Nancy Ames
{{Short description|American folk singer and songwriter (born 1937)}}
{{for|the Canadian scientist|Nancy Ames (scientist)}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Nancy Ames
| image = Nancy Ames 1964.JPG
| alt = Nancy Ames 1964
| caption = Ames in 1964
| image_size =
| landscape =
| background = solo_singer
| birth_name = Nancy Hamilton Alfaro
| alias =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1937|9|30}}
| birth_place = Washington, D.C., U.S.
| origin =
| spouse = Triaian Boyer (1964–1968)
Jay Riviere (div. ca. 1970)
Danny Ward (m., ca. 1972)
| death_date = {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}}
| death_place =
| occupation = Vocalist, songwriter
}}
Nancy Ames (born Nancy Hamilton Alfaro; September 30, 1937) is an American folk singer and songwriter. She regularly appeared on the American version of the television series That Was the Week That Was. The TW3 Girl, as she was known, sang the show theme and special material.{{cite journal |last=Ess |first=Ramsey |url=https://www.vulture.com/2012/05/that-was-the-week-that-was-brings-political-satire-to-america.html |title='That Was the Week That Was' Brings Political Satire to America |journal=New York |date=May 18, 2012 |accessdate=2020-01-24}}{{cite magazine| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qEEEAAAAMBAJ&q=Nancy+Ames+TW3+Girl&pg=PA83| pages=83–89| title=That Was The Deb That Was| magazine=Life| date=June 26, 1964| accessdate=2020-01-24}}
Personal life
Ames was born in Washington, D.C., the granddaughter of Ricardo Joaquín Alfaro, who served as President of Panama from 1931 to 1932 and who in 1949 was chairman of the legal committee of the Third session of the United Nations General Assembly that drew up the text of the Convention on Genocide.Yearbook of the International Law Commission, 1949, pp. 61ff.
The daughter of a physician, she grew up in Washington. She attended Holton-Arms School and Bennett College, both of them for girls. By 1964, she was married to Romanian hypnotist Triaian Boyer. By 1968, they had divorced.{{cite news| url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=861&dat=19640503&id=Zs1NAAAAIBAJ&pg=6249,389449&hl=ko| page=5| title=The Year That Is for Nancy Ames| newspaper=The Victoria Advocate| date=May 3, 1964| first=Cynthia| last=Lowry| agency=Associated Press}} After the divorce, she married Jay Riviere, a golf course designer. They had one child, a daughter, Nancy, but ultimately divorced.{{cite news| first=Ray| last=Bennett| url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1946&dat=19700516&id=d3oyAAAAIBAJ&pg=2094,4343365&hl=ko| title=Beauty with a beat| newspaper=Montreal Gazette| date=May 16, 1970}}
Ames has resided in Houston, Texas since 1972.{{cite web| website=Second Hand Songs| url=http://secondhandsongs.com/artist/5696/works| title=Nancy Ames| accessdate=January 24, 2020}} She and her third husband Danny Ward are the co-founders of Ward & Ames Special Events.{{cite news| url=http://www.argotistonline.co.uk/Nancy%20Ames.htm| title=Nancy Ames| journal=The Argotist| accessdate=January 24, 2020}}
Career
File:Nancy Ames Hootenanny 1963.JPG in 1963]]
A folk singer with a partially Spanish language repertoire, Ames was signed to Liberty Records. The A side of her
first single was entitled "Bonsoir Cher, ("Goodnight Dear") and the B side was "Cucurrucucú paloma".{{cite news| magazine=Billboard| date=August 17, 1963| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aSIEAAAAMBAJ&q=Nancy+Ames+Folk+Singer&pg=PA4| page=4| title=Photo Caption: Illinois Gov. Otto Kerner}}{{cite news| journal=Rifftides | date=January 15, 2013| url=http://www.artsjournal.com/rifftides/2013/01/when-harry-james-met-nancy-ames.html| title=When Harry James Met Nancy Ames| first=Doug| last=Ramsey}}
Ames appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in the mid 1960’s, performing her mixed language version of The Beatles Yesterday.
She broke the top 100 twice in 1966 with "He Wore the Green Beret" (by Frank Catana and Peg Barsella), side A, and "War is a Card Game" (by Pamela Polland), side B. These were her answer songs to Staff Sgt. Barry Sadler's "Ballad of the Green Berets". "War Is A Card Game" hit number 89 before falling to 96. Later in the year "Cry Softly" also placed in the charts.{{Cite web |date=2013-11-29 |title=Top Songs Of 1966 - Top40Weekly.com |url=https://top40weekly.com/1966-all-charts/ |access-date=2023-02-15 |website=top40weekly.com |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Cry Softly / Nancy Ames |url=https://billboard.elpee.jp/single/Cry%20Softly/Nancy%20Ames/ |access-date=2023-02-15 |website=billboard.elpee.jp |language=en}}
Ames had occasional TV acting appearances. She played two different characters in sketches on The Red Skelton Hour in 1966 and 1967; the latter role was in a Hippie themed sketch. Also in 1968 Ames had an acting appearance as "Louise Hahn" in a first season episode of The Name of the Game, an NBC drama. She made a cameo appearance on Laugh-In in 1968, season 1, episode 5.
