Episode #64: Donna Loren

Summertime starts this week, so on this episode, we could think of no-one better to speak with than American singer and actress, Donna Loren, best-known for her work in the American International Pictures Beach Party movie franchise.

Loren not only appeared in Beach Blanket Bingo, Bikini Beach, and Muscle Beach Party, but the prolific '60s performer was the "Dr Pepper Girl," the featured singer on Shindig!, and guest-starred on both Batman and The Monkees. She left entertainment at the height of her fame in 1968 to start and raise a family, and while she recorded occasionally in the '80s, didn't return to music in a big way until 2009.

Additionally, she's the mother of that dog's Anna Waronker and Joey Waronker, drummer for Atoms for Peace. Her first book, Pop Sixties: Shindig!, Dick Clark, Beach Party, and Photographs from the Donna Loren Archive, was released last year, and a second edition is out now. We talked about all of this and more in a career-spanning interview.

Tracklist:
Donna Loren, "It Only Hurts When I Cry" (Beach Blanket Bingo)
Donna Loren, "The Devil Made Her Do It! (I Can’t Help It)" (Mansfield 66/67)
Donna Loren, "Among the Young" (Pajama Party)
Donna Loren, "Sunshine, Lollipops & Rainbows" (Shindig!)
Donna Loren, "Beach Blanket Bingo" (Beach Blanket Bingo)
Donna Loren, "Two Timin' Angel" (Sergeant Deadhead)
Donna Loren, "Muscle Bustle" (Muscle Beach Party)