Alison Moira Clarkson (born 6 March 1970), better known by her stage name Betty Boo, is a British singer, songwriter and rapper. She first came to mainstream prominence in the late 1980s following a collaboration with the Beatmasters on the song "Hey DJ/I Can't Dance (To That Music You're Playing)". Between 1990 and 1992 she had a successful solo career, which spawned a number of chart-placing singles, most notably "Doin' the Do", "Where Are You Baby?", and "Let Me Take You There".
In 2025, Betty Boo re-released her first two studio albums and toured in the UK for the first time.
Career
1987–1999: Betty Boo
Clarkson studied sound engineering at the Holloway School of Audio Engineering before having several hits between 1989 and 1992. Originally nicknamed "Betty Boop" she had an unusual, striking Emma Peel-like look, and the She Rockers, the latter act who were signed to the British independent record label Music of Life. The She Rockers'
Her big break came when she appeared as a guest vocalist on the 1989 number 7 In 1991, her "Why, Oh Why?" 1950s-style love ballad featured on the soundtrack of the American film A Rage in Harlem.
Her career suffered a setback when in July 1991, while touring Australia, Boo was revealed to be lip-synching at a concert rather than performing live. The 21st Century Dance Club in Frankston, Australia received "hundreds of complaints" after her performance, during which Boo fled the stage after dropping her microphone, revealing she was miming to a backing track. The incident was widely reported, and Boo cancelled the remainder of her tour, citing influenza and fever.
Boo returned with a new record deal in 1992 having signed to WEA. Despite working to create "an album of experimental yet accessible 21st century pop", In June 2011, Clarkson featured as Betty Boo (and is credited) on the track "Virtually Art" by the Feeling on the double-album edition of their 2011 release, Together We Were Made. In July 2014, Betty Boo performed on stage at the Penn Festival, while in 2021 she was announced as one of the artists performing as part of the Let's Rock retro music festival line-ups, at various dates throughout the UK.
2022–present: Return to music
On 10 January 2022, Boo announced the release of the single "Get Me to the Weekend". The second single "Shining Star", was released on 12 May 2022. Her first album in 30 years, Boomerang, was released on 14 October 2022.
On 14 June 2024, Boo released the single "It Was Beautiful" (featuring HEX) from her fourth album Rip Up the Rulebook.
Songwriter
After her solo career effectively ended when her mother contracted terminal cancer in the early 1990s, Clarkson turned to songwriting, at the request of Chris Herbert,
Awards and nominations
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|-
! scope="col" | Award
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Nominee(s)
! scope="col" | Category
! scope="col" | Result
! scope="col" class="unsortable"|
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=3|Brit Awards
| rowspan=3|1991
| rowspan=2|Herself
| British Breakthrough Act
|
| rowspan=3|
|-
| British Female Solo Artist
|
|-
| "Where Are You Baby?"
| British Video of the Year
|
|-
!scope="row"|Ivor Novello Awards
| 2002
| "Pure and Simple"
| Best Selling UK Single
|
|
|-
!scope="row"|NME Awards
| 1991
| Herself
| Object of Desire
|
|
Discography
Studio albums
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2" | Title
! rowspan="2" style="width:225px;" | Album details
! colspan="7" | Peak chart positions
! rowspan="2" style="width:130px;" |Certifications<br /><small>(sales thresholds)</small>
|-
! style="width:4em;font-size:85%" | UK<br />
! style="width:4em;font-size:85%" | GER<br />
! style="width:4em;font-size:85%" | NED<br />
! style="width:4em;font-size:85%" | NZ<br />
! style="width:4em;font-size:85%" | SCO<br />
|-
! scope="row" |Boomania
|
- Released: 10 September 1990
- Label: Rhythm King
| 4 || — || 68 || — || 88 || 25 || 38
|
- BPI: Platinum
|-
! scope="row" |GRRR! It's Betty Boo
|
- Released: 12 October 1992
- Label: WEA International
| 62 || — || — || 97 || — || — || 43
|
|-
! scope="row" |Boomerang
|
- Released: 14 October 2022
- Label: Betty Boo Records
| 45 || 7 || — || — || — || — || 19
|
|-
! scope="row" |Rip Up the Rule Book
|
- Released: 30 August 2024
- Label: Betty Boo Records
| — || 59 || — || — || — || — || 40
|
|}
Compilation albums
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! Title
! style="width:225px;"| Album details
|-
! scope="row"|Doin' the Do: The Best of Betty Boo
|
- Released: 1999
- Label: BMG, Camden
|}
Video albums
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! Title
! style="width:225px;"| Album details
|-
! scope="row"|Boomania – The Boomin Vids
|
- Released: 1990
- Label: Virgin Music Video
|}
Singles
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2" style="width:30em;"| Single
! colspan="11"| Peak positions
! rowspan="2"| Certifications
! rowspan="2"| Album
|-
! style="width:35px;"| <small>UK</small><br />
! style="width:35px;"| <small>AUS</small><br />
! style="width:35px;"| <small>GER</small><br />
! style="width:35px;"| <small>IRE</small><br />
! style="width:35px;"| <small>NED</small><br />
! style="width:35px;"| <small>SWI</small><br />
! style="width:35px;"| <small>US</small><br />
! style="width:35px;"| <small>US Dance</small><br />
|-
| 1989
! scope="row"| "Hey DJ / I Can't Dance (To That Music You're Playing)"<br /><small>(The Beatmasters featuring Betty Boo)</small>
| 7 || 88 || 35 || 93 || 17 || 14 || 10 || — || — || — || 8
|
| style="text-align:left;" rowspan="4"| Boomania
|-
| rowspan="3"| 1990
! scope="row"| "Doin' the Do"
| 7 || 3 || 8 || — || 9 || 9 || 4 || — || — || 90 || 1
|
- ARIA: Gold
|-
! scope="row"| "Where Are You Baby?"
| 3 || 19 || — || 29 || 6 || 16 || 11 || — || 13 || — || —
|
- BPI: Silver
| – || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —
|
| style="text-align:left;" rowspan="5"| Boomerang
|-
! scope="row"| "Shining Star"
| – || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —
|
|-
! scope="row"| "Boomerang"
| – || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —
|
|-
! scope="row"| "Right By Your Side"<small>(featuring David Gray)</small>
| – || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —
|
|-
! scope="row"| "Miracle" <small>(featuring Chuck D)</small>
| – || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —
|
|-
| rowspan="3"| 2024
! scope="row"| "It Was Beautiful" <small>(featuring Hex)</small>
| – || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —
|
| style="text-align:left;" rowspan="3"| Rip Up the Rulebook
|-
! scope="row"| "One Day"
| – || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —
|
|-
! scope="row"| "Barbarella"
| – || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || —
|
|-
| colspan="15" style="text-align:center; font-size:85%"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released.
|}
See also
- List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart
References
Bibliography
- Guinness Book of British Hit Singles – 16th Edition –
- Guinness Book of British Hit Albums – 7th Edition –