June 22, 1953 Cynthia Ann Stephanie is an American Grammy Award- winning singer, MTV VMA-winning video and Emmy Award-winning film, television and theatre actress. She became a household name in the mid-eighties with the release of the album, She's So Unusual and became the first artist in history to have four top ten singles released from one album. Cyndi has released 11 albums, over 40 singles, and has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide. She continues to tour the world in support of human rights. Arguably one of the bigger female stars of the early MTV era, Lauper was born in Brooklyn, New York, and was raised in a rough area of Queens. Her parents are Fred and Catrine Lauper. Her mother uses the stagename, "Catrine Dominique" for the music videos she has starred in. Her father was of German and Swiss descent and her mother was Italian American (Sicilian, precisely). She has a sister (Elen) and a brother (Frank/Butch). In 1978, after Lauper regained her voice, she met saxophone player John Turi through her manager Ted Rosenblatt. John and Cyndi became writing partners and formed a band called Blue Angel. They decided to put everything they had into making an album of original material. A few demos were recorded and the tape found its way over to Roger Massarky, who was managing The Allman Brothers Band. Massarky said the tape was horrible, but he was attracted to Lauper's voice. He saw them play live and eventually started managing the band after buying their contract out for $5,000. Many people wanted to sign Cyndi only if she would sign on as a solo artist. Cyndi held out, wanting the band to be included in any deal she made. Polydor Records eventually signed them as a band. In 1980, they released a self-titled album on Polydor Records. The album charted #37 in Austria with the single "I'm Gonna Be Strong". In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine included it as one of the 100 best new wave album covers. Cyndi hated the cover, often saying they made her look like Big Bird.