Yma Sumac

Known for her astonishing 4 1/2 octave vocal range, Yma Sumac (AKA Ima or Imma Sumack) is from Ichocán, Peru, a town high in the Andes. From an early age she performed in radio and movies and made recordings throughout South America. She came to the United States in the 1940s and performed with a small group of musicians and dancers. When she signed with Capitol Records in 1950 her stage name's spelling was changed to the more exotic "Yma Sumac." An urban legend that she is really "Amy Camus," a nice Jewish girl from Brooklyn, originated in 1951 with a joke among musicians repeated in one of Walter Winchell's gossip columns. She has acted in several films and stage shows, and continued to perform into the 1990s. She lives in Los Angeles and has been contemplating new releases of recordings of her most recent concerts.