Norma Tanega
Tanega performing in 1966
Tanega performing in 1966
Background information
Birth nameNorma Cecilia Tanega
Born(1939-01-30)January 30, 1939[1]
Vallejo, California, U.S.
DiedDecember 29, 2019(2019-12-29) (aged 80)
Claremont, California, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)Musician, painter
Instrument(s)
Years active1966–2019
Labels

Norma Cecilia Tanega (January 30, 1939 – December 29, 2019)[2] was an American folk and pop singer-songwriter, painter, and experimental musician. In the 1960s, she had a hit with the single "Walkin' My Cat Named Dog" and wrote songs for Dusty Springfield and other prominent musicians. In later decades, Tanega worked mostly as a percussionist, playing various styles of music in the bands Baboonz, hybridVigor, and Ceramic Ensemble. She also wrote "You're Dead", which was used as the theme song of the film What We Do in the Shadows and the TV series of the same name.

Biography

Early life

Norma Tanega was born in Vallejo, California, near San Francisco,[2] and moved to Long Beach at the age of two. Her mother, Otilda Tanega, was Panamanian. Her father, Tomas Tanega, was Filipino and worked as a bandmaster for 30 years in the United States Navy. During that time he served aboard the USS Hornet before eventually leading his own band. Norma's older brother Rudy served in the United States Air Force.[3]

Tanega began classical piano lessons at age nine. She entered Long Beach Polytechnic High School in 1952 and in her senior year directed the school's art gallery. By age 16 she was exhibiting her paintings at both Long Beach's Public Library and its Municipal Art Center, playing Beethoven and Bartók at piano recitals, and writing poetry.[3] At age 17, she entered Scripps College on a scholarship, graduating in 1960, before continuing her studies at Claremont Graduate School, earning an MFA in 1962.[4][5]

Tanega spent a summer backpacking around Europe and moved to New York City to pursue her artistic career. While living in Greenwich Village, she was involved in the folk music scene and political activism, including early opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War.[6]

Music career

"Walkin' My Cat Named Dog"

Tanega worked for a short time at a mental hospital, where she sang and played songs for patients.[7] She spent her summers working as a camp counselor upstate in the Catskill Mountains.[8] Brooklyn-based record producer Herb Bernstein saw Tanega performing while visiting the camp one summer.[4] Impressed by what he saw, Bernstein introduced her to Four Seasons songwriter Bob Crewe. The two men produced a number of recordings that comprised Tanega's first album and singles to be released on Crewe's New Voice Records label in 1966.[9]

Her first single, "Walkin' My Cat Named Dog", became an international hit in 1966, peaking at number 22 on both the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Charts, and #3 in Canada.[10][11][12] Tanega's impetus for the song came from living in a New York City apartment building that did not allow dogs; instead she owned a cat which she named "Dog" and took for walks.[13] The single's success landed her appearances on American Bandstand and Where the Action Is,[14] and a slot as the only woman on a North American tour with Gene Pitney, Bobby Goldsboro, Chad and Jeremy and The McCoys. During the tour Tanega was initially backed by members of the Outsiders. Since they were unable to follow Tanega's more idiosyncratic music, the Outsiders were later replaced by session musicians accompanying her onstage.[7] While some of her songs riffed on traditional tunes like "Hey Girl", derived from Lead Belly's take on "In the Pines",[15] many of her songs diverged from the structure of typical pop and folk music, such as her song "No Stranger Am I", set to a 5
4 time signature.[16]

While Tanega's next three singles had less commercial success than "Walkin' My Cat Named Dog", her debut album was named after its big hit[17] and its popularity spawned several cover versions by contemporary artists. A month after Tanega's single entered the charts, Barry McGuire cut a version on the heels of his number one hit "Eve of Destruction".[10][18] The T-Bones did an instrumental take on it later that year,[19] and both the Jazz Crusaders and Art Blakey released jazz treatments of the song in 1967.[20] International versions adapted the song into other languages. Madagascar yé-yé group Les Surfs translated it as "Mon Chat Qui S'Appelle Médor" for the French-speaking and African markets,[21] Belgium's Lize Marke released it as "Wanneer Komt Het Geluk Voor Mij" ("When Comes This Happiness For Me") in Dutch,[22] and Jytte Elga Olga interpreted it as "Min Kat – Herr Hund" ("My Cat, Mister Dog") on a Danish 45.[23]

