Born Constance Franconero, Connie Francis is a key figure in the era that saw the transition of pop music sung by vocalists to pop music sung by rock 'n' rollers. MGM had Francis try everything under the sun, and this New Jersey native's vocal style always leaned towards crossover country. Her Nashville work is fairly decent, but she also recorded nightclub standards, jazzy swingers and somewhat bleached Italian folk tunes. Francis has had her share of personal tragedies (which adds...  [+]