Vicki Hallman
Victoria "Vicki" Hallman is a lounge singer, former Hee-Haw cast member, and magazine columnist.
Hallman got her start on a WVTM Talent Showcase at the age of four. She signed a record contract in Nashville when she was six years old and cut "Send My Daddy Home". She appeared on the Merv Griffin show and on Steve Allen's show, then went on a national showroom tour, and performed for President Nixon at the Republican National Convention.
Hallman finished her diploma at Bibb County High School, where she was a majorette. She was a finalist in the Miss Alabama pageant and later worked as the pageant's vocal coach.
Hallman stayed in Birmingham and sat in with Bob Cain's Cane Breakers and The Bachelors. She joined The Ramblers and married drummer Johnny Robinson briefly. In the 1970s she was a regular at the Bachelors' Sho-Boat Lounge on Morris Avenue.
At the suggestion of Bob Hope, Hallman raised some money from fans and set out for Hollywood. She opened shows for Hope and backed up Connie Stevens. Buck Owens hired her as an opening act and as leader of the Buckaroos. With his help she was cast as "Miss Honeydew" in the weekly variety show Hee-Haw in 1980 and remained for nearly ten years before retiring to Nashville.
She returned to lounge singing at Veranda on Highland restaurant, owned by Tommy Finley who remembered her Sho-Boat performances. She followed that up with an appearance at the 2009 City Stages with a band made up of Cane Breakers and Bachelors alumni.
Hallman also writes a column for Flower magazine and is working on a novel.
References
- Kemp, Kathy (May 25, 2009) "Club star ready for comeback." The Birmingham News
- Harvey, Alec (June 12, 2009) "City Stages 2009: Vicki Hallman returns to Birmingham for music festival." The Birmingham News
External links
- Hallman's 2009 City Stages performance on youtube.com