There was a lot of competition in the mid- '60s for the title of America's Most Popular Teenager, but a convincing case can be made that Patty Duke was IT. In 1962, at the age of 16, she became the youngest actress ever to win an Academy Award for her portrayal of Helen Keller in the film The Miracle Worker, a role she originated on Broadway. Then, in 1963, she was given her own series, The Patty Duke Show, in which she played two different leading roles of "identical cousins" (an ironic circumstance given Patty's bouts of manic depression and her later championing of the cause). Like so many teen stars before and after her, stardom on television quickly translated into a recording contract and appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, Shindig! And The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, resulting in four albums for United Artists, all of which we are reissuing with bonus tracks. Don't Just Stand There and Patty came out in 1965 and 1966, respectively; besides the first album's Top Ten title track, they included the hits "Say Something Funny" and "Whenever She Holds You" (we've included another hit, "Funny Little Butterflies," as a bonus track). 1967's Sings Songs from Valley of the Dolls was a darker, more mature album as befitting her controversial role in the film Valley of the Dolls; we've paired that album with the never-before released album of folk songs she recorded with United Artists in 1968. All four albums are taken from the original master tapes; they feature additional photos and liner notes with quotes from Patty Duke herself. Long-lost music from one of the truly iconic figures in '60s pop culture.