Years in the United Kingdom

In 1966, Tanega traveled to England to promote her music. Her tour included a performance on the ITV program Ready Steady Go!, where she met British pop singer Dusty Springfield. After Tanega returned to the U.S., Springfield made many transatlantic calls to her and accrued a large phone bill.[6] On a visit to New York, Springfield entered a romantic relationship with Tanega. They returned to England and lived together for five years.[24]

The couple took up residence in London's Kensington district, where Tanega continued to paint and play music.[25] Springfield recorded many of Tanega's songs. These included "No Stranger Am I", the 5
4 number that originally appeared on Tanega's first album; "The Colour of Your Eyes", which Tanega wrote for Springfield in Venice, Los Angeles; "Earthbound Gypsy" and "Midnight Sounds", both co-written in New York with Tanega's high school friend Dan White; and "Come for a Dream", co-written with bossa nova musician Antônio Carlos Jobim. Tanega also penned the English language lyrics for Springfield's version of "Morning", a cover of the song "Bom Dia" by Gilberto Gil and Nana Caymmi. In 1970 Tanega teamed up with jazz pianist Blossom Dearie to write a song about Springfield for Dearie's album That's Just the Way I Want to Be.[16]

Many of Tanega's songs appeared as non-album B-sides to Springfield's singles. Some, like the outtake "Go My Love", appeared only on collections released years after their recording.[26] Tanega also went uncredited for many of her collaborations with Springfield, and by 1970 their relationship was deteriorating.[16] Tanega secured a contract with the British division of RCA Records, for whom she recorded the album I Don't Think It Will Hurt If You Smile in 1971 with producer/keyboardist Mike Moran and Don Paul of British rock group The Viscounts.[4][27] When Tanega returned to the U.S. before the album's promotion, it failed to achieve the chart success of her earlier work.[28] Dusty Springfield biographer Annie J. Randall said of the record, "I hear many references to Norma's relationship with Dusty on this album. It stands to reason that Dusty would be the object of affection in the love songs."[4]

Later work

In 1972, Tanega moved back to Claremont, California, and took jobs teaching music and English as a second language.[4] She returned to painting and exhibiting her artwork —[29] with frequent support from the Claremont Museum of Art[30] — and sometimes combined with her musical performances.[31] Musically she switched from playing guitar to percussion and her style evolved from folk-rock singer-songwriting to more instrumental and experimental music.[7][1] In the 1980s she was a member of Scripps ceramics professor Brian Ransom's Ceramic Ensemble, a group that played Ransom's handmade earthenware instruments.[32] Over the years Ceramic Ensemble played at universities, folk festivals, and art museums.[33]

In the 1990s Tanega founded the group hybridVigor, starting as a duo with Mike Henderson for their first album, then expanding to a trio with the addition of Rebecca Hamm for their second album.[34] In 1998 Tanega formed the Latin Lizards with Robert Grajeda, and the duo released the album Dangerous in 2003.[35][36]

Her next band was called Baboonz with guitarist Tom Skelly and bassist Mario Verlangieri. The trio released a self-titled CD in 2008, the album HA! in 2009, and a third called 8 Songs Ate Brains in 2010.[4] Other recording projects soon followed, including the album Push with John Zeretzke,[37] Twin Journey with Steve Rushingwind Ruiz, and a return collaboration with Ceramic Ensemble sound sculptor Brian Ransom for their album Internal Medicine.[4]

Death and legacy

Tanega died of colon cancer on December 29, 2019, at her home in Claremont, California, aged 80.[2] That same year Warner Music released the collection In the Shadows comprising some of her early solo recordings after renewed interest in her music from its use on the What We Do in the Shadows TV series.

In 2022, Anthology Editions published Tanega's paintings for the first time, including journal entries and a range of other ephemera titled Try to Tell a Fish About Water.[38] That same year, Anthology Recordings also released the album I’m the Sky: Studio and Demo Recordings, 1964–1971, compiling both released and unreleased material from Tanega’s early music career.

