Connie Champagne, née Kelly Kay Brock, born November 23, 1959 is an
American singer, songwriter and actor. She won the SF Weekly Wammie
Award for Outstanding Cabaret Performer. She is known for performing
the character of actress, Judy Garland including Christmas With the
Crawfords in 2001 and Imagine Judy Garland: An Evening With Connie
Champagne in 2003. She won a 2007 San Francisco Bay Area Theater
Critics Circle Award (BACTC) for her role in Goodbye Yellow Brick
Road. Despite fierce competition by acclaimed Broadway actors
including Phylicia Rashad, Champagne also earned Los Angeles' Ovation
Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in A Musical, "Judy's
Scary Little Christmas," directed by Kay Cole. Specializing in
numerous styles of music and theater including cabaret, swing, jazz,
rock and roll, and musical theater, Champagne performed in numerous
venues throughout the US and Europe.Champagne was born and raised in
Roseville, California. She got her start at 9 years old singing with
Bob Ringwald (father of film star Molly Ringwald) at the Placer County
Fair. Despite a chaotic and sometimes painful childhood, her
grandfather, former Detroit Lions football star Ernie Caddel
encouraged her to pursue singing and acting as a career. After early
attempts at singing with local rock bands, including 'The Innocents'
with Ric Walz-Smith and featuring then boyfriend, Eric Martin,
vocalist of the band, Mr Big. In Sacramento, Connie starred in a
summer music workshop production of 'Jesus Christ Superstar' with Eric
Martin. She starred in the role of Mary Magdalene as Kelly Brock.
Champagne spent the early 80s as a vocalist for avant garde rock group
Clocks of Paradise which featured Michael Belfer of The Sleepers, Mark
Isham, Brian MacLeod, and Benjamin Bossi from Romeo Void, which led
her to a stint is as a back-up for singer for Debora Iyall, and
eventually Romeo Void. She toured extensively with Iyall, including
tours with Cyndi Lauper and Jim Carroll. Champagne switched gears and
decided to study acting, landing her first role at the San Francisco's
Magic Theater, in a play "Love In the 3rd Degree†, written by noted
actress O-Lan Jones. After performances at Theater on the Square,
Climate Theater, and Theater Artaud, Champagne decided to study acting
formally and earned her MFA from the American Conservatory Theater,
where she also taught acting to youth for a number of years. During
this time met former Cockette Scrumbly Koldewyn and the 2 formed the
neo-cabaret group “Connie Champagne and her Tiny Bubbles,†which
won numerous accolades include the SF Wammie Award for Outstanding
Cabaret Performer. She also graduated from Mills College with a BA in
Theater Arts. Champagne was originally named “Kelly Brock,†but
the nickname “Champagne†stuck and is now her legal name. Prior to
Champagne's irreverent approach to the “Great American Songbook,â€
cabaret artists primarily stuck to one genre, and Champagne “broke
the rules.†Champagne's unique repertoire incorporated more modern
songs written by artists such as Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Lou Reed, and
Patti Smith and has since been emulated by many artists who came later
including Justin Bond and Paula West. In the 1990s she recorded and
toured with swing pioneers The New Morty Show, featuring band leader
Morty Okin and singer Vise Grip including a 1-year engagement at the
New York New York Hotel in Las Vegas, celebrating the music of Keely
Smith and Louis Prima, Anita O’Day, and Louis Jordan. She still
sings occasionally with the group.In 1992, Champagne starred as Neely
O’Hara in Phillip R. Ford’s adaptation of †Valley of the
Dolls,†which ran for 4 months. She was spotted by director F. Allen
Sawyer, who cast her as the legendary Judy Garland in a holiday spoof
“Christmas With The Crawfords,†which ran each holiday season for
12 years, playing in both LA and NYC. Working with drag performers
Joey Arias and Doris Fish, was an inspiration to Champagne, and she
credits them for helping develop vivid characters, and began her
interest in the work of Charles Ludlam's Theater of the Ridiculous.
