Cyndi Lauper Arguably one of the bigger female stars of the early MTV era, Lauper was born in Brooklyn, New York, and was raised in a rough area of Queens.[1] Her parents are Fred and Catrine Lauper. Her mother uses the stagename, "Catrine Dominique" for the music videos she has starred in.[2] Her father was of German and Swiss descent and her mother was Italian American (from Campania, precisely).[3] She has a sister (Elen) and a brother (Fred/Butch). At the age of five, Lauper's parents divorced, and her mother took the three children and moved them to Ozone Park which was at that time a poor neighborhood in Queens, New York. Lauper's mother had remarried and divorced again, and went to work as a waitress trying to support three children. It was during this time that Lauper saw how women can be oppressed, and how things aren't always equal in the world. Lauper knew this was a situation she wanted to get out of, and she found hope through music. She began listening to artists like Judy Garland, Billie Holliday, Ella Fitzgerald, and the Beatles. Her mother always wanted her to be independent and encouraged creativity, but Lauper always felt like an outcast. At the age of twelve, Lauper learned how to play a guitar that she had inherited from her sister. Lauper started to write her own lyrics during this time. She had a great love of art and music and tried to find ways to express herself. Even at the early age of twelve, Lauper started dyeing her hair different colors and wearing clothes that most people would find unusual. Lauper was accepted in a special public high school for students with talent in the visual arts, but she was held back and eventually dropped out and earned her GED sometime later. At the age of seventeen she left home planning to study art. Her journey would take her to Canada, where she spent two weeks in the woods with her dog, Sparkle, trying to find herself. She eventually wound up in Vermont where she ended up taking art classes at Johnson State College. She supported herself by working various odd jobs. Feeling homesick, she eventually returned to Ozone Park. In the mid-seventies Lauper performed as a vocalist with various cover bands (such as Doc West and Flyer who still perform under the names Gap Wilson Band and Red, White and Blues Band in the New York metropolitan area, singing hits by bands such as Jefferson Airplane, Led Zeppelin, and Bad Company. Even though Lauper was now performing onstage, she wasn't happy singing cover songs. In 1977, Lauper damaged her vocal cords, and took a year off. She was told by three doctors that she would never sing again. Her friends told her to see a vocal coach, which led her to Katie Agresta, who helped Lauper regain her voice by teaching her proper vocal exercises. Blue Angel In 1978, after Lauper regained her voice, she met saxophone player John Turi through her manager Ted Rosenblatt. Turi and Lauper became writing partners and formed a band called Blue Angel. They decided to put everything they had into making an album of original material. A few demos were recorded and the tape found its way over to Steve Massarsky, who was managing The Allman Brothers Band. Massarsky said the tape was horrible, but he was attracted to Lauper's voice. He saw them play live and eventually started managing the band after buying their contract out for $5,000. Many people wanted to sign Lauper only if she would sign on as a solo artist. Lauper held out, wanting the band to be included in any deal she made. Polydor Records eventually signed them as a band. In 1980, they released a self-titled album on Polydor Records. The album charted #37 in Austria with the single "I'm Gonna Be Strong". In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine included it as one of the 100 best new wave album covers. Lauper hated the cover, often saying they made her look like Big Bird. Despite critical acclaim, the album sold poorly (or "went lead", as Lauper says) and the band broke up. Polydor Records had a regime change, and the label wouldn't let the band back into the studio unless they had a hit. The members of Blue Angel had a falling out with Massarsky and fired him as their manager. He later filed an $80,000 suit against them. This forced Lauper into bankruptcy. Lauper started working in retail stores such as the New York high-end thrift store Screaming Mimi's to make ends meet, and she still sang in local clubs. Her most frequent gigs were at El Sombrero. Music critics that saw Lauper perform with Blue Angel thought that she had star potential since she had a wide singing range (4 octaves)[citation needed], perfect pitch, and a vocal style all her own. She was in her late twenties and had yet to achieve stardom.