The Daily American from Somerset, Pennsylvania • 44

Pog 24 Ooily American. Wknd, April 25, 1997 Karen Kamon started out a a roadie By MARY CAMPBELL AP Newsfeatures Writer Singer Karen Kamon combined making her second solo album with making her first vegetable garden. Miss Kamon is married to Phil Ramone, producer of records by Billy Joel, Paul Simon, Julian Lennon, among others. Ik 4. His mother says, "He asked for drums for Christmas and an guitar for his birthday.

It brings back memories of my brother playing drums in the basement." Her brother is the drummer on "Voices." She had sung on tour buses with Chicago, Quincy Jones, Patti Austin and James Ingram. But when she met Ramone and realized whose records he produced, she never sang around him She made a tape of herself singing "Manhunt" and submitted it to him under another name. She says, "He gets hundreds of tapes a week. I was screening tapes. The routine was to give him 10 every few days.

He listened and followed up on his A list. I put another name on mine and threw it in the 10. It ended up on his A list. His assistant told him it was the girl he was engaged to." Ramone, the musical supervisor of the movie, "Flashdance," submitted "Manhunt" to Paramount Pictures. Miss Kamon says, "A song is 'in' one minute and 'out the next.

Emotionally, it became pingpong. It did stay in." She then made a Columbia Records album, "Heart of You," but she isn't proud of it. "That album was more to prove I had a voice, more of a potpourri of music that I could say, 'Oh, yes, I can do Her real last name is Ichiuji, which means first family. She says, "You can trace the Miss Kamon studied a year in London, the only person chosen from UCLA, then moved to New York. "I went to cattle calls.

There weren't many roles for an Oriental woman on Broadway." Peter Yarrow (of Peter, Paul and Mary), a family friend, met with Dick Clark. They suggested her to Chicago, which was looking for a coordinator between the group and its producer, and she was hired. They also introduced her to Ramone, who was recently divorced. She says, "Our first date was going to a Chicago concert in Central Park," That was 1977. They married in 1983.

On their first vacation, to London, they went to a Simon and Garfunkel concert. Miss Kamon collapsed and was rushed to a hospital. The doctor told Ramone they had operated and had been able to save the baby. He replied that his wife had been told she couldn't have a baby. Miss Kamon was pregnant and couldn't be moved for three and a half months.

Liza Minnelli, who was working in London, knew Ramone because he put together "Liza with a She visited Miss Kamon nearly every day. Miss Kamon recalls, "You get depressed lying on your back. She helped me through it. She called the baby Liza. When Billy Joel did his tour, he came in and said, 'It's little Phil said, 'What about Phil William Joel, called B.J., is now verve, she was a roadie for about 10 years.

"I lugged bowling balls around the world for Richard Carpenter. He is known for his car collection but bowling was a major focus. I got iced tea at 3 a.m. in Germany when I didn't speak the language. I think that was for Richard, too.

"You get your education from that. I was able to really experience practically every step that's necessary in making an album and pulling it together and being the artist." Miss Kamon was born in Washington, D.C. Her father worked for the State Department in foreign services. Her mother was an assistant to Sen. John Glenn.

She attended the University of California at Los Angeles, where she studied acting, "Everybody was buzzing about their Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts audition. Only 10 were going to be chosen from the United States. I called and said I'd like to audition. They said to prepare a five-minute monologue." Miss Kamon selected her monologue from "The Glass Menagerie." "Three women were sitting there. One said, 'Why did you choose that? That's the worst performance I've ever seen in my Six weeks later I got a letter saying I got accepted.

I called because I thought it was a mistake. The woman said, 'Love, we considered you a Their son B.J. godparents are Billy Joel and Liza Minnelli. Last year they moved to New York's Westchester County. That's where they structured and refined the songs for her "Voices" album, on Atco Records.

"I took up gardening, she says. "I'd take my Walkman in the garden. I'd be weeding, thinking, listening. The zucchinis were THIS big. "When it was my turn id come into the studio, everybody got all these vegetables.

We had healthy lunches. One of the musicians -brought in mozzarella. You make mozzarella and tomato salad and you're in heaven." Miss Kamon has also become a farmer of the closing on the house, the woman said, 'the chickens come with the She gave me 30 seconds on how to take care of chickens. We still have them. They lay eggs." Somebody recently gave Miss Kamon two geese.

She has ordered two lambs. She says, "Like the chickens, you learn." Long before she started farming, she recounts with cheerful plans Italian festival 0 t2 KAREN KAMON name back hundreds of years. My grandmother's maiden name was Kamon. When I said I'd like to take a stage name and I'd like to use a family name, they said Kamon. "My dad explained about his mother.

It was a samurai family. -At one battle they lost, and they had to go into hiding. For a long time she never used the name Kamon. My grandparents were matched together. They had to be in the same line of samurai.

My grandfather, who died in 1983, lived to be 106. Most people say I resemble my father's mother. She was musical." call Terry McKenzie at (301) 689-2260 or (301) 689-2786. For more information about the Italian Festival, contact the Diabetes Foundation of the Alleghenies, 222 McCulloh Frostburg, MD 21532, or call Elvis Jones at (301) 689-6042. In 1950, less than 20 million women held jobs outside the home.

In 1987, about 45 million do. SWIM AREA J- -1; Frostburg The Third Annual Italian Festival of Frostburg, June 26 and 27, will feature a wide variety of arts and crafts created and produced by local people. Although a number of outstanding artists and craftspersons have already committed to the festival, additional arts and crafts booths are. still being sought by festival orga: niers. Proceeds from the festival will go to support the Diabetes Foundation of the Alleghenies, a new nonprofit foundation which serves (he needs of diabetics and their families in the allegheny Mountains.

The festival committee has a special fee policy for arts and crafts exhibitors. If a vendor sells arts or crafts which are produced by the vendor, such as quilts, ceramics, macrame, leatherwork, then there will be an entry fee of $25 covering one or both days of the festival. No percentage of sales will be charged unless gross sales exceed $500. Vendors will be expected to donate 20 percent of gross sales over $500. Commercial vendors who sell products other than arts and crafts, and vendors who sell arts and crafts produced by someone else, will pay a $25 entry fee and donate 20 percent of all gross sales.

Nonprofit organizations pay no entry fee and may choose to donate either 20 percent of gross sales or 50 percent of net profits, whichever is the lesser amount. Over 20,000 attended last year's Italian Festival and this year's festival is expected to draw more than 25,000. Elvis Jones, general chairman, commented, "Any vendor who has good merchandise to sell can expect a profitable and enjoyable two days at the Italian Festival. We need booths with an Italian flavor, but all types of booths are being sought." Anyone interested in entering a booth in the Italian Festival should ALL POOLS INCLUDE 'fMm rka Vmft lata, Hwa Oacfc 'Saftjlf Fmci a Hamt FRU VACUUM CLCAMCM 24'iir Phone Answers 24 hrs. Two for the show Singer Corly Simon, left, and Cecelia Peck get together backstage after the opening of previews of "Sleight of Hand" at New York's Cort theater Tuesday night.

Peck, daughter of actor Gregory Peck, stars in the thriller for which Simon wrote the title song. (AP) tall Collect 412-437-7900 mimstrUs Outside Pa. UOQ.345-0946.