This green-eyed female singer was born Mimi Lopolito (other sources Rothman) in Salinas, California. At an early age, she took a liking to riding horses as she grew up near the Salinas Rodeo. When she was fourteen years old, her family moved to New York, where she attended Erasmus High School in Brooklyn. She always seemed to enjoy singing and her parents encouraged her musical efforts.
She started taking piano lessons when she was just eight years old. She later learned the guitar around the age of 18. After high school graduation, Mimi entered Hofstra College, majoring in art. Her guitar instructor heard her sing one day and was impressed to the point of encouraging her to pursue that avenue.
In March of 1954, she appeared on the famed Arthur Godfrey Talent Scout show. That led to many offers for other personal appearances. A turning point came in September of 1954 when she was crowned Queen of the Rodeo that was held in Madison Square Garden. Her horsemanship, personality and beauty earned her that crown. She was also pretty sharp with a rifle and won many a competition.
When she was just twenty years old, she was recording for Decca Records. Eddie White was her manager then and brought her to the attention of Decca's Paul Cohen. Her first release on Decca was a tune by Hank Williams, "Weary Blues From Waiting" b/w "Oh, I Like It". Her musical talents and career took her eventually to radio station WLW in Cincinnati, Ohio and she became part of the cast of the Midwestern Hayride.
She then made a number of guest appearances on the Grand Ole Opry, Ozark Jubilee, Louisiana Hayride and a variety of other shows, working out of Nashville with various country and western package shows that starred the likes of such folks as Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, Ernest Tubb, Minnie Pearl, and others. She also continued to make recordings for Decca.
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| Mimi & Elvis '55 |
For a while, Mimi was a part of Pee Wee King's band the Golden West Cowboys, travelling by bus from Louisville to Chicago every weekend for his Saturday night TV show. She recalls one particular winter's night standing next to the driver all the way home in a snowstorm to make sure he stayed awake! In 1956, she earned the votes of the fans in Country & Western Jamboree's polls, finishing in the Top Ten for Best Female Singer and Best New Female Singer.
One of the highlights of her career was a tour that lasted nearly eighteen months, playing approximately 260 cities across the United States, with the Phillip Morris Country Music Show. It starred Carl Smith, Goldie Hill, Red Sovine, Ronnie Self and, for while, Little Jimmie Dickens. The show entertained audiences in 45 states.
In the spring of 1957, Barry Nesbitt of radio station CKFH out of Toronto, Ontario closed his column praising Mimi's Decca releases, noting they were earning top honours in the country gals category by Canadian disc jockeys. Rustic Rhythm also had a record review column. In April of 1957, it had this to say about her release on Decca, "Cheater's Luck" b/w "Tonight I Made You Mine": "...does a fine job as she emotionally projects a cheater's good fortune; while the "Tonight" number gerts a happier treatment in the singer's same fine, polished style."
But a bit after that tour, she found she had had enough of travelling. After marrying singer/writer Paul Evans in 1961 and having a daughter, Eden, the couple divorced and Mimi moved to Connecticut. She chose to remain in the New York area doing commercials throughout the 1960's and 1970's including Sprite, Doublemint Gum, Clairol Shampoo, etc. She also did demos for writers such as Burt Bachrach, Carol King, Kander and Ebb.She did work as an extra in movies such as "Tootsie" and "All That Jazz".
The 1980 found her hosting a radio show in Bridgeport for three hours a day and performed in clubs in the Fairfield County area on the weekends. Mimi stopped performing in 1985 but she still keeps her guitar ready for anything!
(Edited from hillbilly music.com)