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Susan Boyle sings Cry Me A River, 10 years ago

10 Year Old recording discovered

By Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, April 19, 2009 with story from the Daily Record, Scotland, UK

The Susan Boyle story gets stranger as an old recording of Boyle singing “Cry Me a River” surfaces. Just like her showing on TV, it’s not amateur. The production is first class with piano, horns, strings. Boyle doesn’t walk through the ballad – she sings her heart out. He has the pitch, tone, inflection and emotion. Where was she hiding all this time. There is a story behind this story. We’ll keep digging.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jI2DxkrgpgQ

DailyRecord.co.uk

It emerged last night that Susan, whose Britain’s Got Talent triumph has made her an instant superstar, is being lined up for an appearance
on the Oprah Winfrey show which would give her the chance of a number one album in the US.

But the Record can reveal she made her first recording back in 1999, when she sang blues ballad Cry Me A River for a charity CD.

Only 1000 copies of the disc were ever produced, but we’ve got hold of the long-forgotten recording and it’s now on our site. A showbiz insider said: “This is a real coup for the Record. The whole world would have wanted to find this.

“People will be scrambling to get their hands on this CD. They will be like gold dust soon.”
susan boyle Image 2

Susan, 48, of Blackburn, West Lothian, has gone from obscurity to worldwide fame in less than a week after her amazing Britain’s Got Talent debut.

So far, her performance of I Dreamed A Dream from Les Miserables has attracted more than 16 MILLION hits on YouTube. And yesterday, she was doing the rounds of America’s top morning TV chat shows.

CBS superstar Diane Sawyer interviewed Susan for the Early Show. And Kathie Lee Gifford, host of NBC’s Today Show, was so moved by her voice that she burst into tears.

Last night, it emerged that Susan has also been offered the chance to be a guest on the Oprah Winfrey show.

And BGT supremo Simon Cowell reckons that if the appearance goes ahead, it will guarantee that her debut album will top the charts in the States.

It’s all a far cry from 1999, when Susan recorded her track for the charity compilation CD at Whitburn Academy, where X Factor winner Leon Jackson went to school.

The Millennium Celebration disc, which was partly funded by Whitburn Community Council, was the brainchild of local newspaper editor Eddie Anderson.

He launched a search for unsigned acts to take part. And as soon as he heard Susan at the auditions he knew he had found something special.

“I was amazed when she sang,” Eddie said. “It was probably the same reaction as everyone had last Saturday.

“Susan was exactly the same then as she is now. She has a fabulous and unique talent.”

When Susan walked on to the Britain’s Got Talent stage, the judges and audience seemed more interested in her appearance than her voice.

Simon, Piers Morgan and Amanda Holden rolled their eyes and raised their eyebrows when she told them she wanted to be a Broadway superstar like Elaine Paige.

But their scorn quickly turned to amazement when she started to sing.

Simon grinned as he admitted that Susan’s voice was “extraordinary”. Piers told her: “I am giving you the biggest ‘yes’ I have ever given to anybody.”

And Amanda added: “It was a privilege to listen to you.”

In the days that followed, Susan became a YouTube sensation. Even Hollywood A-lister Demi Moore admitted she was moved to tears when she watched her performance.

Click here to see the Youtube version of Susan’s performance on Britain’s Got Talent

The bookies have installed Susan as red-hot favourite to win the £100,000 Britain’s Got Talent first prize.

But in her live satellite interview with Diane Sawyer yesterday, she was still keeping her feet firmly on the ground. Asked about her newfound stardom, Susan giggled and said: “Most mornings I wake up with a smile. I can’t believe it has happened.”

Susan has lived alone with her cat Pebbles since her mum Bridget died two years ago at the age of 91.

She has admitted that she has never been on a date or even been kissed but she was too shy to discuss her spinster lifestyle on CBS.

“Aaah, no comment,” she said. “I don’t want to talk about that.”

Sawyer asked Susan what she would do with the prize money if she won, but she replied: “Well, it’s just baby steps at the moment, we shall see how things progress.”

Susan wouldn’t rule out having a makeover as part of Britain’s Got Talent, telling Sawyer: “You’ll have to watch the programme and find out.”

But she did admit there would be no repeat of the dance steps she showed off on Saturday. “That’s it,” she insisted. “Let’s try and keep it ladylike.”

Susan suffered a mild form of brain damage at birth and she admitted to Sawyer that she was bullied when she was younger. “They did a bit,” she said, “but they always do that with someone who is quiet and I tended to be quiet at school.

“Well, they have turned around. They are nice to me now, so we will move on from there.”

Susan said her friends and family were “gobsmacked” by her success.

And when Sawyer asked what she would say to her late parents if she could, she replied: “I would like to say thank you for supporting me over the years, thank you for looking after me and I hope I can make you proud.”

Sawyer replied: “I certainly think you have done that. We cannot wait to see you over in the US.”

Newspapers and websites all over America and beyond have been covering Susan’s story, and hits on the Britain’s Got Talent section of the ITV website have soared to more than half a million since Saturday.

But Susan won’t face the judges again until the end of next month, when she’ll find out whether she has made it through to the live shows.

She said this week: “I’m taking it all in my stride and I’m quite relaxed about everything.

“I’ve had lots of kind support from people so far. Some of the things people have said have been marvellous and really lovely.

“I’ve been singing since I was 12 and have just never had this chance before. I’m glad I got the chance now. I’d love to have a musical career but we’ll have to take one step at a time.”

Susan added: “I went on the audition to see how far I could get but the standard is very high.

“You need a lot of hard work and perseverance to make it.

“I think there is room for improvement though.”

3 Comments

  1. J Halvorson

    WOW! This is phenomenal! Someone was asleep at the wheel when they produced this CD and didn’t recognize Susan’s talent and help her get a recording contract ten years ago! She is so unusually gifted!

  2. Bob Thomas

    There are two very important messages here. One is the talent displayed by Susan. The second to me is the most important which is to never give up on anything you wish to accomplish. She is an excellant example for all to follow.

  3. Barbara Sacher

    “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover” is something that comes to mind after watching Susan Boyle’s appearance on You Tube. She is “the real deal” and that’s something we don’t see much of anymore.
    Hopefully, I will have an opportunity to purchase a ticket to see her when she comes to the U.S.
    It would be a privilege to hear her, as Amanda Holden said.

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