Who is Gayla Peevey? Everything You Need to Know

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)

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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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