Eartha Baby

I've lost one of my personal favorites, Miss Eartha Kitt.

She's been a favorite since I was in my early teens and heard her sing I Want To Be Evil.

When I visited San Francisco in the early 90s, she was performing at the Fairmont Hotel on Nob Hill. A friend and I went to the show, in a cabaret setting with the stage only raised about 4 inches and the tables crowded right up to it. We sat on the front row and I was about three feet from Miss Kitt. She was battling a cold and between songs would cough and sneeze and blow her nose. but when she sang it was magic.

She was tiny, you know, only about 5 foot or so, but projected huge charisma. At the end of the show she came along the front row and shook everyone's hands. That's when I found out she had a grip like a stevedore.

Time to put on the signed CD I got that evening.