Toni Harper

Toni Harper (born June 8, 1937, Los Angeles, California) (aka Toni Dunlap) is a former child singer, who retired from performing at the age of 29. After learning dance under Maceo Anderson, Harper was cast by the choreographer Nick Castle in Christmas Follies, at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in 1945.She later went on to perform on stage with Herb Jeffries and Cab Calloway. Harper recorded "Candy Store Blues" in 1946, which became a platinum record, appeared twice on Toast of the Town (later The Ed Sullivan Show) in 1949, and made her third and final appearance on the show in 1950. After success as a child singer, Harper recorded her first album, Toni, for Verve Records in 1955, with the Oscar Peterson trio.She made two further albums, arranged by Marty Paich, Lady Lonely (1959) and Night Mood (1960), for RCA Victor. Harper toured Japan with Cannonball Adderley in 1963, and appeared in the film How to Stuff a Wild Bikini (1965), before retiring from performing in 1966.