Marti Barris

American actress and popular singer. She was also a composer and pianist. Born: 6 April 1937 in Hollywood, California, USA Died: 13 December 1995 in Los Angeles, California, USA Daughter of singer/songwriters Harry Barris and Loyce Whiteman. She recorded for Keen Records during the late 1950s and early 1960s. She was on the Howdy Doody show from Dec. 26,1959 to Sept. 17,1960 as Peppi Mint. She also appeared on Dick Clark and Lawrence Welk programs. In 1958, she was the first performer signed to an exclusive five-year contract by NBC under its talent discovery and devopment program after auditioning for David Tebet, NBC's talent program president. In her nightclub act, she accompanied herself while singing and playing the piano. She composed her first single with her mother "Scottish Fling", to which Marti provided a melody and Loyce provided lyrics. Marti Music publishing was formed by Marti and her mother. They also wrote songs together for others, including "Coffee Date," recorded by Ella Mae Morse. In 1961, she began singing and touring with Freddy Martin And His Orchestra, following a three-month talent search. It was the first time in 25 years that Martin had hired a girl to sing with his all-male band. They were then featured on a weekly TV show originating from Pacific Ocean Park on Friday nights. In 1970, she composed and sang songs with Phil Gray including the single "The Last Blade Of Grass".