Champagne then performed at many night clubs as Judy, using her same
eclectic approach singing Garland classics along with contemporary
songs, produced by Harry Lit and the late Dan Kryston. Sawyer, along
with musical director Joe Wicht developed “Goodbye Yellow Brick
Road†at New Conservatory Theater which garnered several awards
including the Bay Area Theater Critic's Circle Award for Outstanding
Performance by an Actress in a Musical. She then was cast in 2 Los
Angeles productions of “Judy’s Scary Little Christmas†directed
by Broadway legend Kay Cole. For this performance Champagne won the
Ovation Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical. She often appears
in clubs as Garland, and when asked if she is bored with being type
cast in the Garland role, she answered “Noâ€"the character is always
complex & interestingâ€"plus I’m a performer and I like to work!â€
American singer, songwriter and actor. She won the SF Weekly Wammie
Award for Outstanding Cabaret Performer. She is known for performing
the character of actress, Judy Garland including Christmas With the
Crawfords in 2001 and Imagine Judy Garland: An Evening With Connie
Champagne in 2003. She won a 2007 San Francisco Bay Area Theater
Critics Circle Award (BACTC) for her role in Goodbye Yellow Brick
Road. Despite fierce competition by acclaimed Broadway actors
including Phylicia Rashad, Champagne also earned Los Angeles' Ovation
Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in A Musical, "Judy's
Scary Little Christmas," directed by Kay Cole. Specializing in
numerous styles of music and theater including cabaret, swing, jazz,
rock and roll, and musical theater, Champagne performed in numerous
venues throughout the US and Europe.Champagne was born and raised in
Roseville, California. She got her start at 9 years old singing with
Bob Ringwald (father of film star Molly Ringwald) at the Placer County
Fair. Despite a chaotic and sometimes painful childhood, her
grandfather, former Detroit Lions football star Ernie Caddel
encouraged her to pursue singing and acting as a career. After early
attempts at singing with local rock bands, including 'The Innocents'
with Ric Walz-Smith and featuring then boyfriend, Eric Martin,
vocalist of the band, Mr Big. In Sacramento, Connie starred in a
summer music workshop production of 'Jesus Christ Superstar' with Eric
Martin. She starred in the role of Mary Magdalene as Kelly Brock.
Champagne spent the early 80s as a vocalist for avant garde rock group
Clocks of Paradise which featured Michael Belfer of The Sleepers, Mark
Isham, Brian MacLeod, and Benjamin Bossi from Romeo Void, which led
her to a stint is as a back-up for singer for Debora Iyall, and
eventually Romeo Void. She toured extensively with Iyall, including
tours with Cyndi Lauper and Jim Carroll. Champagne switched gears and
decided to study acting, landing her first role at the San Francisco's
Magic Theater, in a play "Love In the 3rd Degree†, written by noted
actress O-Lan Jones. After performances at Theater on the Square,
Climate Theater, and Theater Artaud, Champagne decided to study acting
formally and earned her MFA from the American Conservatory Theater,
where she also taught acting to youth for a number of years. During
this time met former Cockette Scrumbly Koldewyn and the 2 formed the
neo-cabaret group “Connie Champagne and her Tiny Bubbles,†which
won numerous accolades include the SF Wammie Award for Outstanding
Cabaret Performer. She also graduated from Mills College with a BA in
Theater Arts. Champagne was originally named “Kelly Brock,†but
the nickname “Champagne†stuck and is now her legal name. Prior to
Champagne's irreverent approach to the “Great American Songbook,â€
cabaret artists primarily stuck to one genre, and Champagne “broke
the rules.†Champagne's unique repertoire incorporated more modern
songs written by artists such as Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Lou Reed, and
Patti Smith and has since been emulated by many artists who came later
including Justin Bond and Paula West. In the 1990s she recorded and
toured with swing pioneers The New Morty Show, featuring band leader
Morty Okin and singer Vise Grip including a 1-year engagement at the
New York New York Hotel in Las Vegas, celebrating the music of Keely
Smith and Louis Prima, Anita O’Day, and Louis Jordan. She still
sings occasionally with the group.In 1992, Champagne starred as Neely
O’Hara in Phillip R. Ford’s adaptation of †Valley of the
Dolls,†which ran for 4 months. She was spotted by director F. Allen
Sawyer, who cast her as the legendary Judy Garland in a holiday spoof
“Christmas With The Crawfords,†which ran each holiday season for
12 years, playing in both LA and NYC. Working with drag performers
Joey Arias and Doris Fish, was an inspiration to Champagne, and she
credits them for helping develop vivid characters, and began her
interest in the work of Charles Ludlam's Theater of the Ridiculous.
Champagne then performed at many night clubs as Judy, using her same
eclectic approach singing Garland classics along with contemporary
songs, produced by Harry Lit and the late Dan Kryston. Sawyer, along
with musical director Joe Wicht developed “Goodbye Yellow Brick
Road†at New Conservatory Theater which garnered several awards
including the Bay Area Theater Critic's Circle Award for Outstanding
Performance by an Actress in a Musical. She then was cast in 2 Los
Angeles productions of “Judy’s Scary Little Christmas†directed
by Broadway legend Kay Cole. For this performance Champagne won the
Ovation Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical. She often appears
in clubs as Garland, and when asked if she is bored with being type
cast in the Garland role, she answered “Noâ€"the character is always
complex & interestingâ€"plus I’m a performer and I like to work!â€
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