Friends, let me introduce you to Nancy Nice Lady. When my dad started Reprise Records, I asked him if I could try my hand at making a record. He said I could, but only if I paid for my recording sessions. In other words, my records had to sell well enough to cover the cost of making them. Dad spoke to his chief executive, Mo Ostin, who was adamant he didn’t want any rock and roll. I told him rock was here forever, but I agreed to record a novelty record, much like my friend Annette Funicello was doing at the time. Mo even paired me with Annette’s producer, Tutti Camarata. This was the beginning of my bubblegum era.  My first single, “Cuff Links and a Tie Clip,” was released 65 years ago this month. A Reprise ad and Billboard’s review appeared in the August 14, 1961 issue of the magazine. The record quickly went to… nowhere!  It did chart in parts of Europe, and fortunately, recording costs weren’t nearly as expensive as they are today, so I earned enough to cover the recording expenses. It wasn’t exactly the big tumult that the label’s ad promised. That came later, but every journey has to start somewhere. I did get one real thrill out of it. One day, while I was driving in Los Angeles, I heard the flip side, “Not Just Your Friend,” playing on an R&B station. I was so excited that I drove straight to the radio station and asked the DJ for HIS autograph!! I told my dad that when Reprise lifted the ban on rock and roll, I would give the label its first #1. I was off by one. “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’” went to #1 in 1966, but Uncle Dean got there first with “Everybody Loves Somebody” in 1964.