Voting Station

Eileen Barton

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Vocalist

The Resume

    (November 24, 1924-June 27, 2006)
    Born in Brooklyn, New York
    Recorded the singles ‘If I Knew You Were Coming (I’d’ve Baked a Cake)’ (1950), ‘Cry’ (1951), ‘Pretend’ (1953), ‘Don’t Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes’ (1953), ‘Pine Tree, Pine Over Me’ (1954), and ‘Sway (Quien sera)’ (1954)
    Hosted an eponymous radio show on CBS (1954)
    Appeared on Broadway in ‘Angel in the Wings’ (1947-48)
    Regular on the TV shows ‘Broadway Open House’ (1951), ‘The Bill Goodwin Show’ (1951-52), and ‘Video Village’ (1961-62)
    Appeared in the films ‘Show For Sale’ (1937), ‘College Capers’ (1954), and ‘Promises! Promises!’ (1963)

Why she might be annoying:

    She appeared in her parents’ vaudeville act at age 2-1/2.
    She later tried to shave five years off her age and claim 1929 as her birth year (which would have made her a vaudeville veteran before she was even a fetus).
    She would end her nightclub act performing a medley of Al Jolson songs in a tuxedo and blackface.
    She said about ‘If I Knew You Were Coming,’ ‘I thought it was a terrible song.’

Why she might not be annoying:

    Before she hit her teens, she had worked with Ted Healy, Milton Berle, and Rudy Vallee.
    She then became a protégé of Frank Sinatra, appearing on his radio show for two years and performing with him at the Paramount fifteen times.
    Her version of ‘If I Knew You Were Coming’ fended off covers from Georgia Gibbs and Ethel Merman to become a #1 hit for ten weeks.
    She never got paid royalties for ‘If I Knew You Were Coming.’

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 5 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 5 Votes: 80.0% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 15 Votes: 73.33% Annoying