Toni Basil

Toni Basil, real name Antonia Christina Basilotta (born September 22, 1943 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), is an American pop singer, choreographer and actress.

Life

Antonia Basilotta's father was a conductor and her mother a vaudeville performer. She herself developed a penchant for dancing and was a cheerleader at Las Vegas High School. After school she started a career as a dancer.

She came to film in 1964, starring in the concert film The T.A.M.I. Show. Other small roles followed. In 1966, she posed and danced for the artistic short film Breakaway, for which she also sang a musical piece of the same name.

The most famous movie Toni Basil appeared in was Easy Rider in 1969, but even there it was only a small appearance as a prostitute. Rather the book adaptation Village of the Giants in 1966, where she also took over the choreography besides the film role, became the beginning of a successful career behind the scenes. She was responsible for choreography in American Graffiti and the Bette Midler film The Rose.

However, much of her activity took place in the music field. She supported artists like David Bowie, Bette Midler, Tina Turner and the Pointer Sisters on their tours and performances and also played an important role in the emerging music videos. In the famous video for Once in a Lifetime by the Talking Heads in the early 80s, she choreographed David Byrne's puppet-like dance moves. This then developed into a music career of her own.

In 1978, the British band Racey had recorded a song by Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman about a girl named Kitty. Toni Basil took it as an opportunity to make a video clip from it with cheerleaders with the new title Mickey, but it only became successful after the formation of MTV in 1981. The accompanying video album Toni Basil: Word of Mouth was also successful, earning her a Grammy nomination. The LP of the same name reached gold status in the US.

However, the whole thing proved to be a one-time recipe for success. Further releases landed only in the lower third of the chart and after a short time the excursion into the singing career was over again. In the English-speaking world Mickey is still a classic and also a popular cheerleader song.

After 1985 Toni Basil had some success as a choreographer for film and television. For example, she was responsible for the films Peggy Sue got married, My Best Friend's Wedding, Muppets from Space, Naturally Blonde and Naturally Blonde 2. In 1988, she received an Emmy nomination for a television choreography. In 1997, she was awarded the American Choreography Award, also for a television episode.

Discography

Albums

• Word of Mouth (1982)
• Toni Basil (1983)

Singles

• Breakaway (1966)
• Mickey (1982)
• Nobody (1982)
• Shoppin' from A to Z (1982)
• Street Beat (1982)
• Over My Head (1983)
• Suspense (1984)
• Mickey (Jason Nevins Remix, 1999)