In other media

Beyond the mid-1960s buzz around Tanega's sole hit single and the number of songs she contributed to Dusty Springfield's repertoire, many other musicians have continued to record their own versions of Tanega's early work. Garage rock group Thee Oh Sees covered "What Are We Craving?" on their 2011 album Castlemania.[39] Her one chart hit, "Walkin' My Cat Named Dog", has continued the rounds in other musicians' repertoires: Dr. Hook included it in a 1996 three-disc collection;[40] Yo La Tengo performed it in 2010;[41] and They Might Be Giants recorded it in 2013 for release on their 2015 children's album Why?[42]

In 2014, Tanega's song "You're Dead", which was written as a sarcastic statement about her struggles in New York's competitive music scene,[43] was used in the opening credits of the New Zealand vampire comedy film What We Do In The Shadows and was remixed to become a running theme for its characters.[44][45] Starting in 2019, it was also used as the opening credits theme for the film's television adaptation.

In 2015, Sienna Sebek portrayed Tanega in a London stage production based on the life of Dusty Springfield.[46] Critics panned the show, one writing that the Tanega-Springfield relationship was reduced to, "they meet, fall in love, have a relationship and break up all within the space of a [sic] 10 minutes or so."[47] Anabello Rodrigo reprised the role for a 2016 production featuring 3-D virtual effects.[48]

Discography

Solo

Singles

  • "Walkin' My Cat Named Dog" / "I'm the Sky" (New Voice, 1966)
  • "A Street That Rhymes at Six A.M." / "Treat Me Right" (New Voice, 1966)
  • "Bread" / "Waves" (New Voice, 1966)
  • "Run, On the Run" / "No Stranger Am I" (New Voice, 1967)[49]
  • "Nothing Much Is Happening Today" / "Antarctic Rose" (RCA, 1971)[7]

Albums

  • Walkin' My Cat Named Dog (New Voice, 1966)[50]
  • I Don't Think It Will Hurt If You Smile (RCA, 1971)

Collections

Group projects

hybridVigor

  • hybridVigor (1996)
  • II by 3 (2000)[51]

Latin Lizards

  • Dangerous (2001)[52]

Norma Tanega and John Zeretzke

Norma Tanega and Brian Ransom

  • Internal Medicine (2008)[54]

Baboonz

  • Baboonz (2008)
  • HA! (2009)
  • 8 Songs Ate Brains (2011)[4]

Norma Tanega and Steve Rushingwind Ruiz

  • Twin Journeys (2012)[55]

