"Her 'relaxation' is roller skating, ice skating, and swimming -
- any kind of action, so long as she doesn't have to sit still."
----------------------------------------------------------------------- Bikini Beach Press Kit
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High school sophomore Candy worked the candy counter at a local movie theatre ------->


Candy was born in San Gabriel, California in February of 1944. An exhuberant child, she was
always on the go. Her mother, Jeanne Rathmann, was a professional dancer and put Candy into
dance classes at the age of five. For the next dozen or so years, Candy would study many
different forms of dancing, along with the dramatic arts, before graduating from San Gabriel
High School.

In 1961, a 17-year-old Candy kept hearing commercials on the radio for a big twist contest to
be held at the Hollywood Palladium. She and her high school sweetheart, Gary, drove in to
Hollywood to pick up tickets for the big show - which would feature many acts such as Ray
Anthony w/the Bookends, and Chubby Checker. Many other celebrities from the entertainment
field would be there as well, including the blonde bombshell herself, Jayne Mansfield.


While in the office to buy the tickets for the show, Candy noticed a fellow staring at her. He
eventually approached her and said that he was looking for a female dancer to front a band
that he was getting together. Candy told the man, future agent and manager Red Gilson, that
she was indeed a dancer and right away he put on some music to watch her do her thing. Not
only did she twist up a storm, but she added in her own wild dance steps and knocked their
socks off! He offered her the job on the spot.

She and Gary drove on home to tell Candy's parents about what had happened. She asked
them for permission to quit her job as a long distance operator for the Pacific Telephone
Company, to go on tour with this new band. Being a professional dancer, her mother realized how important this would be to her daughter, so Candy's parents gave her their blessing and
within a few days, she was in rehearsal with the band, soon to be known as 'The Exciters'.
Their first public performance would be at the very same Hollywood Palladium show that she
and Gary wanted to go to! The first song that the band rehearsed together was 'The Twist',
by Chubby Checker. From there, they went on to current rock and roll songs, old classic tunes
from the 1920s, and so on. Each member of the group played their own instruments, as well as
sang and danced.
 

The night arrived and it was magical for Candy. She got to meet all the stars
that were in attendance (Jayne Mansfield was the favorite). She was a bit
nervous, but ready to go, and very happy that her mother Jeanne would be
there to see her dance. Some of the crowd knew how to twist, but many did
not. I'm sure that they learned a thing or two from watching Candy's wild
moves. The four-inch fringe on her dress was shaking and shimmying all that
night. The rest, as they say, is history. It would be less than a year later that
Jayne Mansfield would be in the audience cheering Candy and the Exciters
on at the El Mirador hotel in Palm Springs, and Chubby Checker would be
twisting away with them at the legendary Thunderbird hotel in Las Vegas.
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