She is listed as the co-writer of the theme song to The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour with Mason Williams per Williams' own 1969 LP entitled Music by Mason Williams. Ames and Williams also co-wrote Cinderella Rockefella, an international pop hit, in 1968.
Ames later had her own TV show which aired on KPRC-TV Channel 2 (the Houston area NBC affiliate) from 1972 to 1977.
In the late 1970s, Ames moved to Houston, Texas. In 1982 she and her third husband, Danny Ward, founded Ward & Ames, an events and video-production firm.{{Cite web |title=Home |url=https://wardandames.com/ |access-date=2023-02-15 |website=Ward & Ames |language=en-US}} Ames is also the co-founder of the Plumeria Society of America, and owned the jewelry company Alfaro, A Nancy Ames Collection.{{Cite web |title=Nancy Ames |url=https://wardandames.com/about/nancy-ames/ |access-date=2023-02-15 |website=Ward & Ames |language=en-US}}
US discography
=LPs=
- The Incredible Nancy Ames - Liberty – LRP-3276 - (1963){{cite web| title=Liberty Records Discography, Part 1| first1=David| last1=Edwards| first2=Mike| last2=Callahan| date=April 26, 2003| url=http://www.bsnpubs.com/liberty/libertya.html| website=Both Sides Now| accessdate=January 24, 2020}}
- A Portrait of Nancy - Liberty – LRP-3299 - (1963)
- I Will Never Marry - Liberty – LRP-3329 - (1963)
- This is the Girl That is - Liberty – LRP-3369 - (1964)
- Let It Be Me - Charles Calello, arranger - Liberty – LRP-3400 - (1965)
- As Time Goes By - Epic – BN 26197 - (1965){{Cite web |title=Nancy Ames |url=https://www.discogs.com/artist/257904-Nancy-Ames |access-date=2023-02-15 |website=Discogs |language=en}}
- Latin Pulse - Joe Sherman, arranger, conductor - Epic – BN 26189 - (1966)
- Spiced With Brasil - with Laurindo Almeida, guitar; Stu Phillips, arranger, producer - Epic – LN 24238 - (1967)
==Compilation==
- Versatile Nancy Ames - Sunset Records – SUS-5109 - (1966) Compilation of Liberty Records years material; Sunset was a subsidiary of Liberty Records.
=Live album=
=Singles (selective)=
;7"
- "Bonsoir Cher" / "Cu Cu Rru Cu Cu Paloma" - Liberty – F-55548 - (1963)
- "Malaguena Salerosa" / "Cu Cu Rru Cu Cu Paloma" - Liberty 55737 - (1964){{cite web| website=45Cat| url=http://www.45cat.com/45_search.php?sq=Nancy+Ames&sm=se| title=Nancy Ames Records| accessdate=January 24, 2020}}
- "The Funny Thing About It" / "Shake A Hand" - Epic – 5-9845 - (1965)
- "Let Tonight Linger On" / "It Scares Me" - Liberty – F-55762 - (1965){{cite web| title=Nancy Hamilton Alfaro| url=https://www.discogs.com/artist/257904-Nancy-Ames?filter_anv=0&subtype=Singles-EPs&type=Releases| website=Discogs| accessdate=January 24, 2020}}
- "I've Got A Lot Of Love (Left In Me)" / "Friends And Lovers Forever" - Epic 5-9874 - (promo) (1965)
- "He Wore The Green Beret" / "War Is A Card Game" - Epic – 5-10003 - (1966)
- "I Don't Want To Talk About It" / "Cry Softly" - Epic – 5-10056 - (1966)
- "Friends And Lovers Forever" (Billboard Hot 100 #123) / "Dear Hearts And Gentle" - Epic – 5-9885 - (1966)
- "Love's Like Wine" / "My Story Book" - Epic – 5-10149 - (1967)
- "Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart" / "On Green Dolphin Street" - ABC Records 11100 - (1968)
- "Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart" / "On Green Dolphin Street" - Silvercloud Records 1001 - (1968)
;12"
- Mr. Bongo - "Soul Limbo" / Nancy Ames - "Eso Beso (That Kiss)" - Sony Music Entertainment (UK) – XPR 2213 - (1995)
=EP=
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category|Nancy Ames}}
- [http://www.wardandames.com Ward and Ames Special Events]
- {{IMDb name|id=0024733|name=Nancy Ames}}
- [http://www.discogs.com/artist/Nancy+Ames Nancy Ames at Discogs]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ames, Nancy}}
Category:American folk singers
Category:Singers from Washington, D.C.
Category:American musicians of Panamanian descent
Category:Spanish-language singers of the United States