References

  1. 1 2 Unterberger, Ruchie. "Norma Tanega | Biography & History | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved September 8, 2017. Tanega moved to England for five years, recording an album for RCA. After returning to the United States, she became a percussionist, playing ceramic instruments and making several albums with woodwind player Brian Ransom. Later she played world music with Hybrid Vigor, and taught art and music in Southern California.
  2. 1 2 3 Allen, David (January 2, 2020). "Norma Tanega, 'Cat Named Dog' singer, dies in Claremont". Daily Bulletin. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  3. 1 2 Williams, Vera (August 21, 1955). "Rudy Tanega". Independent Press-Telegram from. Long Beach, California. p. 68.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Norma Tanega talks about her 'lost' album, sold exclusively through "Let's Talk Dusty!" – Let's Talk Dusty!". Let's Talk Dusty. June 3, 2011. Archived from the original on September 12, 2017. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
  5. ↑ scrippsvoice (February 13, 2020). "Remembering Scripps Alumna Norma Tanega". The Scripps Voice. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  6. 1 2 Valentine, Penny; Wickham, Vicki (2014). Dancing with Demons: The Authorized Biography of Dusty Springfield. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 9781466878211.
  7. 1 2 3 4 McLane, Ben C.; Wong, Venice Antoinette (1995). "Articles: Norma Tanega". www.benmclane.com. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  8. ↑ Unterberger, Richie (2014). Jingle Jangle Morning: Folk-Rock in the 1960s. BookBaby. ISBN 9780991589210.
  9. ↑ "Walkin' My Cat Named Dog – Norma Tanega | Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
  10. 1 2 "Hot 100". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. April 9, 1966.
  11. ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London, UK: Guinness World Records Ltd. p. 549. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  12. ↑ "RPM Top 100 Singles - April 18, 1966" (PDF).
  13. ↑ Choron, Sandra; Choron, Harry; Moore, Arden (2007). Planet Cat: A Cat-Alog. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 59. ISBN 978-0618812592.
  14. ↑ "Norma Tanega". Independent Press-Telegram. Long Beach, California. April 10, 1966. pp. 185, 189.
  15. ↑ Miller, Quinn (November 14, 2014). "Hey People, Come Free With Me: New Voices from 1966 « The Hooded Utilitarian". The Hooded Utilitarian. Retrieved September 13, 2017.
  16. 1 2 3 Howes, Paul; Clark, Petula (2012). The Complete Dusty Springfield. Titan Books. ISBN 9781781165409.
  17. ↑ "Pop Spotlight: Walkin' My Cat Named Dog". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. May 14, 1966.
  18. ↑ Bronson, Fred (2003). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits. Billboard Books. p. 183. ISBN 9780823076772.
  19. ↑ "Billboard". Nielsen Business Media, Inc. October 29, 1966.
  20. ↑ "Norma Tanega | Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved September 9, 2017.
  21. ↑ "Tendres Années – Les Surfs | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved September 9, 2017.
  22. ↑ "Lize Marke – Wanneer Komt Het Geluk Voor Mij (Walking My Cat Named Dog)". 45 Cat. Retrieved September 9, 2017.
  23. ↑ "HMV Label X series 45 Singles Diskografi". danpop. April 22, 2012. p. 8. Retrieved September 9, 2017.
  24. ↑ Bartlett, Karen (2014). Dusty: An Intimate Portrait of a Musical Legend. Biteback Publishing. ISBN 9781849547635.
  25. ↑ Hashish, Amira (June 13, 2017). "Dusty's home is for sale – perfect for Diana Vickers' role research". Homes and Property. Retrieved September 8, 2017. Pop star Diana Vickers will portray the late, great Dusty Springfield in the new musical Son of a Preacher Man, directed by Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood. Vickers will tour the UK with the production later this year. As part of her research for the role, she should surely book a viewing at the lateral Art Deco house in Aubrey Walk, Kensington, where Sixties icon Springfield lived with her lover, Norma Tanega.
  26. ↑ SDGLN Staff (October 26, 2015). "Meet LGBT History Month icons Michael Sam, Barbra Siperstein, and Dusty Springfield". San Diego Gay and Lesbian News. Retrieved September 8, 2017. During the late 1960s and early '70s, Springfield was romantically linked to Norma Tanega, a California-born singer-songwriter who wrote a few of Springfield's songs such as "Go My Love."
  27. ↑ Hi-fi News & Record Review. Link House Publications. 1972. p. 327.
  28. ↑ Randall, Annie J. (2008). Dusty!: Queen of the Postmods. Oxford University Press. p. 163. ISBN 9780199716302.
  29. ↑ "Art exhibits". The San Bernardino County Sun. San Bernardino, California. February 20, 1981. p. 45. Retrieved October 17, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  30. ↑ "tanega | Search Results | Claremont Museum of Art". Claremont Museum of Art.
  31. ↑ "Galleries: Local art guide the week of October 3". Claremont Courier. October 2, 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  32. ↑ Henken, John (December 11, 1988). "Instruments That Look and Sound Like Earth : Ceramist/musician Brian Ransom creates art that's both aural and visual". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  33. ↑ Woodard, Josef (October 24, 1991). "Sound Sculptor : Brian Ransom's 'whistling pods,' 'hooters' and 'spiral horns' double as ceramic art and instruments". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  34. ↑ Unterberger, Richie. "Norma Tanega – Biography | Billboard". www.billboard.com. Billboard. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
