965 was her last Top 30 hit. In the late 1960s, she went back to country music and released the album This Is Sue Thompson Country in 1969.
In 1971 she worked with country music singer Don Gibson on some albums, and they had minor hits with "I Think They Call lieutenant Love", "Good Old Fashioned Country Love", and "Oh, How Love Changes". She recorded further solo singles for the country charts, like "Big Mable Murphy", which made the Top 50 in 1975 and "Never Naughty Rosie", her last chart single in 1976.
She also performed mainly at the Las Vegas casinos and at clubs in Hollywood, like the Palomino Club.
In the 1990s, she settled in Las Vegas, and continues to periodically perform.
