Gayla Peevey Biography

(Singer)

Birthday: March 8, 1943 (Pisces)

Born In: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States

Gayla Peevey is an American former child singer. She is best known for recording the novelty song “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas” when she was ten years old. She also recorded other Christmas songs, including ‘Angel in the Christmas Play’ and ‘Got a Cold in the Node for Christmas.’ Her only track that reached the charts is “My Little Marine” which peaked at #84 in 1960. Born in Oklahoma City, Peevey studied at San Diego State University and graduated with a Bachelor of Education degree. After teaching for a brief period, she ran an advertising company for fifteen years. Although she was active in Hollywood for only about a decade, she managed to earn a reputation for being a bright and talented child singer. Currently, Peevey is living a retired life with her husband. Her daughter, composer and musician Sydney Forest, is as talented as her mother. She also has three grandchildren.
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Quick Facts

Also Known As: Gayla Rienette Peevey

Age: 81 Years, 81 Year Old Females

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Cliff Henderson

children: Sydney Forest

Born Country: United States

Vocalists Film & Theater Personalities

U.S. State: Oklahoma

City: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

More Facts

education: San Diego State University (SDSU)

Career
Gayla Peevey made her debut as a singer at the young age of ten when she recorded the song “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas” in 1953. Released by Columbia Records, the song became so popular that The Oklahoma City Zoo launched a fundraising campaign to get her a real hippo! Eventually, a baby hippo named Matilda was sent to Peevey which she later donated to the zoo.
In 1954, the child singer released two tracks for Columbia including “Angel in the Christmas Play” and “Daddy's Report Card”. The following year, she released “77 Santas”. This was followed by “I Want You to Be My Guy” and “That's What I Learned In School,” which were released in 1957 and 1958 respectively.
In 1959, Peevey began recording under the name “Jamie Horton.” That year, she released “My Little Marine/Missin'” under Joy Records. The song was a hit and peaked at #84 in 1960. The same year, she covered a single titled “Robot Man,” a song originally released by Connie Francis. It went on to garner much popularity in Australia. In 1960, the singer also released a number of other tracks including "Where's My Love", "Just Say So" and "What Should A Teen Heart Do". These were followed by the singles "When it Comes to Love", "Going, Going, Going Gone" and "Dear Jane", all of which were released in 1961. The following year, the singer came up with a new track titled “Go Shout it from A Mountain”.
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Family & Personal Life
Gayla Peevey was born on March 8, 1943 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA. She attended San Diego State University and graduated with a Bachelor of Education degree. She eventually launched her own advertising company and ran it for fifteen years.
Talking about her love life, Peevey has been married to Cliff Henderson since 25 August 1963. The two have a daughter named Sydney Forest and three grandchildren. Their daughter Sydney is a composer and musician whose music has been featured in a number of films, most notably Studio Ghibli's English version of ‘Kiki's Delivery Service,’ ‘Autumn in New York,’ and ‘Simply Irresistible.’
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How To Cite

Article Title
- Gayla Peevey Biography
Author
- Editors, TheFamousPeople.com
Website
- TheFamousPeople.com
URL
https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/gayla-peevey-44638.php

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