  35. ↑ "The Latin Lizards Concert | PolyCentric". PolyCentric. August 17, 2003. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
  36. ↑ "Dangerous – The Latin Lizards". CD Baby. Retrieved September 8, 2017. Norma Tanega and Robert Grajeda, known in this galaxy as The Latin Lizards, play a "delicioso" blend of Latin Jazz and Pop. Norma is a painter, composer and musician who has recorded several albums, one of which included "Walkin'My Cat Named Dog", a top-ten hit song in 1967. She sings and plays a variety of percussion instruments including a custom set of ceramic drums (congas, djembes and dumbeks) which are featured on the album. Norma's Panamanian and Filipino roots give the songs an earthy and exotic flavor. Her warmth and joy make you smile and dance every time you listen to her sing and play.
  37. ↑ "Push". AllMusic. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
  38. ↑ Anthology, Mexican Summer &. "Norma Tanega - Try to Tell a Fish About Water. Mexican Summer & Anthology". Mexican Summer & Anthology. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  39. ↑ "Castlemania – Thee Oh Sees | Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  40. ↑ Parisien, Roch. "Pleasure & Pain: The History of Dr. Hook – Dr. Hook | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved September 13, 2017.
  41. ↑ Jarnow, Jesse (December 9, 2010). "Live: The National Open, But Yo La Tengo Dominate During Their Final Hanukkah Night At Maxwell's | Village Voice". Village Voice. Retrieved September 13, 2017.
  42. ↑ "Meet They Might Be Giants' John Flansburgh's Murderous Cats, Symphony Sid and Suzzy". Spin. March 4, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  43. ↑ Locke, Jesse (April 28, 2022). "Norma Tanega was a queer woman of colour who found success and laughter in the folk music world". xtramagazine.com. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  44. ↑ Kustanczy, Catherine (February 13, 2015). "From the Makers of 'Flight of the Conchords,' A Wickedly Funny Vampire Mockumentary". Mic. Retrieved September 8, 2017. Mic: The movie has a really unique soundtrack, with the Norma Tanega song "You're Dead" as a kind of theme for your vampires. How did you find the music? TW: We stumbled across that. Our editors had a big list, like a big drive full of music.
  45. ↑ "Festivales de Buenos Aires – 260". festivales.buenosaires.gob.ar. April 22, 2014. Retrieved September 14, 2017. This sublime documentary couldn't have a better theme song than the resounding "You're Dead," by Norma Tanega, which points out with preciseness the main qualities of its protagonists.
  46. ↑ Taylor, Paul (September 8, 2015). "Dusty, review: Wooden book is saved by elating sequences". The Independent. Archived from the original on June 21, 2022. Retrieved September 8, 2017. But hers is a gutsily-sung, courageous performance and there are elating sequences amidst the dross of the book – Dusty becoming an honorary Vandella for a joyous evening with Witney White's excellent Martha; the duetting same-sex spin on numbers during the show's otherwise cursory treatment of her relationship with American song-writer Norma Tanega (Sienna Sebek); and the moment of deathless kitsch when Dusty dons her first blonde wig, eyes her reflection and says "Goodbye Mary".
  47. ↑ Graham, Katherine M (September 16, 2015). "Dusty drama a dreary dud". People's Printing Press. Archived from the original on September 12, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2017. This is most evident in the portrayal of Springfield's relationship with songwriter Norma Tanega (Sienna Sebek) — they meet, fall in love, have a relationship and break up all within the space of a 10 minutes or so.
  48. ↑ "Everything's Coming Up Dusty". Up&Atom Magazine. No. 6. March 30, 2016. pp. 20–22.
  49. ↑ "Chart Spotlights—Predicted to reach the Hot 100 Chart". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. March 25, 1967.
  50. ↑ Flores, Leonardo; Miller, Mike (July 1, 2007). "The Complete Bob Crewe Label Discography" (PDF). Retrieved September 12, 2017.
  51. ↑ "Hybrid Vigor — "II by 3"". Exposé. No. 22. July 2001. p. 38.
  52. ↑ "Dangerous – The Latin Lizards. Listen @cdbaby". CD Baby. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  53. ↑ "PUSH – Tanaga and Zeretzke. Listen @cdbaby". CD Baby. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  54. ↑ ""From St. Petersburg, with Love": July 26 – September 6" (Newsletter). Artspace Lima. Lima, OH. June 2008. p. 1. He has recorded a CD of his work, "Internal Medicine," in collaboration with Norma Tanega.
  55. ↑ Wildsmith, Steve (August 24, 2016). "Steve Rushingwind, other Native American performers head to Townsend". The Daily Times. Retrieved September 26, 2017. In 2012, he released an album of flute and percussion with solo artist Norma Tanega under the moniker Twin Journeys.

Bibliography of works by Norma Tanega

  • Tanega, Norma (2022). Try to Tell a Fish About Water. Brooklyn, NY: Anthology Editions. pp. 150. ISBN 978-1-944860-35-6.
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