Huffington Post columnist David Wild has included Donna’s signature song, “It Only Hurts When I Cry”, in his January 7th article “Who’s Crying Now”, a teary playlist for House Speaker Boehner.
It Only Hurts When I Cry (1965)
It Only Hurts When I Cry (2009)
Donna Loren’s “Love It Away (Remix)” single from her “Love It Away” album reached a high of #15 (7/13/10) on the Top 40 FMQB Adult Contemporary (AC) chart which tracks radio play nationwide. The track finished the year ranking #52 on the 2010 Year-End chart.
Singer Donna Loren was Jerry Sharell's special guest on "Jerry Sharell Plays Songs From the Great American Songbook" Sunday Dec. 5 on KGIL RETRO1260 AM, Los Angeles. Sharell played tracks from Loren's new EP "Donna Does Elvis In Hawaii," including her current single "Merry Christmas Baby." Loren talked about her singing and acting career, including appearances in the Beach Party movies of the 1960's and her famous stint as TV's "Dr Pepper" girl.
Trini Lopez & DL
November 23, 2010, Indio, CA. Donna Loren teams with Trini Lopez to show her support for “Lift Up America”, a charitable organization distributing food to the needy, on November 22nd in Indio, California.
Loren recently released her holiday single “Merry Christmas Baby” to rave reviews and today’s radio play stats show that the buzz is beginning.
Loren is best known as the 60s star of the popular TV show “Shindig”, as the Dr Pepper Girl and co-star of five Beach Party films with Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon.
"Donna Does Elvis In Hawaii" EP Cover
Donna’s crush on Elvis has manifested into a sensual serenade. This intimate virtual romance with The King is a portrayal of four of his early classic songs. Her love for both Hawaii and The King has made this possible with help from the masterful Hawaiian and Los Angeles musicians that you will hear on this EP, most notably slack-key guitar legend Sonny Lim, Grammy-Award winner Charles Brotman on ukulele and Maurice Gainen wailing on his vintage Selmer saxophone. This collection is truly a feast for the ears.
One of the included songs, Merry Christmas Baby, was released for the 2010 Holiday Season.
60’s POP ICON DONNA LORENDonna Loren, the 60’s Dr Pepper Girl, will be performing and signing autographs at the Rock Con Festival (www.NationalRockCon.com) at the Meadowlands Sheraton and Conference Center in New Jersey. The 3-day fan fest (July 30th- Aug 1st, 2010) is shaping up to be one of the summer’s most anticipated star-studded musical events.
A multi-dimensional star, excelling at the 3M’s of Hollywood-music, movies, and modeling-Donna Loren’s name is synonymous with the Swinging 60’s era of music, motion pictures, television & fashion. At age 16 she was selected to be the first and only “Dr Pepper Girl.” For five years, she successfully promoted the soft-drink on radio, TV, billboards, magazines and personal appearances. This break catapulted her to bigger screens, namely prominent singing/acting roles in the popular Beach Party movies alongside Frankie & Annette. She also had featured roles on iconic TV shows like Batman, The Monkees, Red Skelton, The Milton Berle Show, Gomer Pyle and Dr. Kildare. She was the featured female vocalist on ABC’s Shindig! By the end of the 60s, Donna had released 20 singles & the LP soundtrack from Beach Blanket Bingo. Then, at the height of her career, she retired from show business to devote her energies to raising a family. In 2009, she re-emerged into the world of music with a new CD of previously unreleased tracks she recorded in the 80’s with James Burton & the Elvis Band entitled MAGIC-The 80s Collection. Then, she updated her signature It Only Hurts When I Cry from Beach Blanket Bingo which can be seen on YouTube. And now, she’s released her first all-new CD in decades entitled Love It Away, a tasty collection of original compositions and classic rock standards.
At Rock Con, Ms Loren will be performing selections from Love It Away as well as songs from the 60’s Beach Party films. During the entire 3-day event, she will be visiting with fans and autographing CD’s and photos.
December 3, 2010. Donna Loren in the Beverly Hills Courier!
From Liz Smith’s column in the New York Post on March 17, 29010: “BLAST FROM the past: Donna Loren? Some of you must remember Miss Loren. She is a singer who appeared in five – count ’em five – beach party movies. (Annette Funicello in her matronly bikinis!) Donna also became the official “spokesteen” for Dr. Pepper. And she recorded an album. OK, we’re not talking Lesley Gore here, but Donna had her little moment. After a long hiatus – hubby, kids, a retail business in Hawaii – Donna has come back with a self-produced CD titled “Love It Away.” It includes songs such as “Live Nude Cabaret,” “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight” and “Shakin’ All Over.” Check out Ms. Loren’s video on YouTube – high camp in John Waters’s waters.”
Donna has reinvented the ’60’s rockabilly hit by Johnny Kidd and the Pirates as part of her new Love It Away CD. This video includes vintage footage from her 1965 performance on Shindig!
“Donna Loren was the ‘It Girl’ long before Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian hit the streets of Beverly Hills.
Back in the mid 1960s, she was seen as the “Dr. Pepper Girl†in TV commercials and print ads as a real life “Gidget†who was also seen singing in movies like Beach Blanket Bingo and Muscle Beach Party and in TV’s Shindig! where she sang pop tunes along the lines of The Beatles, Beach Boys, and Rolling Stones, circa 1964 and ’65.” Read more…
