Yma Sumac(1922-2008)
- Actress
- Music Department
- Composer
Known for her astonishing 4 1/2 octave vocal range, Yma Sumac (AKA Ima
or Imma Sumack) was born in Ichocán, Peru, a town high in the Andes. From
an early age she performed in radio and movies and made recordings
throughout South America. She came to the United States in the 1940s
and performed with a small group of musicians and dancers. When she
signed with Capitol Records in 1950 her stage name's spelling was
changed to the more exotic "Yma Sumac." An urban legend that she was
really "Amy Camus," a nice Jewish girl from Brooklyn, originated in
1951 with a joke among musicians repeated in one of Walter Winchell's gossip
columns. She acted in several films and stage shows, and continued
to perform into the 1990s. She died in Los Angeles after the re-release of her recordings turned her into a cult icon.
