Brief career summary
Kathy Linden was a New Jersey-born pop singer, active in the 1950s. She is known for her Top 20 Billboard hits, “Billy” and “Goodbye, Jimmy, Goodbye”. The childlike-voiced singer also had scored Top 100 hits such as “You Don’t Know Girls” (#92) and “You’d Be Surprised” (#50).
Who is Kathy Linden?
Kathy Linden is an American traditional pop singer whose singing was considered one of the sweetest-sounding voices during her era. She was born Marion Londres in Moorestown Township, New Jersey, and grew up in nearby Burlingtown, living on the town’s Elm Avenue. Although her exact date of birth remains unknown, according to sources she was born in 1935.
Kathy Linden didn’t chart a lot singles but the single that she was able to chart, have indeed stood the test of time.
First hit single with “Billy”
She came into prominence in March 1958, through her single “Billy.” The funny thing is that it was originally written way back in 1911 by Joe Goodwin, James Kendis and Herman Paley. But Linden’s 1958 update, which was released on Felsted Records, became a really huge, huge hit. It reached its peak position at #7 on the Billboard Top 100 and remained there for about seventeen weeks.
Linden followed this up with Irving Berlin’s “You’d Be Surprised,” another uptempo number. It only became a minor Billboard pop hit at #50.
During the time that her first single became a hit, Kathy Linden was actually a married woman in her twenties, but record executives wanted her to sound like a child due to her childish voice.
Another smash hit with “Goodbye, Jimmy, Goodbye”
Kathy Linden bounced back with another single, a love song called “Goodbye, Jimmy, Goodbye,” written by Jack Vaughan. It was also released on Felsted in 1959, and went all the way to its peak position at #11, giving it another huge success for Linden. The single remained on the charts for a total of fourteen weeks. The tune incorporated elements of two prior numbers – “Two Lovely Black Eyes” which was a British music hall song, and the country tune “Gooodbye Little Darling.”s
Linden’s final Billboard Top 100 item was “You Don’t Know Girls” which sent to the bottom of the charts at #92. It was written by Lou Stallman and Sid Jacobson.
Where is Kathy Linden now?
Linden did a few more covers, including the ones from Ruby Murray in the UK. After that she faded from the spotlight. No one knows for sure where she is now years after her fleeting stardom, or if she’s still alive, so it remains quite a mystery. But her songs, especially her biggest charting hits, will live on in that certain place in people’s memory of the yesteryears.