Brian Epstein, who managed Cilla Black as well as the Beatles, tried like heck to make her as big a star in America as she was in Britain, but her dislike of touring abroad kept her from achieving such fame. Petula Clark had much better luck in the United States, though.
Two of her big hits included "Downtown," a wonderful pop song, as well as a song that offered sound advice - "Don't Sleep In the Subway."
For such a conventional singer, Petula Clark caused a stir on American television when, during a number on her own TV special with black singer/activist/icon Harry Belafonte, she lightly grasped his arm. A white woman touching a black man? Sounds like no big deal today, but in America in the sixties, it was considered scandalous.
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Note: Petula Clark was the first British female pop singer to have a number one hit in America, when "Downtown" made it to the top.
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