Imperial Valley Press

17-Year Old Girl Wins Acclaim With Voice at N.Y.'s Swankiest Night Club

NEW YORK, March 8. (UP)—The Monte Carlo is the smartest supper club in New York and the logical showcase for a society singer, so who do you think Fefe Ferry, the boss, hires to entertain the platinum-plated customers?

Gloria Blake, a 17-year-old high school girl from Queens who had her first contact with members of the social register when she made her debut at the club recently. They think she's fine.

The poise and confidence displayed by this brunette beauty is as surprising as her coloratura soprano voice considering that her previous appearances have been principally at the homes of friends.

And that, she explained today, is the reason why she can face a paying audience night after night without qualms.

"It may seem funny but I never had stage fright when I appeared on the stage for the first time," Gloria said. "It doesn't seem right but that's the way it is. I guess that's because my friends are my strongest critics. I've sung at parties for about five years and if you can please them you can please anybody."

Gloria resembles Deanna Durbin in appearance and Lily Pons in voice. She sings opera arias as well as popular numbers and can hit an F sharp above high C. The microphone is conspicuous by its absence when this raven-haired beauty takes the floor because she is one of the few younger singers who can eschew use of the mechanical gadget and still command attention.

She began singing at the age of 2 and a half. The place was a neighborhood movie house and between pictures the manager asked if any of the patrons would like to sing from the stage. Up popped Gloria who warbled "Pal of My Cradle Days."