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JOY LAYNE

“YOUR WILD HEART”

(James Testa, Charles Sano)

Mercury 71038

No. 20    February 23. 1957

UPDATED, REWRITTEN, June 23, 2015

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Although a mere junior attending Lyon Township High, Joy Layne (b. Joy Lynne Nagl, 1941, Chicago, IL)

seemed to be on the brink of a big-time career when “Your Wild Heart,” her cover version of a single by

THE PONI-TAILS, charted nicely.  She had a searing range and the kind of one-two vocal punch that

Brenda Lee was just about to unleash on “Dynamite” and “That’s All You Got to Do.”

Joy’s dad was a construction worker but a household violinist and piano-picker as well.  Mom was actively

involved in local theater productions and her little 15-year-old’s future.  One day, Joy’s mother took her

downtown to see Mercury A & R man Art Tal­madge.  “She was bouncy and bright-eyed and carried her

mascot, this squeaky toy dog Brownie,” Talmadge recalled to TV Radio Mirror.  Art already knew of this

promising Poni-Tails platter, and after a quick audition, he had found the right singer to cover the wild

number.  Follow-ups included “My Suspicious Heart” and a cover of RANDY STARR’s “After School.”

Lennie LaCour, a multi-indie label owner/director (Lucky Four, Magic Touch, 620), talent scout, and

rock’n’roll wanna-be, was the last person to record any tunes on Joy, in 1961.  As Lennie revealed in an

exclusive interview, “Her mother was her manager, and she had certain things that she didn’t want Joy

doing, like traveling and promoting records.  And that was the end of her career.   She looked and sounded

to me like a Sandy Duncan.  Every time I see or hear Sandy, I think of Joy Layne.”

Per a 2013 interview Joy Klang continued to sing on for a quarter century, working night clubs, hotels and

USO shows.   At the peak of flickering fame she appeared on crooner Vic Diamone’s TV show.   “I was so

young.  I was so excited and in awe,” Ms. Klang said to Riverside/Brookfield Landmark editor Bob Uphues.

“I was embarrassed.   I don’t like a lot of attention on me, though I enjoyed it when I was a young lady.”

After retiring from showbiz, Joy taught pre-school for 21 years at the Kensington School in LaGrange, Il.

She continues on working at a Brookfield Illinois flower shop and singing in her church choir.