Introduction to Joy Layne

50s music-era singer Sandy Duncan look-(and sound-) alike pop singer Joy Layne achieved her first and only hit “Your Wild Heart,” all this while she was not yet 16 at that time and still attending high school in suburban Chicago.  It all started when Layne’s mother (who was also her manager), took her teenaged daughter to Art Talmadge, Mercury Records’ A&R man at that time.  Layne got signed with the label, where she recorded “Your Wild Heart”; the single reached the Top 40 charts in 1957.  Subsequent singles didn’t chart, however, eventually landing Layne a place in the “one-hit wonder” ranks.  Layne’s last recordings were midwifed by producer Lenny LaCour in 1961.

The short musical career of Joy Layne

American pop singer Joy Layne was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1941. In 1956, Layne’s mother arranged a meeting with Mercury A&R rep Art Talmadge to get her daughter signed. Apparently, she became a recording artist for the label. Layne first came to prominence when she released the debut single “Your Wild Heart” b/w “Dum Dum” in the summer of 1957.  She was only 15 years old and studying at LaGrange Illinois’ Lyons Township High School when her single became a big hit in 1957. Her cover of The Ponytails’ original reached #20 on the Billboard Hot 100. During that time, Layne was being compared to other singers such as Sandy Duncan and Teresa Brewer.

After the success of “Your Wild Heart,” Layne released several singles for Mercury throughout 1957: “After School,” “You Gave Me Wings to Fly,” and “Sixteen.” However, none of them made any commercial success. In 1961, Brewer recorded her own version of “After School” which was produced by Lenny Lacour, who also produced most of Layne’s last recordings.

Joy Layne’s discography (may be impartial)

Mercury (Jun 1957, Australia)

Joy Layne with Carl Stevens and His Orchestra

• A: Your Wild Heart
• B: Dum – Dum

(Oct 1957, Australia)

• A: After School
• B: You Gave Me Wings To Fly

(Jan 1957, USA)

• A: Your Wild Heart
• B: Dum-Dum

(Mar 1957, USA)

• A: You Gave Me Wings To Fly
• B: After School

(Jun 1957, USA)

• A: Sixteen
• B: My Suspicious Heart

(Dec 1958, USA)

• A: Foolishly
• B: Meet Me At My Locker