Rose Murphy

by Scott YanowRose Murphy has a unique place in music history. She became famous as "the Chee Chee Girl" because she sang "chee chee" in her high-pitched voice somewhere during nearly every number. She was an excellent pianist, although best known for her eccentric singing. She was unknown until "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" became her trademark song in the mid-'40s. Her singing was always bubbly and her style included cutesy percussion sounds, giggling, and squeals. To some she was cute, to others she could sound annoying after a few minutes. Murphy appeared regularly on the radio in the mid-'40s. Among her more popular recordings (made for Majestic, Victor, and MCA) were "When I Grow Too Old to Dream," "Girls Were Made to Take Care of Boys," "Me and My Shadow," "Busy Line," "A Little Bird Told Me," and "Button Up Your Overcoat." She recorded relatively little after 1950 other than an album apiece for Verve (mid-'50s), United Artists (1962), and Black & Blue (1980). By the 1960s, Rose Murphy was largely forgotten in the United States, although Ella Fitzgerald always did an imitation of her on her version of "I Can't Give You Anything But Love." However, "the Chee Chee Girl" retained her popularity in Europe and worked regularly overseas during her last three decades.