Editing Connie Francis (section)

===1937–1955: early life and first appearances===
Francis was born to an [[Italian-American]] family (one of her grandfathers having immigrated from [[Reggio Calabria]] in 1905)<ref>{{Cite magazine |last= |first= |date=1996-10-03 |title=Francis brings her golden sound to the shore |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-journal-connie-francis-refers/24801178/ |access-date=2024-12-15 |magazine=[[The Daily Journal (New Jersey)|The Daily Journal]] |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |language=en-US}}</ref> in the [[Ironbound]] neighborhood of [[Newark, New Jersey]], the first child of George Franconero (1911–1996) and Ida ({{née|Ferrari-di Vito}}; 1911–2000), spending her first years in the [[Crown Heights, Brooklyn]] area ([[Utica Avenue]]/St. Marks Place) before the family moved to New Jersey.<ref name=Autobiography>Connie Francis: ''Who's Sorry Now?'' (Autobiography), St. Martin's Press, 1984, {{ISBN|0-312-87088-4}}</ref> Growing up in a mixed Italian-Jewish neighborhood, Francis became fluent in [[Yiddish]], which led her later to record songs in Yiddish and [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]].<ref name="Autobiography"/><ref>Liner notes of the original 1960 album ''[[Connie Francis Sings Jewish Favorites]]''.</ref>

In her autobiography ''Who's Sorry Now?'' published in 1984, Francis recalls that she was encouraged by her father to appear regularly at talent contests, pageants, and other neighborhood festivities from the age of four as a singer and accordion player.

Francis attended [[Newark Arts High School]] in 1951 and 1952. She and her family moved to [[Belleville, New Jersey]], where Francis graduated as [[salutatorian]] from [[Belleville High School (New Jersey)|Belleville High School]] Class of 1955.<ref>{{Cite web |title=archives.nypl.org -- Connie Francis papers |url=https://archives.nypl.org/mus/181277 |access-date=2025-02-22 |website=archives.nypl.org}}</ref>

Francis continued to perform at neighborhood festivities and talent shows (some of them broadcast on television), appearing alternately as Concetta Franconero and Connie Franconero. Under the latter name, she appeared on [[NBC]]'s variety show ''Startime Kids'' between 1953 and 1955.<ref name=Autobiography/>

During rehearsals for her appearance on ''[[Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts]]'' in December 1950, Francis was advised by Godfrey to change her stage name to Connie Francis for easier pronunciation. Godfrey also told her to drop the accordion—advice she gladly followed, as she had begun to hate the large and heavy instrument.<ref name=Autobiography/> Around the same time, Francis took a job as a singer on [[Demo (music)|demonstration records]], to bring unreleased songs to the attention of established singers and/or their management who might choose to record them for a professional commercial record.<ref name=Sox>William Ruhlmann: ''Connie Francis 1955–1959'', companion book to 5 CD Boxed Set ''White Sox, Pink Lipstick... and Stupid Cupid'', Bear Family Records BCD 16 616 EI, Hambergen (Germany) 1993</ref>